WHY KATELYN OHASHI'S STORY IS IMPORTANT TO WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS AND TO ALL FEMALES

I was so excited to watch the video that has been viewed more than 40 million times. Ohashi, representing UCLA, scored a perfect 10 in an exuberant floor routine that demonstrated her athleticism and love for the performance aspect of the sport.

The win marked a comeback for Ohashi, whose nearly life-long gymnastics career was marred by injuries and the incredible pressure placed on female gymnasts to maintain a crazy-strict diet and a particular body weight and size.  Her win is also a win for females everywhere in gymnastics, and for females everywhere.  Why?  Because she came back to the sport despite the ways that its sexism and inhuman and irrational standards of perfection and body shape/size had gotten her down.  She defied all of that by coming back, enjoying herself, and winning!

Let's hope that Katelyn's win and new found notoriety has the sport of gymnastics re-evaluate the rigidities that it set for its female participants. I think that it will!