39 Facts About Vanessa Atler

Vanessa Marie Atler was born on February 17,1982 and is an American former elite gymnast.

Vanessa Atler is the 1997 US national all-around champion, the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medalist on the floor exercise and vault, and a four-time national champion in the individual events of vault, balance beam, and floor exercise.

Vanessa Atler is the 1996 junior national all-around and floor champion.

At the 1999 American Cup, Atler became the first female gymnast to successfully perform a Rudi vault.

Vanessa Atler was born on February 17,1982, in the Valencia neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California, and began gymnastics at age 5.

Vanessa Atler has a brother who played baseball, her mother was a tennis instructor, and one of her cousins had been a Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

Vanessa Atler won a gold medal on beam and a silver medal on floor.

Vanessa Atler went on to win the silver medal in the all-around at that year's US National Championships.

Vanessa Atler made her international competitive debut in 1995, winning the floor exercise title at the prestigious International Junior Gymnastics Competition in Japan.

Vanessa Atler was invited to participate in a televised exhibition meet, USA vs the World, with members of the Magnificent Seven and international Olympians.

Vanessa Atler competed well in 1997, participating in both junior events and senior meets that were not bound by the FIG's new age restrictions.

Vanessa Atler placed second all-around at the 1997 American Cup and won event titles on vault and beam.

Vanessa Atler went on to win the all-around title at the 1997 Canberra Cup in Australia, an important meet for junior international gymnasts.

In 1998, Vanessa Atler was finally age-eligible for major senior international competition.

In July at the 1998 Goodwill Games, Vanessa Atler was chosen to compete on floor exercise and vault, her two strongest apparatus.

Vanessa Atler won the gold medal on both events, defeating a field of Olympic and World medalists.

Vanessa Atler won the gold medal on vault, defeating Amanar, just as she had done at the Goodwill Games.

Vanessa Atler began her 1999 season in February with a strong showing at the American Classic, where she won the all-around title by a large margin with top quality routines on every apparatus.

Vanessa Atler won the event title on that event, as well as the beam and floor titles.

Shortly thereafter, at the Paris-Bercy competition in France, Vanessa Atler won the silver medal in a strong all-around field behind Svetlana Khorkina and won the vault gold medal.

Vanessa Atler recovered in time to compete at the 1999 US National Championships, where she won the silver medal in the all-around behind Kristen Maloney.

Vanessa Atler was leading the competition going into the final rotation, but a fall from bars cost her the title.

Vanessa Atler went on to win the gold medal on vault and beam in Event Finals.

Vanessa Atler was coached by Artur Akopyan at a local California gym as she prepared to compete at the US World Team Trials and World Championships.

Vanessa Atler was too injured to compete at the World Team Trials, and was petitioned onto the team based on the strength of her scores at 1999 Nationals, alongside Kristen Maloney and Jennie Thompson who were suffering from injuries.

In October at the 1999 World Championships in Tianjin, China, Vanessa Atler was out of competitive shape and unprepared for the competition, but she still did well enough to qualify to the All-Around Final in 7th place, the top US qualifier.

Vanessa Atler then withdrew from both of her event finals.

In 2000 after her injury layoff, Vanessa Atler returned to form in July at the US Classic, where she won the all-around title.

Vanessa Atler won the silver medal on vault and the bronze medal on floor.

At the 2000 Olympic Trials a few weeks later, Vanessa Atler experienced what many considered a meltdown.

Vanessa Atler was unable to hit even one solid routine over the two days of competition, and botched moves that she usually performed well, changing her second vault in mid-air during both days, modifying her second tumbling pass on floor during the first day, and falling on her back on her beam dismount during the first day.

However, even with several significant mistakes, Vanessa Atler managed to place sixth at Trials and was still widely regarded as one of the United States's best gymnasts, causing some to argue that she had earned a spot on the team and to question the fairness of the selection process.

In multiple interviews in subsequent years, Vanessa Atler expressed regret over leaving the Rybackis in 1999 and over not having better communication with them during that time.

Vanessa Atler returned to them in 2003 in a brief attempt at a comeback.

Vanessa Atler formerly worked as a coach and is the girls team director at American Kids Sports Center in Bakersfield, California.

Vanessa Atler is married and has two children, a son born in January 2014 and a daughter born in February 2018.

Vanessa Atler continues to be in the gymnastics world and has since relocated to directing and coaching girls team at Central Coast Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo, California.

Vanessa Atler was a stunt double for the Lifetime Television film Little Girls in Pretty Boxes in 1997.

Vanessa Atler appeared in commercials for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 1999 and for the USOlympic Committee in 2000, in the Starting Over TV series in 2005 as well as in various made-for-TV gymnastics exhibitions such as the Reese's Cup in 1999 and 2000, the Rock'n'Roll Championships in 1997 and 1998 and "USA vs The World" in 1996.