CHOW, Amy
Team Member Induction 1998
Member of 1996 Olympic Gold Medal Team
Individually inducted: 2005
Born: San Jose, CA May 15, 1978
Amy Chow is truly the winner of an AA person award. She was an excellent academician from prep school through Stanford University. Like so many gymnasts she was a multiple sport person.
She was a diver in the summer and eventually took up pole-vaulting for fun. She trained at the elite level (coaches mark Young and Diane Amos) while keeping her grades at the highest level in a difficult major.
As a youth, her “spare” time was learning to play the piano and became accomplished to the point that she played in the National Piano Auditions for 14 years. By now, she is probably a pediatrician using her gifted hands to tend to the needs of our children.
Seemingly a contradiction, Amy was known in the gymnastics world as “The Trickster,” but you’ll need to keep reading to answer the question that’s now in your mind.
Olympic Games: Gold-Team. The first ever American team Gold medal; Silver-UB where she dismounted with a double-twisting, double-back, Atlanta, GA, (1996); Team member, Sydney, Australia, (2000).
World Championships: Silver-Team, Dortmund, Germany, (1994); Qualified for Sabae, Japan championships but a sprained ankle kept her from attending the competition, (1995).
Pan American Games: Gold-Team & V; Silver-UB; Bronze-AA, Mar del Plata, Argentina, (1995).
USAG Championships: Gold-BB; Silver-UB, (2000); Silver-V, (1994); Bronze-V, (1995).
International Competitions
Bluewater International Invitational Championships: Gold-AA, UB, & FX, Canada, (2000); Reese’s Gymnastic Cup: Gold-AA, (1997 & 1998); Mexico Olympic Festival: Gold-AA, V, UB, & BB; Silver-FX, (1992); American Classic/World Championship Trials: Silver-BB & V; Bronze-AA, Tulsa, OK, (1996); U.S. Classic Championships: Bronze-V, (1995); American Classic/Pan American Games Trials: Gold-UB; Bronze-V, (1995); Coca-Cola National Championships: Bronze-V, Nashville, Tenn., (1994); U.S. Olympic Festival: Silver-Team, BB [T], & FX [T], St. Louis, MO, (1994).
Amy “The Trickster”
Amy was dubbed the affectionate name “Trickster” because her movements represented all that is extremely difficult but remains smoothly artistic and appears relatively easy as Amy performs. The apparent ease with which she performed difficult and complicated combinations provided new moves named after her; namely, the “Chow I” and the “Chow II”. They are, respectively, a Stalder 1 1/2 pirouette and a Stalder-Shaposhnikova (See insert of the “Chow I”). She was the first American woman to perform both the double twisting Yurchenko and the tucked double double dismount on the UB in international competition, and Amy was the first Asian-American woman to win an Olympic medal in artistic gymnastic competition.
Family: Parents-Nelson and Susan; Brother-Kevin.
Sources: Line drawing and competition records courtesy of Jerry Wright, author of Gymnastics Who’s Who, 2005, USA Gymnastics 2005 HOF Induction Program, with editing and additional information by Bruce Davis, author of numerous articles and papers, and Abie Grossfeld, 1979 HOF Inductee whose mind is constantly being mined for the encyclopedia of information it contains. Introduction, commentary, and formatting by Dr. Larry Banner, Web Manager.