Family Name: Dawes
First Name: Dominique
Middle Name: Margaux
Nickname: Awesome Dawesome
Date of Birth: November 20th, 1976
Birthplace: Silver Spring, Maryland
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
Club: Hill's Angels
Coach: Kelli Hill
Began Gymnastics: 1983
Favorite Event: Balance Beam
Parents: Don and Loretta Dawes
Siblings: Danielle and Don
Favorite Music: Rap
Favorite Foods: rice, pasta, pizza, hot and spicy foods, veggies, chicken, hazels
Hobbies: cooking, going to movies, singing, acting
1991 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Floor) and 9th AA
1992 World Championships Team Member
1992 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Bars) and 4th AA
1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist (Team)
1993 World Championships Silver Medalist (Bars, Beam) and 4th AA
1993 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Vaults, Beam), Silver Medalist (AA, Floor) and Bronze Medalist (Bars)
1994 American Cup Champion and Gold Medalist (AA, Vault, Beam, Floor)
1994 World Championships Event Finalist (Bars, Beam, Floor) and 5th AA
1994 U.S. National Champion and Gold Medalist (AA and all events)
1994 Team World Championships Silver Medalist
1995 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Bars, Floor), Bronze Medalist (Beam) and Event Finalist (4th Vault)
1996 World Championships Bronze Medalist (Beam) and Event Finalist (Bars)
1996 U.S. National Championships Gold Medalist (Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor) and 6th AA
1996 Olympic Gold Medalist (Team), Bronze Medalist (Floor) and Event Finalist (Vaults, Bars)
For complete results, see her USA Gymnastics Official Biography
Dominique started gymnastics at age six. She had a lot of energy around the house, so her mom decided to enroll her at the local gym. Dominique also practised ballet, then jazz dance, two skills on which she would continue working later and which made her gymnastics look so awesome.
When she began gymnastics, Dominique was not influenced by any particular gymnast. In 1987 though, she noticed Daniela Silivas' style and admits the Romanian star had an impact on her gymnastics.
When she was 12 years old, Dominique invented her own personal philosophy: Determination, Dedication, Dynamics, also known as the D-3 philosophy. She would write these three words on her bathroom mirror to remember focusing on her goals.
Dominique trained for many years at Kelli Hill's Gym in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and soon began to have some interesting results. In 1990, she finished third at Nationals (junior division) and at the 1991 Nationals, she won her first major gold medal at the senior level (she tied Kim Zmeskal for the gold medal on floor). Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to earn a spot on the 1991 World Championships Team because of an injury.
To prepare for the Barcelona Olympics, she moved in with her coach Kelli Hill to be closer to the gym. Apparently, the sacrifice was worth it: Dominique finished fourth at the Olympic Trials held in her homestate of Maryland and helped the American team to win a bronze medal in Barcelona.
Her breakthrough performance would come in 1993: she placed second at the U.S. Nationals and fourth in the all-around at the World Championships, losing the title on her last event, the vault, after having led the competition during the first three rotations. However, she won two silver medals in the event finals.
1994 was also an impressive year for Dominique. She won the American Cup and swept the U.S. Nationals by winning the gold medal in the all-around and all four event finals. She was the first gymnast to accomplish this feat since Joyce Tanac Schroeder in 1969. In April, Dominique had placed fifth in the all-around at Worlds, once again falling on vault after having led the competition. But in November, she was the best gymnast on the team that won a silver medal at the Team World Championships.
Beside graduating with honors and being Prom Queen at her senior prom, Dominique led the American team to an unexpected silver medal at the Team World Championships that year.
1995 was a difficult year. Stress fractures in her foot and wrists prevented her from taking part in the World Championships. Dominique stopped competing for a while and focused on getting better.
At the 1996 World Championships, she won a bronze medal on beam. She later swept the finals at Nationals and qualified for the Olympic Trials.
She won the Trials in Boston and thus earned a spot on her second Olympic team (so did Miller and Strug).
She and her teammates won the first Olympic team gold medal for the U.S .in women's gymnastics history. Two days later, she was leading the all-around but she fell on floor, one of her best events, and finished 17th. However, she qualified for the vault and bars finals (but didn't finish in the top 3). She replaced the injured Kerri Strug in the floor final and ironically, she won a bronze medal on the event that cost her a medal in the all-around. Being the first black women to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics ended her career in style.
After the Olympics, the girls now known as the Magnificent 7 appeared on the Wheaties Box and several TV Shows, including David Letterman and Today. Moreover, Dominique also featured in a video of the Artist Formerly Known As Prince ('Betcha by Golly Wow') and she played Patty Simcox on the Broadway hit show 'Grease'.
The team went on tour in 1996 and 1997. Dominique made a brief comeback in 1998, and then decided to go to college.
At the beginning of May 2000, Dominique announced that she would be attempting a comeback. She succeeded, and competed in Sydney as a member of the 2000 Olympic Team. They finished fourth.
Quotations
"Once I tried putting all my medals on at once, and my neck nearly broke it was so heavy"
Q: "What drove you to gymnastics at such an early age?"
A: "My parents -- they were trying to save their furniture."
Dominique Dawes of the Mag7
The Dominique Dawes Page
The Dominique Dawes Honor Page
Anh Vu Dinh's Dominique Dawes Gallery
Tribute to Dominique Dawes
Gymnastics Online: Dominique Dawes
Dominique Dawes Photo Gallery
USA Gymnastics Official Biography
