Marian Twining-Barone was a multi-faceted athletic, and that seems to be a theme found throughout the roster of Gymnastics Hall of Fame Honorees. Not only will you read about her many gymnastic accomplished, but you will be privy to a glance at the life of a sports champion. Gymnastics doesn’t really have an “off-season,” just time periods during each year when the competitions are scarce. In one season, much time is spent learning new moves and combinations of movement. In another season, time may be devoted to mastering the newly learned movements. In a third season, the new is combined with the old to the point of mastery of the whole. And finally, the whole is presented to the world in the many different levels of competition. It means that mastery of two or more sports sustained over time must take a person of almost overwhelming ability and fortitude. Marian Twining-Barone qualifies to be such a person.
Olympic Games: Bronze-Team, London, England, (1948); Team member, Helsinki, Finland, (1952). National AAU Championships: Silver-V, Bronze-PB, (1943); Bronze-AA, (1944); Silver-AA, FX, & BB, (1945); Wright states that “ . . . overall, Marian won more than ten national titles . . . ” She was also selected as an Honorary 1944 Olympian along with seven others including Helen Schifano-Sjursen, Clara Schroth-Lomady, and Erna Wachtel by the National Collegiate Gymnastics Alumni Association (NCGAA) Magazine in consultation with former Honorees and Olympians. National Indoor Indoor Track & Field Championships: Gold-Basketball Throw, (1941, ‘45, & ’46). Note: This T & F meet wasn’t held during WWII years of 1945 & ‘46. However, she won gold again in 1951 as Mrs. Barone. Coaching: After Marian’s retirement from sport, she coached at Marshall University and Temple University.
Sources: Courtesy of Jerry Wright author of Gymnastics, Who’s Who, 2005 and the April 2002 Newsletter of the NCGAA. Introduction, commentary, and formatting by Larry Banner, Web Manager.
