Hollie Diane Vise (born December 6, 1987) is an American female gymnast. A two-time World Champion, Vise is currently attending the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma.
Early career[]
Born in Dallas, Texas, Vise is not the only athlete in her family. Her brothers are active in many different sports and Vise's mother was also a gymnast when she was younger. Her grandfather, the well known character actor Burton Gilliam, was a Golden Gloves boxer who won more than 200 bouts before turning to acting.
Vise started gymnastics at age three in a beginner class (level 1) and advanced so quickly that she could not compete in level five, because she did not meet the age requirement of six. She moved to WOGA (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) in Plano, Texas, along with teammates Katie Dailey and Mellissa Smith, when she had progressed as far as she could go in that program (level 8) at seven years old. She continued to progress at a rapid pace and at the age of 11, she passed over level 10 and became an elite gymnast.
Vise is known for her graceful style and extreme flexibility. One of her signature skills on balance beam is her mount, where she jumps to a cheststand and then arches her legs over. This signature move is also performed on the floor exercise that Vise rotates into a split. She is also known for doing a needle scale. These two poses are very photogenic and have contributed to Vise's fame as a gymnast.
Throughout her elite career she has been trained by former Russian acrobat Evgeny Marchenko. Her teammates at WOGA have included 2004 Olympic champion Carly Patterson and 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin.
2003 Worlds[]
Vise is best remembered for her gold medals at the 2003 World Championships in the team and uneven bars events.
Vise competed on uneven bars and balance beam in the team competition. Immediately prior to her routine, it was discovered that her number was not attached to the back of her leotard, a violation that automatically incurs a 0.2 deduction. Coaches quickly scribbled her number on a spare sheet of paper, safety pinned it to her back, and sent her out. The pressure got to her, and Vise mis-timed her Ono pirouette (a 360 degree turn on one arm) and fell on the piked jaegar that was immediately after the skill, scoring an 8.875, a big disappointment for team USA, as the two athletes who went before her on the apparatus had scored in the 9.6 range, and being last up, she was expected to bring in the highest score of the three. Nevertheless, she regrouped to put out a respectable performance on balance beam (9.512) that helped the U.S. team to its first team world gold. In the event finals, Vise completed a near-perfect routine in the uneven bars final, scoring a 9.612 to tie Chellsie Memmel for the title (Vise and Memmel were the only members of the American team to take home an individual gold medal from the World Championships, along with the team gold).
2004-2005[]
A back injury caused Vise to withdraw from the 2004 U.S. national championships. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam at the 2004 Olympic Trials, though several moves demonstrating her extreme flexibility had to be removed. She finished third and fifth respectively. A fall on balance beam during the Olympic Selection Camp may have contributed to her failure to make the Olympic team. The team needed vault specialists and Vise was a bar and beam specialist.
College Career[]
Vise earned a full scholarship to University of Oklahoma and competed for the Sooners starting in the 2006-07 season. At her first collegiate meet at Arizona State University Tri-meet, she scored a solid 9.800 on beam. A week later Vise tied for fourth place, scoring career high 9.825, on beam at Iowa State University. Vise was also the runner-up on beam scoring a 9.775 against Iowa.
Vise has shown consistency on beam so far this season scoring a 9.725 against Texas Woman's University when she added a front handspring before her dismount adding more difficulty. She scored a career-best 9.85 to tie for fourth on beam against Pittsburg. She recorded the Sooners' second-best beam score (9.825) at the Big 12 Championship and helped her team make it to the second place.
External links[]
- World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
- Hollie's Official Website
- Video Interview of Hollie Vise on Gymnastike.org