Degrees of Difficulty: How Women's Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace (2021)

Degrees of Difficulty: How Womens Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace How the Cold War era changed the trajectory of women's gymnasticsElectrifying athletes like Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci helped make womens artistic gymnastics one of the most popular events in the Olympic Games. But the transition of gymnastics from a womens sport to a girls sport in the 1970s also laid the foundation for a system of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of gymnasts around the world. Georgia Cervin offers a unique history of women's gymnastics, examining how the high-stakes diplomatic rivalry of the Cold War created a breeding ground for exploitation. Yet, a surprising spirit of international collaboration arose to decide the social values and image of femininity demonstrated by the sport. Cervin also charts the changes in style, equipment, training, and participants that transformed the sport, as explosive athleticism replaced balletic grace and gymnastics dominance shifted from East to West.Sweeping and revelatory, Degrees of Difficulty tells a story of international friction, unexpected cooperation, and the legacy of abuse and betrayal created by the win-at-all-cost attitudes of the Cold War. Autor: Georgia Cervin Wydawnictwo: University of Illinois Press Rok wydania: 2021 Okładka: miękka Liczba stron: 304 Wymiary: 15.2 x 22.8 x 4.3 cm Język: angielski ISBN: 9780252085765