If there’s anything I can nerd out about more than dolls, it’s gymnastics. It’s the only sport that I can name several athletes from several teams. I am known to plan my schedule around the collegiate gymnastics season and upgrade our cable subscription just so I can watch all the matches of our favorite teams. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and there wasn’t much to do, I entertained myself by rewatching all of the gymnastics matches leading up to the Olympics in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. It took several weeks, but gave me something to look forward to and enjoy when there was a lot of scary and stressful things going on in the world around us.
Do you remember the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta? It is hard to believe that it was 25 years ago! It’s the first summer olympics I can recall watching as a child. The women of the Magnificent Seven gymnastics team were phenomenal. They were the first USA women’s gymnastics team to bring home team gold in a non-contested olympics. Amazing. Gymnasts are some of the bravest and toughest athletes out there, it is simply incredible watching the gravity defying tricks they perform under extreme pressure. I thought we would have some fun running up to the olympics, and recreate the Magnificent Seven. Below, we feature each athlete and the amazing things they did.
Introducing your doll sized Magnificent Seven:
The 1996 replica leotard that our doll Magnificent Seven is wearing is available on Etsy and we will be giving one away on Instagram! We also did a post about other Team USA Gymnastics Leotards for Dolls from other Olympic years.
Amy Chow
Amy Chow was a talented gymnast all around, but especially excelled in bars and known for performing skills with high difficulty. She performed the same bars dismount as Simone Biles does today (two flips, two twists in tucked position) and won a silver medal for bars in the 1996 Olympics. Amy also went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and completed medical school.
Amanda Borden
Energetic, enthusiastic, and talented, Amanda Borden is just who you would want as a team member. Chosen as team captain, you can see her actively encouraging her team members throughout the ’96 games. Narrowly missing the ’92 olympics, Amanda worked hard to ensure she could be a member of the ’96 team. She competed on balance beam and floor, putting up good scores for the team. Amanda went on to become a sports commentator and still spreads her joy and enthusiasm as one of my favorite NCAA commentators.
Kerri Strug
Famous for the vault heard around the world in the 1996 team final, where she completed a vault on an injured leg and collapsed to the ground afterward, Kerri was not only incredibly brave and strong but also very talented. She qualified for several event finals, but was not able to complete for individual medals due to her injured leg. She qualified in the number 1 position for the individual floor final, and 5th on vault (with an injured leg, no less!).
Shannon Miller
Shannon Miller, front runner of the 1996 Olympic team was known for clean and consistent high level gymnastics. She took the world by storm in 1992, earning five Olympic medals. She excelled in beam and had beautiful skills like a press handstand (miss you) and a back handspring into a handstand with a full turn (uh, what? it’s cool… look it up). She earned an individual gold medal in 1996.
Dominique Dawes
Another member of the 1996 team that was super talented all around, Dominique Dawes was lovely to watch on all four events. She completed in three Olympics, 1992, 1996, and 2000. An incredible tumbler, early in her career she would tumble the full length of the floor, then tumble back to the other side without ever stopping. She earned a bronze medal on floor in the 1996 Olympics.
Dominque Moceanu
Often referred to as “America’s Sweetheart”, a “darling”, or a “little girl”, don’t be confused, Dominque Moceanu was little but mighty. She was the youngest and shortest on the team at only 14 years old, but she was tough. Competing on a leg that was still recovering from a fracture, she managed to perform on all four events during the 1996 Olympics, even getting to compete in the all around final when Kerri Strug had to withdraw.
Jaycie Phelps
Jaycie Phelps was very consistent in her gymnastics, it was rare to see her make big errors. She competed on all four events in the 1996 Olympics, often starting the event as a lead off. Although she had a score high enough to qualify her to compete in the individual all around, she was not able to compete due to a rule limiting the number of athletes from each country in the individual finals.
Sunshine and Hairbows 