| Mandy James | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mandy Marie James-Morgan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 December 1978 Jacksonville, United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic Gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | International Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 1995–1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Rossitza Todorova | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mandy Marie James-Morgan (born 9 December 1978) is a retired American rhythmic gymnast and stuntwoman. She was part of the national senior group. [1]
She was on the US national rhythmic gymnastics team from 1995 to 1996, being part of the national senior group along Kate Nelson, Lori Fredreickson, Aliane Baquerot, Ginny Ledgerwood, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers. [2] They all lived together in suburban Chicago largely due to Sievers' father, Ron, whose construction firm renovated the house where the gymnasts lived and converted a former racquetball complex into the gym where they trained. [3] They won silver at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, and placed second in the group at the 1995 Four Continents Championships. [4]
In the summer of 1996 Mandy, Aliane Baquerot, Kate Nelson, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers were selected to compete at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the first edition to feature the group competition. [5] They finished in 9th place and so did not advance to the final. [6]
After her retirement James entered the film and television industry, where she worked as a stuntperson, appearing in multiple movies.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. Rhythmic gymnastics is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which first recognized it as a sport in 1963. It became an Olympic sport in 1984 with an individual all-around event. The group all-around competition was added to the Olympics in 1996. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport. The most prestigious competitions, besides the Olympic Games, are the World Championships, World Games, European Championships, European Games, the World Cup Series and the Grand Prix Series. Gymnasts are judged on their artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills, for which they gain points. They perform leaps, balances, and rotations along with handling the apparatus.
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Challen Kelly Sievers is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She was part of the national senior group.
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