Bridget Sloan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bridget Sloan
Sloan performs on the balance beam at the 2008 U.S. National Championships in Boston, MA.
Personal information
Full name	Bridget Elizabeth Sloan
Country represented	United States
Born	(1992-06-23) June 23, 1992 (age 33) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Hometown	Pittsboro, Indiana, U.S.
Residence	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Height	5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2005–2013 (USA)
Club	Sharp's Gymnastics Academy
College team	Florida Gators (2013–2016)
Head coach(es)	Jenny Rowland
Former coach(es)	Marvin Sharp Rhonda Faehn
Retired	April 16, 2016
Medal record Women's artistic gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Team World Championships Gold 2009 London All-Around Silver 2010 Rotterdam Team Pan American Games Gold 2011 Guadalajara Team Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2010 Melbourne Team Representing Florida Gators NCAA National Championships Gold 2013 Los Angeles Team Gold 2013 Los Angeles All-Around Gold 2013 Los Angeles Balance Beam Gold 2014 Birmingham Team Gold 2014 Birmingham Uneven Bars Gold 2015 Fort Worth Team Gold 2016 Fort Worth All-Around Gold 2016 Fort Worth Balance Beam Gold 2016 Fort Worth Uneven Bars Silver 2013 Los Angeles Uneven Bars Silver 2015 Fort Worth Vault Silver 2015 Fort Worth Uneven Bars
Education	Tri-West Hendricks High School

Bridget Elizabeth Sloan (born June 23, 1992) is a famous American gymnast. She won a silver medal with the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In 2009, she became the world champion in the all-around competition. She was also the U.S. national champion that same year.

From 2012 to 2016, Bridget was part of the University of Florida women's gymnastics team. This team won three NCAA National Championships in a row. Bridget also won several individual NCAA titles. She was the 2013 NCAA national champion in the all-around and on the balance beam. In 2014, she won the NCAA title on the uneven bars. She made history in 2015 by scoring a perfect 10 on all four gymnastics events. This was a rare achievement for a college gymnast. In 2016, her final year, she won the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam titles at the NCAA Nationals.

Early Life and Training

Bridget Elizabeth Sloan was born on June 23, 1992, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She grew up in Pittsboro, Indiana. She finished high school at Tri-West Hendricks High School. Bridget started gymnastics when she was just 4 years old. She trained at Sharp's Gymnastics Academy in Indianapolis.

Bridget's Elite Gymnastics Journey

2007: First Senior Year

In 2007, Bridget competed as a senior gymnast for the first time. She placed fifth in the all-around at the U.S. National Championships. She also earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars. She was an alternate for the U.S. team at the 2007 World Championships. Later that year, she won a bronze medal in the all-around at an Olympic test event in Beijing. She also earned a silver medal on the floor exercise.

2008: The Olympic Games

In March 2008, Bridget had a knee injury. She had surgery and worked hard to recover. She was able to compete at the National Championships and the U.S. Olympic Trials. After a final selection camp, Bridget was chosen for the U.S. Olympic team.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bridget's performances were very important. Two of her teammates were injured, so the U.S. team had fewer gymnasts to rely on. Bridget competed in the qualifying rounds and the team finals. She helped the American team win a silver medal.

2009: World Champion!

In February 2009, Bridget competed in the American Cup. She finished second in this event. In August, she competed at the U.S. National Championships. She won gold medals in the all-around, floor exercise, and uneven bars.

In October, Bridget went to the 2009 World Championships in London. She qualified for the all-around and uneven bars finals. In the all-around final, she won the gold medal! She became the fifth American woman to win this world title. She also placed sixth in the uneven bars final.

2010: Dealing with Injuries

Bridget faced many injuries in 2010. An ankle injury limited her to only bars at the Pacific Rim Championships. The same injury kept her from competing in the all-around at the U.S. Classic. A new pectoral injury prevented her from defending her national all-around title. Despite these challenges, she still impressed her coaches. She was chosen for the World Championships team. At the World Championships, she helped the U.S. team win a silver medal. She also placed fourth in the uneven bars final.

2011: Recovery and Pan American Games

Bridget spent most of 2011 recovering from bicep surgery. She focused on getting healthy for the 2012 Olympics. She was later named to the team for the 2011 Pan American Games. She competed only on uneven bars and floor exercise. She helped the U.S. team win a gold medal at this event.

2012: Olympic Dream Ends

Bridget competed in all four events at the 2012 U.S. National Championships. This was her first time doing so since 2009. She placed sixth on uneven bars and tenth in the all-around. She was chosen for the Olympic Trials. However, she injured her elbow during warm-ups on the first night. She had to withdraw from the competition. This ended her chance to compete in the London Olympic Games and her national team career.

Bridget's College Gymnastics Career

Bridget received a scholarship to attend the University of Florida. She joined the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team. She had planned to try for the 2012 Olympics. But after her injury, she joined the Gators team.

In 2013, Bridget competed in her first NCAA Championship. She won the all-around title. She then led her team to their very first NCAA Championship title! Bridget also won the balance beam title. She was named the 2013 recipient of the Honda Sports Award. This award recognizes the best women's college gymnast. She was only the fourth freshman to ever win this award.

In 2014, the Gators won their second NCAA National Championship in a row. Bridget was the NCAA National Champion on the uneven bars. She was also named the NACGC Southeast Region Gymnast of the Year.

In 2015, Bridget scored a perfect 10 on vault in the first meet of the season. This was a huge achievement! She injured her ankle later that season but returned to help the Gators win their third straight NCAA National Championship. She became the first gymnast from Florida to score a perfect 10 on all four events. She is only the seventh NCAA gymnast ever to do this!

In 2016, her final year at Florida, Bridget won her second NCAA All-Around title. She also won the balance beam and uneven bars titles.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2003	U.S. Challenge		5
2005	U.S. National Championships		14		9
2006	Int'l Gymnix
	U.S. National Championships			4	4
Senior
2007	Houston Int'l
	USA-Great Britain Friendly		6
	U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships		5		5	10
	Good Luck Beijing Int'l				7	4
	Toyota Cup
2008	Italy-Spain-Poland-USA Friendly
	U.S. National Championships					7
	U.S. Olympic Trials				8	12	14
	Olympic Games
2009	American Cup
	USA-Germany Friendly
	USA-France Friendly
	U.S. National Championships					5
	World Championships				6
2010	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic				4
	World Championships				4
2011
	Pan American Games
2012	U.S. National Championships		10		6	15	13
	Olympic Trials		WD
NCAA
2013	NCAA Championships						4
2014	NCAA Championships			6	6
2015	NCAA Championships		6
2016	NCAA Championships	4					4

See also

In Spanish: Bridget Sloan para niños