With the Winter Olympics and Black History Month in full effect, it’s only right that we highlight trailblazer Dominique Dawes, who made history in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
She became the first Black American gymnast to take home gold as part of her team’s success in the Atlanta games. Along with Jair Lynch that year, she was also the first Black American ever to take home an individual Olympic medal when she won bronze for her floor routine.
Dawes recently spoke to ESSENCE about being inspired by a new generation of gymnasts, her work to change the culture of the sport, and a new docuseries on Peacock that she’s executive producing with NBA superstar LeBron James to highlight elite gymnasts heading to the Olympic Trials.
Here are four things we learned from the legendary gymnast.
01
As much as Dominique Dawes has inspired generations of Black women gymnasts, she’s inspired by them as well
“When Gabby [Douglas] did what she did in London I was just bawling” Dawes tells ESSENCE, referring to Douglas becoming the first American woman to win gold in both the team and individual all-around competition at the same Olympics. “[I was] in tears because I could recognize the impact she was going to make on the future generation of gymnasts, and I am so proud of her. She peaked at the perfect time and was able to make history.”
Dawes was also forthright about how that feat was overshadowed by conversations about Gabby’s hair. “The focus was on hair and things that were so superficial, and they lost sight of the great impact that she made. And her impact was so great that my second child, her name is Quinn Gabriella, named after Gabby Douglas.”
Dawes was also forthright about how that feat was overshadowed by conversations about Gabby’s hair. “The focus was on hair and things that were so superficial, and they lost sight of the great impact that she made. And her impact was so great that my second child, her name is Quinn Gabriella, named after Gabby Douglas.”
02
Dawes was very candid about the “toxic culture” in her sport
“It’s just too much on a young girl. It’s too much on the family physically, mentally, emotionally. I remember waking up at 4:45 in the morning, when I lived at home with my parents,” she recalled. “And my mom wouldn’t want to get up. She had three children, my older sister, and a younger brother with autism. And I remember trying to shake her up at 4:45 in the morning, so I could get to practice at 6 am on time, and I would then call the gym. And I would be hysterically crying like ‘I can’t get there, I can’t get there.’ And my coach eventually suggested to my parents that I live with her. And so it became 24/7 gymnastics. The level of commitment and sacrifice and the physical toll and sheltered upbringing is not something that I would advise for any young person.”
Though her commitment led to a 96 Olympic win, the result of that kind of pressure on young women also led to “the likes of Larry Nassar and that culture and the toxicity,” she said.
Though her commitment led to a 96 Olympic win, the result of that kind of pressure on young women also led to “the likes of Larry Nassar and that culture and the toxicity,” she said.
03
LeBron James asked Dawes to be one of the executive producers of a new docuseries on the toll facing gymnasts at an elite level
LeBron James co-created a production company, SpringHill Company, with Maverick Carter, and they asked Dawes to join them as an executive producer for a new docuseries, “Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts.”
The series follows gymnasts on the road to the Tokyo Olympics. Dawes says the anxiety and fear she experienced on her way to her Olympic wins are also reflected in the series among a new generation of gymnasts. “You see what the young girls are going through, you see the fears, you see the anxiety, you see the pressure, you see the regret, you see the lack of enjoyment,” she says. “And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say, ‘hey, there needs to be a change.'”
The series follows gymnasts on the road to the Tokyo Olympics. Dawes says the anxiety and fear she experienced on her way to her Olympic wins are also reflected in the series among a new generation of gymnasts. “You see what the young girls are going through, you see the fears, you see the anxiety, you see the pressure, you see the regret, you see the lack of enjoyment,” she says. “And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say, ‘hey, there needs to be a change.'”
04
Dawes is working to change the culture of the sport so young gymnasts have more balanced lives
“I’m so passionate about being a part of this healthy change for the sport, and why I want to leave a greater impact. But I will say this, my kids will not go through what I went through,” Dawes shared.
She started the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics and Ninja Academy to do that. The second academy opens in the fall of 2022 in Rockville, Maryland, after their first academy opened in July 2020 in Clarksburg, Maryland. Dawes is also looking at future locations.
“I want kids to have a balanced childhood,” she shared. “If you don’t want them to have a balanced childhood then go to a gym down the street, they’ll make sure your child is living in the gym. But I am trying to change the way that the sport has made people believe it has to be.”
She started the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics and Ninja Academy to do that. The second academy opens in the fall of 2022 in Rockville, Maryland, after their first academy opened in July 2020 in Clarksburg, Maryland. Dawes is also looking at future locations.
“I want kids to have a balanced childhood,” she shared. “If you don’t want them to have a balanced childhood then go to a gym down the street, they’ll make sure your child is living in the gym. But I am trying to change the way that the sport has made people believe it has to be.”
