Dominique Moceanu on Gymnastics, her Memoir and Being a Mom

From a young age, Dominique Moceanu’s life was about success at any cost. Her family and coaches put untold amounts of pressure on her, a challenge to overcome that she said ultimately made her a “survivor” and a stronger woman.

But that’s not the life Moceanu wants for her young children, Carmen and Vincent.

“My kids come first before anything,” Moceanu said.

She wants to make sure her children are well rounded, that they have the chance to have a good childhood. If they choose to compete, she wants to teach them to be good competitors, but also good sportsmen.

“It’s ultimately about balance in your life,” Moceanu said.

Moceanu, a 1996 Olympic gold medal winner, now lives in the greater Cleveland area and considers the Ganims of Broadview Heights’ Gymnastics World an extended family. She came to the area for the man who is now her husband, Michael Canales, a graduate and former gymnast.

Once in the area, Moceanu began coaching part-time at Gymnastics World. She stressed that hard work and dedication is vital, encouraging the young gymnasts to transfer that work ethic to school, too. She said her coaching style could be stern and intense, but that she also liked to interact with the athletes and knew when to relax.

“I would try to be a motivator,” she said.

Now that Moceanu is a mother, she doesn’t have time to coach regularly. She said she still gives some private lessons and visits Gymnastics World as a mom, taking her children to mommy and me classes. She writes children’s books now called the Go-for-Gold Gymnasts series, and her memoir, “Off Balance,” was published in June. The book addresses the competition, the alleged cruelties from her coach, Bela Karolyi, and her father, and discusses the discovery of her sister.

“I wanted to give people the true story of my life,” Moceanu said.

Though there were struggles, Moceanu has always loved gymnastics, the chance to play. “The gym was like a huge obstacle course,” she said.

But the required mental strength and physicality of it also drew her to the sport (she now likes watching Mixed Martial Arts and boxing for the same reason). Gymnastics is a sport that few people can do at such a high level, and she loved the “feeling of being a superhero” as she flipped around.

Moceanu was 10 when she competed in her first international assignment, the Pan American Games in Brazil.

“It just felt so powerful and so special,” Moceanu said.

By the time she was 16 and competing in the Goodwill Games, she had already won the junior national title, the senior national title and a gold medal. It was at the Goodwill Games that she overcame a growth spurt, embracing her new strength and power.

Watching the 2012 Olympics brought back a lot of “memories” and “chills” as this year’s team followed in her team’s gold-medal footsteps.

“They’re carrying on a tradition,” she said.