Karolyi Ranch
The Ranch, USAG Ranch, Camp | |
Full name | United States women's national gymnastics team USA Gymnastics |
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The USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at Karolyi Ranch or simply Karolyi Ranch in
History
In 1983, following his defection to the U.S.,
After Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics the ranch's enrollment increased to 1,400 students.[1] From 1986–1989, the property expanded to 2,000 acres. The ranch had a state of the art women's artistic gymnastics facility as well as a dance room, medical room, office, rhythmic gym, trampoline and tumble gym and a sports acro gym. It also had athletes' and coaches' cabins, dining halls, meeting rooms, TV room and a cafeteria.[2]
The camp portion of the property was about 36 acres (15 ha). In 2001, the ranch was designated by
In January 2018, USA Gymnastics terminated its lease of the Karolyi Ranch during the sentencing phase of the trial of Larry Nassar, who was found guilty of numerous acts of sexual assault against young gymnasts, many of which took place at the facility, where parents were not allowed to be present.[3] A lawsuit was filed against the Károlyis in 2016 alleging that they had known about and "turned a blind-eye to the sexual abuse".[5]
On January 25, 2018, the Ranch announced the permanent closure of the facility on its website.[6] On January 30, 2018, the Texas Rangers took over the criminal investigation of the ranch.[7]
In June 2021, Voyager Group LTD, which is tied to a local lumber company, purchased the property for $6 million from a business entity run by the Karolyis, according to a KPRC 2 news Investigation. Following the sale, the Karolyis made a trip to Romania. "They're not in the best of health and it requires a lot of upkeep out at the ranch, and they just couldn't do it anymore," said David Berg, the attorney representing the Karolyis.[8]
National Team camps
National Team camps for the women's artistic program were held once a month at the ranch, attended by members of the
After the poor performance of the United States Olympic Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the method of selecting athletes for competitions was also changed.[10] In the past the six gymnasts with the top scores at the Olympic Trials went on to compete in the Olympics, but after 2000 the team was picked by Károlyi after a five-day training camp at the ranch.[11] Kelli Hill, who coached Olympians Dominique Dawes and Elise Ray, spoke in favor of maintaining the old ranking system.[12]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-101-16065-7.
- ^ "Microsoft PowerPoint – Training Center Tour" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ a b David Barron (2018-01-18). "Karolyi Ranch out as USA Gymnastics training site". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "USOC designates USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at Karolyi Ranch as newest U.S. Olympic Training Site" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-12. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Famed US Gymnastics Team Coaches Knew of Abuse, Lawsuit Claims". The Christian Science Monitor. 2016-10-28. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ Dougherty, Matt (25 January 2018). "Karolyi Ranch closes, remains under investigation after sex abuse allegations". KHOU. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Barron, David. "Governor Greg Abbott asks Texas Rangers to investigate Karolyi Ranch". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ Strauss, Joel; Eisenbaum, Debbie (2021-07-30). "The Karolyi Ranch, former training site for female Olympic gymnasts, has now been sold". KPRC. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
- ^ Clarke, Liz (2003-08-17). "U.S. Cultivates Homegrown Training Plan; Young Gymnasts Work With Local Coaches, Make Monthly Trips to Houston Camp". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ Rosewater, Amy (2003-02-28). "They All Jump Through Hoops; To Qualify for an Event, Americans Must Endure Rigors of Camp Karolyi". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ Harasta, Cathy (2004-07-18). "And the winners are . . . gymnastics picks coming to your NBC dial.(The Dallas Morning News)". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ John Jeansonne, Newsday (2000-09-20). "Even Karolyi couldn't save them". Post-Tribune (IN). Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-01-24.