Cathy Rigby 1972 Olympics Team Optionals FX

[@c140075]

Amusing that they say she isn't much of a dancer. She dances much better than most American gymnasts today.

[@ThorAdorator]

+c140075 the floor routine of then, is much beautiful than today. And those gymnasts like her, look elegant with leotard and criss cross shoes. i love it

[@annapavfan4680]

For real (and this coming from a Soviet/Russian fan!).

[@MD-722]

I was gonna say! But that goes to show you how high the standards were back then!

[@saragrant9749]

Or most Russians today… oh wait that’s right- Russia can’t compete right now!!

[@philipcwong]

I love this era. Everything was put together so well.

[@ih8utbe]

I love the era also.

[@cj222100]

Interesting how the commentator said she 'wasn't a dancer'-I wonder what he'd think of today's very different style. I like to watch gymnastics now, but I really love the older style where even the 'not dancers' incorlorated alot of dance.

[@SchnarphStudios]

I love her sense of theatrical energy!

[@Edgeofillumination]

I miss when how something looks was important in gymnastics. This was delightful to watch.

[@amacingrace]

I love cathy rigby

[@sunnydayzie1202]

Olga ran away with the show that year but Cathy was amazing. No wonder this woman was playing Peter Pan well into her 50s and doing all those strenuous dance routines in the show!

[@erinwalker711]

Cathy Rigby helped open the floodgates for the USA 🇺🇸 in gymnastics 🤸‍♂️.

[@augustinedaudu9203]

Beer Barrel Polka... Lavinia Agache and Iveta Polokova also used that music

[@MEMORIA1316]

Live piano music

[@jimmypage2138]

those were the days

[@joshgellis3292]

That sounds more like 8-track, which was better than cassettes. Dad used to enjoy saying they sounded better and even on that ancient audio, it sounds real. I wouldn't be surprised if a piano was there though. lol.

[@CBTCFT]

I could be wrong, but don't think recorded music was permitted until about 1978, so that would've been a live piano.

[@MD-722]

@@joshgellis3292 It's a live piano, each team would have their own pianist that they'd bring to the Games with them.

[@kellyanderson7624]

Wow the tricks they do now are so different and so much more difficult, but it was still great

[@peanutoreo8052]

They used to do it on 1 inch padding that had no give back then. Now the floors are loaded with 10 inch springs and propel you like a trampoline.

[@annapavfan4680]

Back when they were graceful as a team . ..

[@saragrant9749]

Back when they had no chance because they weren’t Soviet.

[@kathyhoward9223]

This is real gymnastics beautiful to watch.it's hard to watch now because it's so boring. Even though their skills are so much harder. It's become too mechanical. I actually dislike gymnastics now. The great thing Cathy Rigby was she made little girls believe that they could do it too if they practiced. You could study her moves and then copy them. She was slow and precise. I could do it all. Tumbling I ended up.learning all the floor skills. The only think I never got was the layout and back tuck.

[@saragrant9749]

Seriously then, don’t watch. Today’s gymnastics is just as good as back then- more so when you factor in the concept that weight doesn’t matter now- unlike then. I’d rather watch today’s powerful ATHLETES then yesteryear’s starved little girls.

[@wheresbaby7783]

I hate how gymnastics has gone to Where they don't ever do anything related No the little girls could do this back hand Spring or this walk over this area cart wheel you know nowadays it's double jumps and triple Johnson then triple double twist some double backs and there's no elements of old gymnastics in any of their floor routines sucks

[@calpurniabruchi5742]

Our gymnastics team copied her look. We sewed white braiding around the zipper of our navy blue leotards

[@panamasrose]

Love seeing the old style and how all modern gymnasts have adopted the Russian style of performance.

[@Tribute2the80s]

Did commentators back then think women were idiots/children?

[@SoapinTrucker]

Women were absolutely treated different back in the seventies, and further, I remember as a kid, men being arrogant and condescending towards women, but yet still trying to teach me to treat women with respect! LoL smh

[@1974FLA]

a " whale of a job "lmao

[@TemilolaAndrew-Ugbebor]

🤑🤑 she is a good gymnast

[@bethanne558cooke7]

A whale of a job lol

[@bethanne558cooke7]

A whale of a job lol