The following article contains references to sexual assault.
“That was the moment my life changed forever,” Dunne toldEllein an interview.
“That was surreal,” she said.
Dunne’s mother is a former gymnast, and her father had played college football at Rutgers University.
“I was like, ‘Mom, I want that,'” Dunne toldElle.
So I was like, ‘Sign me up.'"
For Olivia Dunne, there was no question which option she was going to choose.
“I knew I was going to make it,” she confessed toNorthJersey.com.
“I had confidence in myself.”
And she was right.
“To be someone else’s role model meant the world to me.”
So, naturally, she began posting her new gymnastics skills, tricks, and training practices.
“Livvy was so cute with it,” ENA coach Jen Zappa shared with Elle.
During her homeschooling, Kat made sure to teach Olivia the importance of using social media to her advantage.
So many parents treat technology in the opposite way.
They think of it as just, ‘You’re wasting your time.’
But if that’s what your child is interested in, then what can it become?"
However, this choice came with a price.
Dunne admitted to getting lonely and feeling as if she was missing out by not attending public school.
“Not a lot of people get to do this,” Dunne told thePascack Valley Daily Voicein 2016.
“I make a run at cherish every moment.”
The 2,000-acre center was created for training the top female gymnasts in the United States.
Moreover, the Karolyis themselves allegedly inflicted verbal and emotional abuse and fear tactics on the gymnasts.
The Nassar investigation was an emotional time for everyone involved in gymnastics.
Nassar was sentenced to life in prison, and the ranch permanently closed.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit theRape, Abuse & Incest National connection websiteor contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
In an exclusive interview withFloGymnastics,Dunne explained how pleased she was with her overall experience in Italy.
Shortly after she got back, Dunne suffered an ankle injury.
She took most of 2019 off to recover, but that didn’t stop her from pushing forward.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to profit from this right off the bat due to NCAA restrictions.
“With gymnastics, you peak when you’re about 15 years old,” she toldPeople.
“After college, there’s nothing really for gymnasts.
“Opportunities for men and women in NCAA sports should be equal.
But a lot of the NIL collectives only go to men’s athletics,” she told People.
“I really hope to get as many women student athletes on board as I can.
In an interview withToday, Dunne called one incident involving a crowd of male fans “insane.”
Inside the building, fans held up signs of support as well as life-size cardboard cutouts of her image.
“Especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform.
I can’t help the way I look.
It’s hard to handle at times, definitely, because I am just a 20-year-old student.
I think people do forget that.”
