Hilary Grivich
Encyclopedia
Hilary Coplin Grivich was a world-class American
gymnast
and diver
. She was a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1991 World Championships and the 1990 junior all-around U.S. National Champion in gymnastics.
One of the original members of the "Károlyi six-pack," Grivich trained under Béla Károlyi
in Houston Texas
. A strong and consistent competitor, she was the all-around U.S. National Champion in the junior division in 1990. The following year, competing in her first season at the senior level, she was a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1991 World Championships
, acting as the leadoff gymnast during compulsories and competing second in the lineup on all four events in team finals.
Grivich seemed on course for the 1992 Olympics
, placing seventh in the all-around and third on balance beam and floor exercise at that year's National Championships. However, at the Olympic Trials she placed eighth and did not qualify for the Olympic squad. Béla and Marta Károlyi and many other gymnastics insiders protested this turn of events, claiming that U.S. judges deliberately underscored Grivich to keep the team from having too many Károlyi club gymnasts.
Grivich retired from gymnastics after the Olympics. In 1993 she switched her focus to diving
. After only two years in the sport, she earned a scholarship to the University of Houston
. She excelled in NCAA
competition and hoped to eventually make the U.S. Olympic team as a diver.
Less than a month before her twentieth birthday, Grivich was killed in an early morning car accident on a Houston highway
. A scholarship with the Strake Jesuit Scholarship Fund was established in her name. In addition, Grivich's diving club, Woodlands Diving Academy, holds an annual elite meet in her honor, the Hilary Grivich Memorial Invitational.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
and diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
. She was a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1991 World Championships and the 1990 junior all-around U.S. National Champion in gymnastics.
One of the original members of the "Károlyi six-pack," Grivich trained under Béla Károlyi
Béla Károlyi
Béla Károlyi is a Romanian gymnastics coach. He was born in what was then Kolozsvár, Hungary, a region restored to Romanian administration after 1944. Károlyi and his wife, Márta, also of Hungarian origin, emigrated to the United States in 1981 and both have dual citizenships for Romania and the...
in Houston Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. A strong and consistent competitor, she was the all-around U.S. National Champion in the junior division in 1990. The following year, competing in her first season at the senior level, she was a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 26th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Indianapolis, USA, in the Hoosier Dome, September 6 to 15, 1991.-Medals:-All-round:-Apparatus:-All-round:-Apparatus:-References:**...
, acting as the leadoff gymnast during compulsories and competing second in the lineup on all four events in team finals.
Grivich seemed on course for the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, placing seventh in the all-around and third on balance beam and floor exercise at that year's National Championships. However, at the Olympic Trials she placed eighth and did not qualify for the Olympic squad. Béla and Marta Károlyi and many other gymnastics insiders protested this turn of events, claiming that U.S. judges deliberately underscored Grivich to keep the team from having too many Károlyi club gymnasts.
Grivich retired from gymnastics after the Olympics. In 1993 she switched her focus to diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
. After only two years in the sport, she earned a scholarship to the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
. She excelled in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
competition and hoped to eventually make the U.S. Olympic team as a diver.
Less than a month before her twentieth birthday, Grivich was killed in an early morning car accident on a Houston highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
. A scholarship with the Strake Jesuit Scholarship Fund was established in her name. In addition, Grivich's diving club, Woodlands Diving Academy, holds an annual elite meet in her honor, the Hilary Grivich Memorial Invitational.