bil.png)
Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2013.55.24 B |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Lori Fung Interview |
Interview Summary / Résumé d'entrevue |
Lori Fung, Order of Sport recipient, inducted in 2004, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, details her career in rhythmic gymnastics. Introduced to the sport at age 12 by a teacher, Lori quickly developed a passion, practicing six hours a day leading up to the Olympic Games. The 1984 Olympic Games was the first time rhythmic gymnastics was introduced as a medaling sport. Lori explains the elements of rhythmic gymnastics, emphasizing its combination of gymnastics, flexibility, tumbling, and dance. Lori highlights the misconception that rhythmic gymnastics is more art than sport due to its grace and beauty, masking the physical demands. Lori describes the challenges she faced in the lead-up to the 1984 Olympic Games, including the need to qualify within the top 20 internationally and recounts her mindset and experiences during the 1984 Olympic Games, expressing her dream of participating since childhood. Lori discusses her decision to retire after attempting to qualify for the 1988 Olympic Games and emphasizes the challenges that athletes face, including her lack of funding until after the Gold Medal win. Lori talks about her post-retirement involvement in coaching and judging, highlighting her continued dedication to Canadian athletes. Lori emphasizes sports' transformative power and how sports teach life skills and instill a passion for excellence. Lori credits her parents as her greatest role models and encourages aspiring athletes to pursue their passions. Entrevue avec Lori Fung, 16 septembre 2008. MP4 numérisé à partir d'une DVCAM 40 Advanced ME de Sony. Temps de visionnement : 00:41:31. Lori Fung, récipiendaire de l'Ordre du sport, a été intronisée en 2004 et est née à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. Elle parle en détail de sa carrière de gymnastique rythmique. Initiée à la gymnastique rythmique à l'âge de 12 ans par un enseignant, Lori a rapidement développé une passion pour ce sport, pratiquant six heures par jour en vue des Jeux olympiques. Les Jeux olympiques de 1984 ont été la première fois où la gymnastique rythmique a été présentée en tant que sport médaillé. Lori explique les éléments de la gymnastique rythmique, soulignant que ce sport combine la gymnastique, la flexibilité, le tumbling et la danse. Lori parle de la confusion selon laquelle la gymnastique rythmique est davantage une prestation artistique que sportive en raison de sa grâce et de sa beauté, qui masque les exigences physiques. Lori décrit les défis auxquels elle a été confrontée dans la préparation des Jeux olympiques de 1984, notamment la nécessité de se qualifier parmi les 20 premières gymnastes au niveau international. Elle relate également son état d'esprit et ses expériences lors des Jeux olympiques de 1984, exprimant son rêve de participer depuis son enfance. Lori discute de sa décision de prendre sa retraite après avoir tenté de se qualifier pour les Jeux olympiques de 1988. Elle souligne notamment les difficultés auxquels les athlètes font face, telles que son manque de financement jusqu'après sa médaille d'or. Lori parle de son implication après la retraite à titre d'entraîneure et de juge, mettant en avant son dévouement continu envers les athlètes canadiens. Lori souligne le pouvoir de transformation du sport et les compétences de vie qu'il enseigne, ainsi que la passion qu'il suscite pour l'excellence. Lori reconnaît ses parents comme ses plus grands modèles et encourage ceux qui aspirent à devenir athlètes à poursuivre leurs passions. |
Scope & Content |
Lori Fung interview, 16 September 2008. Digitized MP4 from Sony 40 Advanced ME DVCAM. Viewing time 00:41:31. 00:42As a youth growing up in East Vancouver was not involved in sports, did not take ballet lessons, dance, or gymnastics, but became involved in rhythmic gymnastics because an elementary school teacher suggested it when she was 12 years old. Lori had seen gymnastics on TV during the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games and fell in love with the sport; elementary school had a gymnastics club which she joined, her grade 6 teacher saw her passion and suggested rhythmic gymnastics; (02:16) "As soon as I did it I knew what I wanted to do... was like a runaway train...used to take my hoop to school"; she practiced all the time, including on her front lawn and training sessions in the gym. In the runup to the Olympic Games she was training six hours a day. 04:18Elements in rhythmic gymnastics: It's a combination of gymnastics, flexibility, and tumbling, it really comes from a base of ballet and dance, which is why people confuse it as being more arts than it is sport... the physical demand on our bodies, and the fact that we can make it look so beautiful fools people as to how difficult it is... adding in the apparatuses adds in a dimension of hand-eye coordination... I loved performing to music, creating a story, element of difficulty and risk, including physical risk..." 06:20On the importance of training: "Our sport is so difficult and I remember my coach telling me that for the one moment that you have to do this element perfectly on the competition floor you have to practice it at least a thousand times a week perfectly..." add in the many other elements to make a routine... "have to make it look effortless, beautiful graceful, elegant, and flawless" 07:08On the importance of training in flexibility: have to be extremely flexible, have to learn ballet and other forms of dance, each routine needs a different style 08:03On training to get to the top level: 1980 Canadian Nationals, Lori was still new on the scene but made the team, went to international competitions, and then heard that rhythmic gymnastics would be included in 1984 Olympic Games, started thinking "so what do I have to do", time to step it up and goal was to be Canadian Champion within the next two years in order to go to the Olympic Games. She achieved that goal in 1982 09:44Finished her high school diploma by correspondence: partly through grade 11 she announced to her family that she needed to spend more time doing rhythmic gymnastics; needed to go to Romania and Bulgaria to train and to see what they were doing if she wanted to be an international contender; her teachers supported her decision to stop attending school and she did get her diploma: her teachers, counsellor, grade 6 teacher who had first encouraged her, and parents saw her passion and drive and dream 12:04Talking about the 1984 Olympic Games, talks about Doina Staiculescu, Romanian, ranked first: she was the Gold medal favourite, Lori trained in Bulgaria and Romania. Trained in Doina's gym. Lori took in, incorporated, and learned the best from all of the athletes: "If I can take the best from them, I can be better than all of them" 12:56Her ranking going into the 1984 Olympic Games: The 1983 World Championships was ranked 24th, won the Olympic trials in Canada and qualified in her sport, however the Canadian Olympic Association had their own standards for the Olympic Games and she needed to be in the top 20 in the world; In the process she had to beat some of the other top 20 in competitions, realized that if she could beat #19, #12, then she could get into the top ten, worked hard and made the top ten, she was still regarded as a dark horse who might make the top 5 and possibly win a medal 14:50Mindset going into the 1984 Olympic Games: "That was the dream. I always wanted to go to the Olympics... Nobody understood that dream and what it took getting to the Olympics"; no media attention, she was just someone training, in the preliminaries. She was fifth on the first day and third after the second round. In finals all the previous rankings are discarded and the medals are based on the final performances; she said to her mother that she wished it was over, because then she would have a medal, her mother replied (17:32) "You've always said you were going and to win a Gold Medal and now you're saying you would have just settled. You have a chance tomorrow to go in there and do it. You've always believed in yourself so you need to go for it". The scary part was knowing she could win a medal, maybe even Gold or the other end of the spectrum finish 10th; "Test for me as a real athlete at that point, how I was going to handle it." 18:28The finals: so scared, the athletes had a warm up area away from the competition area and there was a TV on so they could watch the live feed of the competition, she saw the athletes go out and come back relieved, ecstatic or in tears, she was not prepared for that moment of leaving one area and going across to the other, then everything came back - the training, her childhood spent on the front lawn, gave her strength, went onto the floor and when the music came on everything came back to me and I gave it. 21:13Last routine: she did not know her score or the rankings; she knew Doina was doing well, in her last routine she had a very bad routine, Lori was devastated for her, she did not know she needed a score of 9.75 to win but she did know she needed a flawless routine again, afterwards she felt she had medalled and went back to the room and later the American girl came to her, very excited, as said "you did it"; from that moment her life changed; talks about the medal ceremony and seeing her mother & sister in the audience, greatest moment in her life but bittersweet because the silver medalist, Doina, was a friend, tears of sadness for a friend 26:28Had to make decisions after 1984, still had her passion, now had responsibilities as the Gold Medalist including sponsors in South Korea and an agent in Los Angeles; in 1986 made the decision to try to make the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul; At the Olympic trials was ranked number one but had a foot injury which would inhibit training for the final five weeks and realized she could not perform at her best and was she ready to take a position on the team from someone else; she then made decision to retire, "it was hard but I had had my Olympic moment" 28:36On funding: had no funding until after she won the Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Her parents gave their support, felt it was worth investing in her passion 29:40Do you tease your parents about buying tickets only for the preliminaries at the 1984 Olympic Games? Her parents had never seen her compete and they came to LA and bought tickets only for the preliminaries, they had to scalp tickets for the finals, she teases them about the sign "parents of gymnast need tickets," trying to get tickets; her parents and her sister did get to see the finals 30:29When did you see your parents? Not until she got home: had to go to doping control and it took a long time and by the time she was done, everyone had gone home, this was the first time she was tested; when she went back to the Olympic Village she didn't know what to do with her medal, "should I go sleep with it?" 32:34Do you have flashbacks, what is the strongest moment that comes back to you? "The moment I spotted my mom and my sister when I was standing on the podium. It was a 'can you believe this' moment." 33:51What are you doing now? Until 2002 had her own gymnastics club and was coaching but started getting into judging at the high level, so transferred the gym to another coach and now involved as an advisor but judges internationally. Lori talks about Canadian athletes in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games 35:26Why should a young person go into sports? "I believe that sport teaches youngsters how to be passionate about something, how to give it their all, to be dedicated. It teaches them time management. It teaches them all the life skills that they are going to have to learn. You are ready for the real world much sooner." 36:02What did sports teach you: "Sports taught me that I can have a dream and I can go for it and no matter whether circumstances said it's not going to happen, you can make it happen. It's always possible. Shoot for the stars, you never know what you are going to be." 36:54How did participation in sports affect your life? It changed my life. Winning the Gold changed my path (talks about sponsors and agents), seen the world, get involved with young athletes 37:55Define success: "I define success as giving it all. Not knowing what the outcome will be but giving it everything that you got. If you do that your successful, no matter what the outcome." 38:24Greatest role model: "mom and dad, unconditionally supportive, not pushing for top results, they say "You're always our champion" " 39:38Advice to someone starting out in sport: "Make sure that it's something that you really desire. That you are passionate about. That it's something that really truly want, not someone else's dream. If you know in your heart and soul and you love it, then it's right for you." 40:21About who she has performed for: the Pope, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Elton John; Lori highlights receiving the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia |
Date |
2008/09/16 |
Year Range from |
1980 |
Year Range to |
1988 |
People |
Staiculescu, Diona Fung, Lori |
Search Terms |
Lori Fung Interview Gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics 1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles |