LIFE LESSONS FOR FORMER STAR
Twenty years after her gold-medal heyday, Dominique Moceanu is gearing up for a potential new role: that of gymnastics mom. Moceanu says her son Vincent, her second of two children with husband Dr. Michael Canales, a former Ohio State University gymnast, at age 7 already is showing the same sort of talent that launched her career as a teenage gymnastics superstar, which culminated in a 1996 Olympic team gold medal.
“Our son has a gift for the whole package that I have never seen,” she said. “He is the future of men’s gymnastics if he wants to pursue it. People have never seen talent like his at a young age. It’s amazing to see him develop.”
However, given the family turmoil she endured as a young athlete, Moceanu said she and her husband are giving Vincent room to develop at his own pace, free of pressure or expectations.
The couple limits Vincent to three gymnastics days per week in an effort to maintain a healthy balance alongside 8-year-old sister, Carmen, who enjoys art, gymnastics and figure skating.
Lack of healthy balance, unfortunately, was an early characteristic of Moceanu’s career.
Her father, Dimitry, moved the family to Houston so Moceanu could train with Bela and Martha Karolyi, and she had fractured relationships with both parties, culminating in a 1998 lawsuit to be emancipated from her parents. She also wrote about what she considered the Karolyis’ extreme training methods in her autobiography, “Off Balance: A Memoir.”
Moceanu’s split with the Karolyis was exacerbated by a dispute with Martha Karolyi over her attempt to return to competition in 2006, but she and her father repaired their relationship prior to his death from cancer in 2008.
“I will always appreciate my father for fighting for me in the best way he knew,” she said. “He didn’t always make the right choices, but at the end of the day he did care about me and tried his best. He left this world knowing that we loved him.”
Another significant change in Moceanu’s life since her days as a gymnast was the discovery in 2007 that she and sister Christina had another sibling, Jennifer Bricker, who was born without legs and given up for adoption after her birth in 1987.
“It was the shock of my life,” Moceanu said. “Being level-headed about this discovery and doing what I can to make this relationship work is something that will always be an amazing facet of my life.
“Letting a complete stranger into your life and dealing with a shift in the dynamic of sisterhood, there are a lot of things you have to work on. It’s a work in progress. But I now have (Bricker) as a part of my life, and now I get to share new memories with my sisters.”
A resident of Cleveland for the last 15 years, Moceanu is a motivational speaker and also designs jewelry. She underwent four surgical procedures during her days as a gymnast but uses yoga to stay active.
“I’m in a great place in my life,” she said. “I probably have never been happier. I’m proud of my children and adore my husband and am grateful to have the unconditional love that I longed for as a child.”