Catching up with Rita Wieber.

Last time we talked with Rita, her book "Gym Moms" was only in the works. Now that it's published, we decided to talk with Rita again about the book sales, what tour stops she will visit and the plans for her new book!

(Photo Credit: Mark Bashore)

Triple Twist: Overall, how would you rate the outcome of the "Gym Mom" book? Do you think it has been successful?

Rita: "So far sales have been steady on my website. I haven't done a "press release" or any official marketing yet. I have a new website launching soon and will do a big "grand opening" at that time. I've had lots of good feedback on the book and I am working on an outline for a 2nd book."

Triple Twist: So you plan on writing another book?

Rita: "I have two more books in mind. One will be called something like "Things I learned from my daughter" and cover Jordyn's entire elite career, her Olympic experience, and how the whole thing changed my life."

Triple Twist: On your website you mention some new products coming out in December, can you share what those are?

Rita: "I will have products for mom's including tote bags, key chains, t-shirts, coffee tumblers, and car stickers. These will be great gifts for gymnasts to buy for their own GYM MOM. They will be sold separately and bundled together in different packages as well."

Triple Twist: "Will "Gym Mom" eventually be sold in stores or anywhere else besides your website?

Rita: "I'm working on that now. The next step is to get the book on Amazon and create an ebook. There will be an audio version too. Bookstores are also in the works."

Triple Twist: How hard has the process of writing and publishing a book been for you?

Rita: "I've been a writer for 14 years, so the actual writing part came pretty easy. USA Gymnastics offered to publish my first book which made the whole process faster...it was great! I'm taking the responsibility of all the marketing of the book, so that's going a bit slower."

Triple Twist: On your blog you mentioned signing autographs at the Arizona tour stop, do you plan on being at any of the other stops?

Rita: "I will be in Memphis, Detroit, and possibly the Thursday, Friday, Saturday shows in the first and third week of November."

Triple Twist: Can you give us an update on Jordyn's injury?

Rita: "Her leg is healing well. I believe she is going to begin tumbling soon. Right now she can do bars, beam, and dance in the show with no problems"

Triple Twist: Do you know if Jordyn has any plans to continue training after the tour?"

Rita: "We haven't even had that discussion yet! Just enjoying the moment for now!"


Thank you for your time Rita!

Click here to check out the Gym Mom website!
Click here to read my Gym Mom book review!


Interview done by: Ashlee

Autograph Collecting for Dummies

As you all know, Ashlee and I have a rather large autograph collection. (Ashlee has around 60 and I have over 30!)  A question people always seem to ask us is, "how did you get so many?" "How can I get some?" If you're interested in started an autograph collection of your own, keep on reading! We're about to share all our tips on how to be an expert autograph collector with you!

Who to contact:

The first step to starting your autograph collection is quite simple. You need to decide who's autograph you would like to have. But remember, you have to be realistic. As much as I would LOVE to have the entire Fierce Five's autographs, I know that the likely hood of that happening (unless you go to a tour stop!) is really not possible. Olympic athletes have busy lives, that's why I would suggest picking one of your favorite juniors. Juniors almost always respond back and they love getting fan mail. Many of the juniors that we see out on the floor today, are the World and Olympic champions of tomorrow. So get their autographs while you can! Ashlee wrote to Jordyn Wieber back in 2008 and she responded with a really sweet letter. We wrote to Shawn and Nastia back in 2007 and they both got back to us with an autographed picture! If you write to a few of the juniors NOW, there is a good chance that you could have a future Olympians autograph!

When to contact them:

Now that you've picked out your favorite gymnast, it's time to decide when will be a good time to contact them. The goal is to pick a time when their most likely to respond. For example, writing to Gabby Douglas during the Olympics is probably not the best idea. Again, I would recommend contacting them when their young. You also want to avoid contacting them directly before or after a big meet. If you write someone a week before Nationals, their going to be busy training and preparing for the meet. Pick a "downtime" (like right now!) when there's no major meets coming up. Always check to see if the gymnast you're writing to is home and not away at a meet or doing appearances before you write to them. When you work around the gymnasts schedule, they will have more time to respond!

How to contact them:

There are only a few ways to contact a gymnast: letters, social media, and meet & greets (or after competitions). I know going to gymnastics meets can be expensive which is why I've only been to 1 in my entire life (2010 Covergirl Classic). It was held in Chicago (which is a 4 hour drive from where I live) and I ended up meeting around 20 gymnasts in the lobby before and after the meet. Sometimes if you get lucky, you can find gymnasts in the audience. At the Covergirl Classic, Jordyn Wieber was sitting 3 rows in front of us and all the GAGE gymnasts were sitting in the row behind us! More great opportunity's to get some autographs! If a meet is coming to a state near you, I would highly recommend going. However, there is always another option. College meets! College gymnastics is very inexpensive (hello $5 tickets!), fun to watch, and often times the teams will have former elite gymnasts on them. I go to about 2 or 3 U of M meets a year and have meet several athletes who are former national team members or Olympic athletes from country's like Canada, Great Britain, and even the U.S. If going to a meet just isn't an option for you, you can always send a letter to the gym!

What to say:

When you write your letter, I would make it personal by telling them your name, age, level (if you are a gymnast) and why you look up to them. You can also ask them a few questions which prompts them to write you a letter back! You also want to make your letter personal, don't just make it seem like you are writing to  get their autograph. Say something like "I loved your vault at the 2012 Covergirl Classic, it was perfect!" Giving them a specific compliment lets them know you actually pay attention to their gymnastics. Tell them how you have an autograph collection and that you'd love to have theirs! I like to decorate my letter with stickers and take some time to make my letter extra special. Gymnasts get fan mail all the time, make your letter memorable! Some of the more popular gymnasts have autograph cards that they can quickly sign and send out, but it doesn't hurt to send a picture of your own that you'd like them to sign! Another thing I find helpful is to send a pre-addressed envelope. Have your address and a stamp all ready to go on the envelope so that all the gymnast has to do is sign the picture and send it right back. Easy as that!

I hope you find these tips helpful. Let us know if you have any more questions! Happy Collecting!

You can click here to view Ashlee's autograph collection!

Written by: Brittany

Behind the scene's of gymnastics blogging: My interview with the World of Gymnastike

I did an interview with "The World of Gymnastike" talking about how I got started as a blogger, my autograph collection, and more! Click here to read it. 

The Fierce 5...What's next?

Jordyn Wieber

After doing the 40 city Olympic tour, Jordyn plans on finishing her senior year at DeWitt high school in January. In the fall of 2013, Jordyn will attend UCLA as the volunteer assistant coach for the gymnastics team. Jordyn hasn't ruled out continuing gymnastics yet and her coach John Geddert hopes she'll give the 2013 Worlds a go. "She's a senior in high school. I think she has another good year before she goes off to college. Worlds is certainly a realistic goal for her." he told the press after the London Olympics. Wieber said she has thought about 2016, but won't make a decision until after the tour. "It's very hard to picture myself going another four years, but it's definitely in the back of my mind. We'll see." she told the Lansing State Journal.

Mckayla Maroney

Mckayla was planning on doing only some of the tour stops and then possibly heading back to the gym. But right now, things aren't looking to good. Mckayla injured her fibula in rehearsals for the tour and then injured her left knee when she landed a bar dismount during the show. You can watch it here. She is currently going under medical evaluations and tests to determine the extent of her injury, then she would like to return to competitive gymnastics. "I'm almost positive that I really want to stick with this and stay with gymnastics, at least to another worlds." she told the press in London. Mckayla also talked about possibly doing the triple twisting yurchenko vault and getting it named after her.

Gabby Douglas

The Olympic all around champ will only be doing about half of the tour stops but is "definitely" looking forward to potentially competing in Rio in 2016. That is, if she doesn't get to caught up in the fame. But first she'll be writing a memoir set to be released in December called "Grace, Gold, and Glory, My Leap of Faith." "Even before I competed in the Olympic, I always wanted to write a book." she told People magazine. Gabby will also be doing her junior year of high school online and is already being recruited by colleges like Spelman University. In fact, the schools president even flew out to London to meet Gabby and give her a gift bag.

Aly Raisman

While Aly's original plan was to do the full 40 city Olympic tour, that may change. During an uneven bar performance at the Ontario tour stop, Aly fell from the bars and bruised her knees. While reports are saying she is fine with an icing & a treatment regimen, it has yet to be determined if she'll continue to do all of the tour stops. However Aly doesn't want to be finished quite yet. "2016 is in the back of my mind." she told her local news.

Kyla Ross

The most quiet from the Fierce 5 is still getting her chance to shine in the spotlight. Between the VMA's, appearing on Ellen, and doing the west coast tour stops...Kyla is ready to head back to Aliso Niguel High School where she'll be a sophomore and of course, back to the gym. "I am proud to go back to school and back to my teenage life. I definitely want to start training again. I'm looking forward to getting into routine shape and looking forward to the next Olympics in Rio in 4 years." she told the Aliso Viejo Patch.









Photo Credit: Emmanuel Dunand, Teen Vogue, Mark Boster, Fit Perez

Written by: Ashlee