Kristen Maloney
Encyclopedia
Kristin Ann Maloney also known as Kristen Maloney, is a retired gymnast
from Pen Argyl
, Pennsylvania
, United States, who was coached by Jack Carter in the 2000 Olympics and won bronze in the Team Event
. Maloney was also the U.S. senior all-around National Champion in 1998 and 1999 and the 1998 Goodwill Games
gold medalist on the balance beam.
in Allentown
, Pennsylvania
, and was a consistent member of the U.S. national gymnastics team from 1993 to 2000. She competed in a variety of minor international competitions as a junior elite and, as a senior, qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials.
Although Maloney only finished fourteenth at the Trials and received little media attention in the shadow of the "Magnificent Seven", she was one of the most prominent American gymnasts from 1997 to 2000. The U.S. National Champion in the all-around in 1998 and 1999, Maloney was a key member of the American team at several major international meets. She participated in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships teams, earned a gold medal on the balance beam at the 1998 Goodwill Games
in New York, and won the all-around at the 1998 Pacific Alliance Championships. Maloney ended her elite career at the 2000 Olympics
in Sydney, where she placed fourth with the American team and nineteenth in the individual all-around. The fourth place was upgraded to bronze ten years later after Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao
was found to be too young to compete and the bronze-medal winning Chinese team was disqualified.
After the Olympics, Maloney attended UCLA
on a full athletic scholarship and competed in NCAA
gymnastics with the Bruins. There she earned All-American honors and scored perfect 10.0s at several meets, functioning as a strong team leader. In her final college competition, the NCAA Championships, Maloney placed second in the all-around behind teammate Tasha Schwikert
, won gold on vault and floor, and displayed Olympic-level technique by successfully completing a double-twisting Yurchenko vault
and a full twisting double layout on floor exercise.
Maloney was plagued by persistent injuries throughout her elite and collegiate careers. A nagging stress fracture led to placement of a titanium rod in her leg (whence her name "K-Rod" among some fans). In the wake of one wave of extremely serious injury and illness, Maloney missed two full years of competition with the Bruins; her subsequent return to full form earned her UCLA's C.H.A.M.P.S. Inspirational Award.
Maloney graduated from UCLA in 2005 and worked as a gymnastics coach in California
. One of her gymnasts was Shavahn Church
, a member of the British national team. She was living in Europe and working with Cirque du Soleil
. She now teaches preschool in Queens, New York.
Maloney began working as an assistant coach for the University of New Hampshire gymnastics team in the 2010-2011 season.
; a toe-on Shaposhnikova transition on the uneven bars.
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
from Pen Argyl
Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
Pen Argyl is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, north of Easton, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt.-Population:In 1900, 2,784 people lived in Pen Argyl, and in 1910, 3,967 people lived here...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States, who was coached by Jack Carter in the 2000 Olympics and won bronze in the Team Event
Gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around
These are the results of the women's team all-around competition, one of six events for female competitors in artistic gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The qualification and final rounds took place on September 17 and 19 at the Sydney SuperDome....
. Maloney was also the U.S. senior all-around National Champion in 1998 and 1999 and the 1998 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
gold medalist on the balance beam.
Gymnastics career
Maloney trained at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training CenterParkettes National Gymnastics Training Center
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, or Parkettes for short, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that had its beginnings in the early 1960s with a middle school gymnastics program in Allentown that gradually grew into an intramural program and then into a facility that...
in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and was a consistent member of the U.S. national gymnastics team from 1993 to 2000. She competed in a variety of minor international competitions as a junior elite and, as a senior, qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials.
Although Maloney only finished fourteenth at the Trials and received little media attention in the shadow of the "Magnificent Seven", she was one of the most prominent American gymnasts from 1997 to 2000. The U.S. National Champion in the all-around in 1998 and 1999, Maloney was a key member of the American team at several major international meets. She participated in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships teams, earned a gold medal on the balance beam at the 1998 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in New York, and won the all-around at the 1998 Pacific Alliance Championships. Maloney ended her elite career at the 2000 Olympics
Gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around
These are the results of the women's team all-around competition, one of six events for female competitors in artistic gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The qualification and final rounds took place on September 17 and 19 at the Sydney SuperDome....
in Sydney, where she placed fourth with the American team and nineteenth in the individual all-around. The fourth place was upgraded to bronze ten years later after Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao
Dong Fangxiao
Dong Fangxiao is a retired Chinese gymnast. She now lives in New Zealand with her husband, and competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She originally won a bronze medal with the Chinese team, however following an investigation, the International Gymnastics Federation ruled that she was under the...
was found to be too young to compete and the bronze-medal winning Chinese team was disqualified.
After the Olympics, Maloney attended UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
on a full athletic scholarship and competed 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...
gymnastics with the Bruins. There she earned All-American honors and scored perfect 10.0s at several meets, functioning as a strong team leader. In her final college competition, the NCAA Championships, Maloney placed second in the all-around behind teammate Tasha Schwikert
Tasha Schwikert
Tasha Schwikert Warren is an American gymnast who is a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, a World Gymnastics Championships team gold medalist, the 2001 and 2002 U.S...
, won gold on vault and floor, and displayed Olympic-level technique by successfully completing a double-twisting Yurchenko vault
Yurchenko (vault)
Yurchenko is the name of both a specific vault and a vault family in artistic gymnastics. The Yurchenko was named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who originated the vault in the early 1980s....
and a full twisting double layout on floor exercise.
Maloney was plagued by persistent injuries throughout her elite and collegiate careers. A nagging stress fracture led to placement of a titanium rod in her leg (whence her name "K-Rod" among some fans). In the wake of one wave of extremely serious injury and illness, Maloney missed two full years of competition with the Bruins; her subsequent return to full form earned her UCLA's C.H.A.M.P.S. Inspirational Award.
Maloney graduated from UCLA in 2005 and worked as a gymnastics coach in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. One of her gymnasts was Shavahn Church
Shavahn Church
Shavahn Church is a British gymnast, who lives and trains in California. She formerly competed for the United States but decided in 2005 to represent Great Britain. She made her major international debut at the 2005 world championships in Melbourne...
, a member of the British national team. She was living in Europe and working with Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
. She now teaches preschool in Queens, New York.
Maloney began working as an assistant coach for the University of New Hampshire gymnastics team in the 2010-2011 season.
Skills
Maloney has a skill named after her in the Code of PointsCode of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
; a toe-on Shaposhnikova transition on the uneven bars.
- VaultVault (gymnastics)The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
: Double-twisting Yurchenko - Uneven bars: The Maloney; Gienger; full-twisting double layout dismount
- Balance beam: Front tuck mount; wolf jump half-wolf jump-Rufolva; back handspring-layout-layout; punch front; back handspring-two foot back handspring-two foot layout; back handspring-back handspring-double back dismount
- Floor exercise: Full-twisting double layout; double layout; punch front through to triple twist; double back; whip to immediate double layout
Awards and honors
- 1999: James E. Sullivan AwardJames E. Sullivan AwardThe James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
: Finalist - 1999: USA Gymnastics Gymnast of the Year