Beth Wymer

Beth Wymer (born October 5, 1972) is a former NCAA champion gymnast. While attending the University of Michigan, she won the NCAA event championship in the uneven bars three consecutive years from 1993-1995 and was a first-team All-American four times in the uneven bars, twice in the all-around, and once in the balance beam. In 1995, Wymer was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year. She was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 2006.

A native of Sylvania, Ohio, Wymer’s parents were both gymnasts, and they introduced her to the sport at age 5. In 1994, Wymer recalled: "My parents put me in gymnastics, actually. I had so much energy and was always bouncing around. I think I was kind of annoying. So they started me in gymnastics to burn off all that energy." At age 8, she began to study gymnastics under Yusaku Hijioka at the Sunrise Gymnastics Academy in Toledo, Ohio. Wymer graduated from Southview High School in 1991 and was one of the most highly-recruited gymnasts in the United States. Wymer later described her high school regimen as follows:

"I would get out of high school at noon, and train. We had to write letters to the superintendent and principal and convince them that this would be a good thing for me. At that time I was elite and competing with the nation's best."

Despite being an elite gymnast, Wymer did not make the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, finishing 26th at the 1988 U.S. nationals. By 1992, the 18-year-old Wymer decided to concentrate on a college career at the University of Michigan. In 1992, Wymer told the Detroit Free Press of her disappointment:

"I probably won't even watch gymnastics during the Olympics. I always wonder how far I could have gotten if I had put 100 percent of my energy into gymnastics. Maybe when I get older, I'll be able to watch."

Wymer recalled that her "mistake" was dividing her high school time between gymnastics, student government, cheerleading and boyfriends. "I wanted to be involved in everything, but I regret that," she said. "I wish I had the mind and body I have today when I was younger. But I have to stop dwelling on the past or I'll drive myself nuts."

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