Degrees of difficulty : how women's gymnastics rose to prominence and fell from grace / Georgia Cervin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cervin, Georgia, author.

Series:

Sport and society.

Illinois scholarship online.

Sport and Society Series ; Volume 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gymnastics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (239 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Urbana, Illinois : University of Illinois Press, [2021]

Summary:

Electrifying athletes like Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci helped make women's artistic gymnastics one of the most popular events in the Olympic Games. But the transition of gymnastics from a women's sport to a girl's sport in the 1970s also laid the foundation for a system of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of gymnasts around the world. Georgia Cervin offers a history of women's gymnastics, examining how the high-stakes diplomatic rivalry of the Cold War created a breeding ground for exploitation. Yet, a surprising spirit of international collaboration arose to decide the social values and image of femininity demonstrated by the sport. Cervin also charts the changes in style, equipment, training, and participants that transformed the sport, as explosive athleticism replaced balletic grace and gymnastics dominance shifted from East to West.

Contents:

Introduction

The origins of women's artistic gymnastics

From amateurism to professionalism

Diplomacy in gymnastics and the Olympic movement

Making and breaking the rules

Feminine and feminist?

Coaching and culture

Conclusion.

Notes:

Also issued in print: 2021.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on November 26, 2021).

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780252052675

0252052676

OCLC:

1252429090