Michelle Campi

Michelle Campi
Campi at the 1991 World Championships
Country represented	United States of America
Born	July 29 1976 (1976-07-29)
Years on National Team	1991-1993
Club	Poszar's Gymnastics; Dynamo Gymnastics; Karolyi's Gymnastics
Coach(es)	Geza Poszar, Rick Newman; Steve Nunno; Bela & Marta Karolyi
Current status	Retired
College team	University of Washington

Michelle Campi (born July 29, 1976) is a retired American gymnast. She represented the U.S. at the 1991 World Championships in Indianapolis, and was an alternate to the 1992 Olympic team.

Career

Campi began gymnastics in Florida before moving to train at Bela Karolyi's ranch in Houston, Texas. Too young to train under Karolyi, Campi was placed in Rick Newman's promising young group gymnast.

In 1989, Newman fell in love with Campi's mother. After they left their spouses and moved in together, the gossip in Karolyi's parents' lounge was too much, and Karolyi asked Newman to leave, recommending him for a job at Pozsar's gym in Sacramento, CA. Although Michelle excelled under Newman at Poszar's, it did not appear that her standings (14th at the 1991 US Nationals and 8th at the US World Team Trials) would merit a position on the 1991 World Championship team. Then, in a highly political move following podium training, Campi was awarded a spot on the team, while Liz Crandall and Sandy Woolsey were sidelined as alternates. Campi certainly made the best of her good fortune, with seven of her eight scores counting towards the team's silver medal.

She competed at the 1992 USA versus Japan Dual Meet. She placed fourth all-around and helped the team win. Campi's medal-winning performances at the 1992 US Nationals (3rd AA and 2nd UB) reaffirmed her role as an important team member, quieting many critics. Michelle, it seemed, was on her way to a well-earned spot on the 1992 Olympic team. Then, the night before the Olympic Trials in Baltimore, Michelle injured her arm, tearing the tendon away from the elbow and fracturing the bone. Michelle sat out these trials, focusing instead on the second "closed-door trials" to be held in Florida one month later. For the next month, Michelle trained intensely, so much so, in fact, that she developed a stress fracture in her hip.

Remarkably though, Michelle pushed on and competed in the "closed-door trials." Michelle was able to hit most of her routines, but did miss her hands on one of her vaults. Nevertheless, she was chosen to attend the US training camp in France, held two weeks before the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

The athlete cut from the team as a result of these "closed-door trials" was Kim Kelly. At the time, Kelly was the healthiest athlete out of all the girls in consideration. She had competed in both the US Championships and the official Olympic Trials, both times beating out Wendy Bruce. Furthermore, at the "closed-door trials," Kelly was one of the few athletes to hit all eight routines (4 compulsory routines and 4 optional routines). Campi's spot on the 1992 Olympic team was again surrounded in controversy.

At the training camp in France, Campi further injured herself, tearing a hip muscle. By default, she became the team alternate. Although she joined the team on the podium at the 1992 Olympics, Campi's dreams were clearly left unfulfilled. Interestingly, Campi was the one athlete from this team who vowed to continue towards the 1996 Olympics.

In 1994, just days before the American Classic, Campi again injured herself. Practicing on the uneven bars, she fell from the higher bar, fracturing her 9th, 10th and 11th vertebrae. Rods were inserted into her spine to stabilize the three vertebrae, and she spent four months in a brace. As a result of this incidence, Pozsar fired Newman. The family packed up their things and moved to Steve Nunno's gym in Oklahoma. Campi retired not too long after, accepting a gymnastics scholarship at the University of Washington. She competed beam and floor her freshman year only, forced into medical retirement thereafter.

Medal Count

Year	Event	TF	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1990	U.S. National Championships		15
	American Classic		19
	World Sports Fair		13
	Aloha Gymfest		4
1991	U.S. National Championships		14
	Catania Cup		6				1st
	World Team Trials		8
	Indianapolis World Championships	2nd
	Aloha Gymfest	1st	1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st
1992	USA-JPN	1st	4
	U.S. National Championships		3rd		2nd		6
1993	American Classic		8
	U.S. National Championships		5