Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacramone Quinn
— Gymnast —

Sacramone-Quinn performing at the 2008 U.S. National Championships in Boston.
Personal information
Full name Alicia Marie Sacramone Quinn
Country represented  United States
Born (1987-12-03) December 3, 1987
Boston, Massachusetts[1]
Hometown Winchester, Massachusetts
Height 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)[1]
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level Senior International Elite
Years on national team 2002–2008, 2010–2012 [2][3]
Club Brestyan's American Gymnastics
College team Brown University
Head coach(es) Mihai Brestyan
Assistant coach(es) Silvia Brestyan
Music 300 Violin Orchestra/Heart of Courage Mix (2011)
Retired January 29, 2013[4]
Medal record
Women's gymnastics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing Team
World Championships
2005 Melbourne Floor exercise
2007 Stuttgart Team
2010 Rotterdam Vault
2011 Tokyo Team
2006 Aarhus Team
2006 Aarhus Vault
2007 Stuttgart Floor exercise
2010 Rotterdam Team
2005 Melbourne Vault
2007 Stuttgart Vault
World Cup Final
2004 Birmingham Vault
Pacific Rim Championships
2004 Honolulu Team
2004 Honolulu Vault
Pan American Championships
2004 Maracaibo Vault
2004 Maracaibo Floor exercise
2005 Rio de Janeiro Team
2005 Rio de Janeiro Vault
2005 Rio de Janeiro Floor exercise
Net worth $8 Million
Spouse(s) Brady Quinn (2014-present)

Alicia Marie Quinn (née Sacramone) (/əˈliːʃə ˌsækrəˈmoʊni/; born December 3, 1987) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She won a silver medal with the United States team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and is the second-most decorated American gymnast in World Championship history, with ten medals.

Early years

Sacramone was born in Boston on December 3, 1987,[1][5] to parents Fred, an orthodontist, and Gail Sacramone, a hairstylist and salon owner.[6] She is of Italian descent[7] and has an older brother, Jonathan.[6] She graduated from Winchester High School in 2006.[8]

She began studying dance at the age of five[7] and started gymnastics three years later, in 1996.[6][9] She trained with Mihai and Silvia Brestyan at a club called Gymnastics and More, and followed them when they opened their own facility in Ashland, Massachusetts. The Brestyans served as Sacramone's coaches for the rest of her career.[5][10]

Sacrmone began competing at the elite level in 2002 and made the national team for the first time in 2003.

Elite career

2003–04

At the 2003 National Championships, Sacramone placed 14th in the all-around, won a bronze medal on floor exercise, and placed fourth on vault, earning a spot on the national team. Later that year, she participated in her first international competition as a senior, the Massilia Gym Cup in Marseille, France, where she placed fourth on floor and ninth on vault.

In 2004, Sacramone helped the U.S. win a team gold medal at the Pacific Alliance Championships in Honolulu and won the individual vault title. Her performances caught the attention of the media, which began to mention her as a contender for the American team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.[7][11] However, at the 2004 U.S. Nationals, an error-filled performance dashed her hopes of an Olympic berth. Although she tied with Mohini Bhardwaj for the silver medal on the vault,[12] she finished in 19th place overall and did not qualify to the Olympic Trials. She also injured her back and required time off to recover.[7][13]

Sacramone continued competing in late 2004 as a member of the national team and was assigned to several international meets, including the Pan American Individual Event Championships, where she won the vault and floor exercise titles.[14] At the World Cup Finals in Birmingham, England, she attracted media attention again when she upset reigning Olympic vault champion Monica Roşu of Romania to take first place on the event.

2005–06

At the 2005 National Championships, Sacramone won the individual titles on floor and vault, scoring a 9.9 on floor, and placed third on the balance beam and fourth in the all-around. She was named to the American team, along with Nastia Liukin and Chellsie Memmel, for the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a gold medal on floor and placed third on vault. She also defended her World Cup vault title, winning the event at both the World Cup qualifier in Ghent, Belgium, and the finals in Paris.[5]

Sacramone continued to compete for the U.S. team in 2006 and participated in the World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, where she won a silver medal with the American squad and an individual silver on the vault. She defended her vault and floor titles at that year's U.S. Nationals.[5]

In September 2006, Sacramone enrolled in Brown University and joined the school's gymnastics team. During the 2006–07 season, she juggled a full NCAA competition schedule with her elite training at Brestyan's. She was the first female American gymnast since Kelly Garrison in the late 1980s to combine full-time university studies and NCAA competition with elite gymnastics.[15]

During her first year at Brown, she broke the school's records for the highest scores in the all-around, vault and floor exercise. She was named ECAC Rookie of the Year[16] and swept the Ivy League Classic, becoming the first gymnast to win the all-around and all four events, and posting the highest all-around total ever recorded at the competition.[17] She qualified as an individual on the floor exercise for the NCAA National Championships, the second Brown gymnast ever to do so, but did not advance beyond the preliminary round.[16]

2007

At the 2007 National Championships, Sacramone competed on three events, choosing to skip the uneven bars. She defended her title on the vault, placed second on the floor exercise and third on the balance beam. Following Nationals, she was named to the American team for the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.[18]

During the preliminary round at the World Championships, Sacramone qualified for the event finals on floor and vault and contributed to the top-qualifying position of the American team. She also posted a score on beam that would have been high enough to qualify her to the beam final. However, due to an International Federation of Gymnastics rule allowing only two athletes per country to participate in each event final, Sacramone was unable to compete for a beam medal, because teammates Liukin and Shawn Johnson qualified ahead of her. In the team final, she competed on vault, beam and floor, earning scores of 15.750, 15.600 and 15.325, respectively. When the American team faltered after a difficult beam rotation, in which two gymnasts made major errors, Sacramone gathered the team for a pep talk to refocus them for floor.[13][19] The American team earned 184.400 points overall, which was good enough to secure the gold medal ahead of China and Romania.[20][21]

In event finals, Sacramone received a bronze medal for her vault performance and a silver on floor behind Johnson.[22] She was visibly upset by her performances, and fought back tears after floor and during the flower and medal ceremonies.[23]

Both the Brestyans and the U.S. National Team Coordinator, Márta Károlyi, suggested that Sacramone forgo NCAA competition during the 2007–08 season to concentrate on her preparations for the 2008 Olympics.[15] In September 2007, Sacramone announced that she was "turning pro" and signed with an agent, forfeiting her remaining NCAA eligibility.[9]

2008

Quinn at "Frosted Pink With a Twist", San Diego, California, September 14, 2008

In the 2007–08 academic year, Sacramone continued to work with the Brown gymnastics team as a volunteer assistant coach. She remained a student at Brown, concentrated in sociology, but took the spring 2008 semester off to prepare for the Olympics.[24][25][26] She competed well at the National Championships in Boston and the Olympic Trials in Philadelphia, and on July 19, she was named to the U.S. team for Beijing.[27]

At the Olympics, Sacramone performed on three events in both the qualifying and team final rounds of competition. In the team final, Sacramone posted a 15.675 score on vault but fell on both floor (14.125) and beam (15.1).[28][29]

In the day following the Olympic team finals, Sacramone was largely blamed for the American team's silver medal placement, and was the subject of negative commentary in media reports.[30][31] Sacramone herself took responsibility for the results, saying, "It's kinda hard not to blame myself."[31] However, analysts in the gymnastics community, including University of Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan, former Olympian John Roethlisberger and International Gymnast editor Paul Ziert, noted that the American team started the competition at a difficult point deficit to the Chinese and that mathematically, Sacramone could not have been personally or exclusively responsible for the U.S. team's results.[29][32][33] Teammate Bridget Sloan also said in an interview, "We've all made mistakes. It's just really hard to see her go and leave these Olympics knowing that she thinks it's her fault. It is definitely not, and we've all been encouraging her very much."[34]

Individually, Sacramone placed third on vault in the preliminary round of competition and qualified to the individual final on that event. In the vault final, she placed fourth[35] behind Hong Un Jong, Oksana Chusovitina and Cheng Fei. She also placed fourth on beam in preliminaries behind Li Shanshan of China, Liukin and Johnson, but did not advance to the eight-person event finals due to the "two per country" rule.[36]

After the Olympics, Sacramone confirmed her retirement in February 2009 during an interview at a Boston Bruins game.[37]

2009–10

On August 6, 2009, Sacramone announced her return to training for elite competition.[38] Her comeback was slowed, however, after shoulder surgery earlier that year.

On July 24, 2010, Sacramone competed in the CoverGirl Classic. She placed first on both beam and vault, not competing on floor or bars, and was named USA Today's Athlete of the Week.[39]

At the National Championships in August, she again performed only on vault and beam. She placed first on vault (her fifth national title on that apparatus) and second on beam. She was also named Sportsperson of the Year.[40]

At the World Championships in October, Sacramone won a gold medal on the vault[41] and a silver medal in the team competition. That gave her nine world medals, and tied her with Liukin and Shannon Miller for the most world medals by an American female gymnast at that time.[42]

2011

Early in 2011, Sacramone signed a deal with Under Armour to supply her with competitive apparel for domestic competitions.[43]

In July 2011, she added floor exercise to her competitive repertoire at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago. Competing on three events, Sacramone won gold on vault, tied for gold on beam with Jordyn Wieber, and won the bronze on floor (13.9).[44]

At August's National Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, she won the balance beam title with a two-night score of 30.1.[45] She placed second to McKayla Maroney on vault (30.6)[46] and tied with Hallie Mossett for eighth place on floor exercise (27.35).[47] After participating in two selection camps at the Karolyi Ranch in New Waverly, Texas, she was named to the World Championships team.[48]

While training for the World Championships in Tokyo, Sacramone tore her Achilles tendon.[49] She returned to the U.S. immediately for surgery. However, the team kept her name on the roster, and she was given a gold medal despite not competing.[50][51] This gave her the most World Championships medals of any female American gymnast, with ten.[50] Simone Biles would break that record in 2014.[52]

2012

Sacramone qualified for the 2012 Visa National Championships. She placed first on vault and third on balance beam.[53] At the Olympic Trials, Sacramone placed second on vault and balance beam,[54] but was not named to the Olympic team.[55] “I leave this sport with no regrets," she posted on her Twitter feed shortly after the team was selected.[56]

Other activities

In June 2008, Sacramone and her teammates Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin became the first female athletes ever to be signed as CoverGirl spokesmodels.[57] Sacramone is also a member of Team 24 Fitness and serves as a spokeswoman for the fitness company.[58] In 2009, she also appeared in a Gatorade commercial that spoofed Monty Python and the Holy Grail as "Alicia, The Girl Who Made Horse Trotting Noises."[59]

During the summer of 2009, Sacramone briefly stayed in Los Angeles and designed for Tank Farm, a men's fashion company.[38][60] She has discussed her intent to return to college in the media,[37] but announced in August 2009 that she was not intending to return to Brown University. "I plan to continue school, [but] I’m looking into transferring somewhere in Boston,” she said in an interview with Inside Gymnastics magazine. “Brown is a great school and I loved it, but it was just not the best atmosphere for me; maybe a little too liberal. It was a great two years, and I learned a lot about myself and from the professors and coaches there. I’m looking at Boston University, Boston College and Harvard. I want to weigh my options before I make an ultimate decision, but I would love to transfer to Harvard. I think that would be pretty much ideal."[38]

Sacramone appeared nude in ESPN's 2011 "Body Issue" and talked about how her body had evolved throughout her elite career and the changes in her self-perception.[61]

On December 15, 2015, it was announced that Sacramone had been inducted as a 2016 class of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[62]

Personal life

Sacramone announced her engagement to NFL quarterback Brady Quinn in August 2013, and they married in March 2014.[63][64] On February 10, 2016, Sacramone announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child, due in August. Her daughter, Sloan Scott Quinn, was born on August 5, 2016.

Competitive history

Year Event AA Team VT BB UB FX
2002U.S. National Championships (junior)227
2003U.S. National Championships143rd
2004U.S. National Championships192nd
Pacific Alliance Championships1st1st
World Cup Ghent1st4
World Cup Birmingham1st
2005U.S. National Championships41st3rd1st
World Championships3rd1st
World Cup Ghent1st1st
World Cup Paris1st6
American Cup1st2nd
2006U.S. National Championships51st681st
World Championships2nd2nd
World Cup Ghent2nd
2007U.S. National Championships1st3rd3rd
World Championships1st3rd2nd
2008U.S. National Championships1st3rd2nd
U.S. Olympic Trials1st55
Olympic Games2nd4
2010U.S. National Championships1st2nd
World Championships2nd1st5
2011U.S. National Championships2nd1st8T
World Championships1st
2012U.S. National Championships1st3rd
U.S. Olympic Trials2nd2nd

Floor music

2002: "Jazz Machine" by Black Machine
2003–04: "Explosive" by Bond
2005: "Que Locura" by Christian Reyes
2006–08: "Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)" by the Gotan Project[65]
2011: "300 Violin Orchestra" by Jorge Quintero and "Heart of Courage" by Two Steps from Hell[66]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alicia Sacramone's official 2008 Olympics biography". Beijing Olympic Committee. 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique : Gymnast Profiles". Fig-gymnastics.com. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  3. ↑ ":: USA Gymnastics :: Alicia Sacramone ::". Usagym.org. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  4. ↑ "Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone announces retirement". Sports Illustrated. January 29, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Alicia Sacramone's current national team biography". USA Gymnastics. 2008. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 "Alicia Sacramone's 2004 USAG biography" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2005. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Inside Chat with Alicia Sacramone". Inside Gymnastics. July 22, 2007. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Olympian Sacramone to Drop Puck Saturday". Boston Bruins Official site. January 29, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Swift, E.M. (September 9, 2007). "What we learned: U.S. women amazingly deep; men aren't bad, either". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  10. ↑ "American Classic bounds into Boston March 14–16". USA Gymnastics. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  11. ↑ Wen, Grace (April 17, 2004). "Matching Jewelry". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  12. ↑ "WAG event final results, 2004 Nationals". International Gymnast. 2004. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  13. 1 2 Macur, Juliet (July 18, 2008). "Sacramone Is Still Waiting for That Call". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  14. ↑ "1st Pan American Event Championships". Athlete News, USA Gymnastics. December 5, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  15. 1 2 Garcia, Marlen (August 2007). "Double-duty gymnast sets bar high". USA Today. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  16. 1 2 "Sacramone's Gymnastics Season Comes to an End at 2007 NCAA Championships". Brown Gymnastics. April 27, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  17. ↑ "Bears place fourth at Ivy League Classic". Brown Gymnastics. February 26, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  18. ↑ "USA Gymnastics names U.S. Women's Team for 2007 World Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 18, 2007. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Personality puts Sacramone in front". Associated Press. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  20. ↑ "U.S. women advance to team finals, qualify for 2008 Olympic Games". USA Gymnastics. September 2, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  21. ↑ "U.S. women win team title at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. September 5, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  22. ↑ "U.S. women win three more medals at 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships". USA Gymnastics. September 9, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  23. ↑ Pucin, Diana (September 10, 2007). "World is at Johnson's feet". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  24. ↑ Powers, John (September 27, 2007). "Sacramone has balancing act down". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Sacramone's official Brown University biography". Brown Bears Gymnastics. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  26. ↑ Garcia, Marlen (June 3, 2008). "Sacramone's love, commitment inspire others to succeed". USA Today. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
  27. ↑ Armour, Nancy (July 19, 2008). "Four years later, Memmel, Sacramone make Olympics". Associated Press. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Team final scores". NBC Olympics. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  29. 1 2 Yoculan, Suzanne (August 12, 2008). "Analysis of the Women's Gymnastics Team Final". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  30. ↑ Metcalfe, Jeff (August 12, 2008). "Sacramone falls cost U.S. women in gym final". Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  31. 1 2 Alyssa Roenigk (August 13, 2008). "Team final results should not define Sacramone". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  32. ↑ Ziert, Paul (August 13, 2008). "Ziert Alert: Alicia, It's Not Your Fault". International Gymnast. Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  33. ↑ Roethlisberger, John (August 13, 2008). "Don't throw Alicia under the bus (video commentary)". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  34. ↑ Tiernon, Anne Marie (August 12, 2008). "Hoosier gymnasts weigh second-place finish". WTHR Indianapolis. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
  35. ↑ "Vault event final scores". NBC Olympics. August 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  36. ↑ "Team qualifying round apparatus scores". NBC Olympics. August 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 17, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  37. 1 2 "Alicia Sacramone Interview - Boston Bruins Puck Drop". YouTube. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  38. 1 2 3 "Sacramone on comeback path". USA Gymanstics. September 6, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  39. ↑ Karimian, Arin (July 26, 2010). "Athlete of the Week: Return of Alicia Sacramone is a success". USA Today.
  40. ↑ "Bross wins senior women's all-around title at 2010 Visa Championships ::". USA Gymnastics. 2010-08-14. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  41. ↑ "Alicia Sacramone wins world vault title". ESPN. Associated Press. October 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 26, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
  42. ↑ Sacramone wins vault gold medal at 2010 World Championships
  43. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2011/08/19/under-armour-signs-olympic-gymnast.html
  44. ↑ "2011 Cover Girl Classic Meet Results" (PDF) (Press release). USA Gymnastics. July 23, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  45. ↑ "2011 Visa Championships – Women Day 2 Beam Rankings" (PDF). Factsheet. USA Gymnastics. August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  46. ↑ "2011 Visa Championships – Women Day 2 Vault Rankings" (PDF). Factsheet. USA Gymnastics. August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  47. ↑ "2011 Visa Championships – Women Day 2 Floor Rankings" (PDF). Factsheet. USA Gymnastics. August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  48. ↑ Amanda Turner, "Wieber Leads US Women's Team to Tokyo," InternationalGymnast.com, September 21, 2011, w.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2771:wieber-leads-us-womens-world-team-to-tokyo&catid=2:news&Itemid=166, accessed September 23, 2011.
  49. ↑ Amanda Turner, "US Star Sacramone Heads Home for Surgery," InternationalGymnast.com, October 6, 2011, http://www.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2975:us-star-sacramone-heads-home-for-surgery&catid=90:2011-world-championships-news&Itemid=238, accessed October 7, 2011.
  50. 1 2 Alicia Sacramone wins 10th medal
  51. ↑ Pucin, Diane (October 11, 2011). "U.S. women win world gymnastics title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  52. ↑ Rosewater, Amy (2014-10-12). "Simone Biles Wins Most World Gold Medals By U.S. Woman". teamusa.org. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  53. ↑ https://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/w_12vc_sr_events.pdf
  54. ↑ http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/w_12ot_events.pdf
  55. ↑ ":: USA Gymnastics :: USA Gymnastics announces women's gymnastics team for 2012 Olympic Games ::". Usagym.org. 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  56. ↑ http://www.wickedlocal.com/winchester/topstories/x1762350299/Sacramone-not-selected-for-Olympics-return#axzz23HoTh7QY
  57. ↑ "CoverGirl Flips for USA Gymnastics". msn.com. June 26, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
  58. ↑ "24 Hour Fitness Announces Partnership with Six U.S. Olympic Hopefuls for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games". May 1, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  59. ↑ Archived February 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  60. ↑ "Catching up With Alicia Sacramone". USA Gymnastics. May 14, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  61. ↑ "The Body Issue: Alicia Sacramone". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  62. ↑ https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=17740&prog=
  63. ↑ http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/250406-2013-PG-Championships/video/719583-Alicia-Sacramone-Shows-off-her-Engagement-Ring
  64. ↑ http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/brady-quinn-marries-gymnmast-alicia-sacramone-031014
  65. ↑ "Floor music". Gymnstands. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  66. ↑ "Brestyans (Alicia Sacramone) | CoverGirl Classic 2011". Gymnastike. 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-02.

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