Another example of the nature connection

[Nancy]

On last night's 20/20 show they had a story about Dominique Moceanu who had a biological sister she never knew. Jennifer was born with no legs and Dominque's father forced her mother to give it up for adoption. Her adoptive parents were wonderful people and never treated her differently than their three sons. They did not know she was Dominque's sister until they saw her in the Olympics. By that time their daughter was already showing great talent in volleyball and gymnastics and went on to be a very good gymnast.

Both Domique and her sister agree that nature is what gave them the talent for gymnastics and it wasn't chance at all that they both excelled in the same sport. They both said they believe storngly in the nature vs nurture idea. They were both raised in stark different environements and are strinkingly alike today.

I have special interest in Dominique because my easy child was a gymnast and Dominque got a coaching job at the gym easy child went to so we got to see her all the time and follow her life including her marriage and birth of her two daughters that she takes to the gym all the time.

Nancy

 

[Kathy813]

That's interesting, Nancy. How did her sister excel in sports with no legs? Did I read that right?

How cool that you know her. We actually got to watch her during the 1996 Olympics that were held in Atlanta. We got tickets for the dress rehearsal that was held the day before they actually competed and won the gold medal. They were in their actual Olympic outfits and marched behind the flag. It was like watching the real thing.

~Kathy

 

[Nancy]

Kathy we were at those Olympics and went to the woman's individual finals. We put in the lottery for gymnastics but didn't get it and instead got tickets for track and baseball but we went thru a broker and got the finals for women. We had a great time there and one night as we were taking the long train ride back to where we were staying some guy had a heart attack at the station and husband did mouth to mouth until ems came. He lived. It was an awesome thing for the girls to witness. We had a great time and would love to go to another Olympics. Boy was it hot though.

Yes she had no legs,and yet is,able to do tumbling and bars and,all sorts of things. She is truly amazing. You can watch it on the computer if you go to the 20/20 website.

Nancy

 

[InsaneCdn]

If you have "talent"... it is definitely genetic. Whether sports, or art, or music, or drama... the "talent" doesn't strike everyone in a generation, but unless it is in the gene pool somewhere... talent isn't random.

 

[Kathy813]

Boy was it hot though

Just a typical summer day in Atlanta. lol I don't remember it being especially hot, though. I do remember the busses breaking down. We were riding in one of the school busses they were using for transportation and it broke down at night on Interstate 85. We had to sit there and wait until they sent another bus and then transfer from one bus to the other on the side of the Interstate with cars and trucks whizzing by at 70 miles per hour. I was sure glad when we finally got home.

We also went to some women's basketball games. I think it was Sweden and Italy. We each picked a team and rooted for that team to win. How cool about your husband saving someone's life. Did you keep in touch with the man?

~Kathy

 

[Nancy]

Omg Kathy I can still remember standing in front of all the water misters they had set up and the heat on the buses was unbearable with all the people. It took two hours of travel each way every day. They put us up in a small town that looked like Switzerland. We saw a baseball game between Italy and Japan I think and I can't remember the other team.

No we never found anything out about the man except that he was alive when we left. They never even took our names. He was a security type guy from the sheriff's office according to his Olympic credentials around his neck.

We still have our tickets to the gymnastics event that we had Shannon Miller autograph for us.

Insane I get the talent connection but what I find so interesting is that they both went into gymnastics and excelled. Gymnastics isn't the type of talent I think about when I consider inherited talent. I think about music or dance or art, things like that. Gymnastics is a sport you seek out and to have two siblings who were brought up in two completely different environments both take up that sport and excel to me is just so much of an example of inherited traits that are so strong they defy logic. Like the twins studies where two twins are seperated and yet when they find each other the discover they both did the same things growing up without ever knowing each other.

Nancy

 

[Kathy813]

You must have stayed in Helen, Georgia. Wow, that is far from downtown Atlanta. I've only been there once but it is a pretty little town.

It was only a 45 minute bus ride for us (as long as the bus didn't break down). We also took MARTA to the downtown venues. It was very crowded, though. We were in the Olympic park the night before the bombing. That was scary to watch on the news.

This thread has really brought back some great memories. difficult child was still a easy child and we had a great time watching the Olympic events.

~Kathy

 

[Nancy]

It's brought back a lot if memories to me too. Yes it was Helen we stayed it. We had no choice, they did it by lottery and that's what what we got. It wad a cute little town. I remember taking Marta and other buses and a rapid train of sorts where we had to stand for a long time. We,were in centennial park a couple nights after the bombing. We were on our way to Atlanta when we heard about the bombing.

 

[dashcat]

Amazing story, Nancy.

 

[AmericanGirl]

Just adding to the Atlanta stories. Was there in April for a meeting at the World Congress Center.

So many memories of trips there with my son to see the Hawks and the Falcons play. That was before the addiction. We were at a Hawks game the night the tornado came through downtown. It was a surreal night....i had managed to score courtside seats off ebay for a wildly cheap price. We were sitting between Ted Turner and two of the Hawks owners. I watched my teenaged son charm them all with his love of the game. One of the owners took him to the locker room afterward (i had to wait....no girls allowed!). I still remember him walking back out on the court, his arms overflowing with goodies they gave him and a huge sheepish grin on his face. Then we went outside and saw the distruction....unreal.

How does a kid go from that level of confidence to being an alcoholic in a few years? I HATE this disease.

 

[Kathy813]

AG, I remember that tornado. I can't believe you were downtown when it happened. Did you hear it or only realize it had happened when you went outside?

 

[AmericanGirl]

We didn't hear a sound. There was a small amount of dust which fell from the ceiling at one point but someone said that happens when they turn the air higher. There was no announcement, not even after the game.

We literally had to dodge chairs and lamps from the Omni Hotel which were in the middle of Marietta Street afterwards. Amazing no one was killed as both the Arena and the Dome had games that night.