Jennifer Pinches facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jennifer Pinches |
|
|---|---|
| Full name | Jennifer Elizabeth Mary Pinches |
| Nickname(s) | Jenni |
| Country represented |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 25 May 1994 Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom |
| Height | 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Level | Senior International Elite |
| Club | City of Liverpool |
| College team | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Head coach(es) | Valorie Kondos-Field |
| Former coach(es) | Amanda Reddin, Claire Duffy |
| Music | Paint It Black |
| Retired | 2015 |
Jennifer McIlveen (née Pinches) (born 25 May 1994) is a former gymnast from Great Britain. She competed for her country in the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London. After the Olympics, she joined the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team in the NCAA. In 2020, Jennifer became a key person in a movement to make gymnastics a safer and fairer sport for all athletes. She helped start a charity called Gymnasts for Change.
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Jennifer's Gymnastics Journey
Jennifer Pinches was born in Tunbridge Wells on May 25, 1994. She started gymnastics when she was six years old at a club near Bristol.
When she was nine, Jennifer began training at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre. By the time she was ten, she was ranked as the best gymnast in Britain for her age group!
In 2005, Jennifer was featured in a TV show called 'A Different Life'. In the show, she shared her big dream: "My ultimate aim is to just be in the Olympics."
In 2006, Jennifer's family moved, and she started training at the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club. There, she trained with famous gymnasts like Beth Tweddle.
Jennifer was part of the British national team for many years. She competed in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2010 and 2011. Her biggest competition was the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
After the Olympics, Jennifer decided to stop competing at the elite level. She then went to the University of California, Los Angeles in September 2013. There, she competed for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team in the NCAA.
Competing for Great Britain
Junior Competitions
In 2009, Jennifer competed in the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland. She finished tenth in the all-around competition. Later that year, she also competed in Qatar, placing ninth all-around.
Senior Competitions
In 2010, Jennifer competed for Great Britain in a friendly competition against Switzerland. She placed third in the all-around. In October, she represented Great Britain at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in the Netherlands.
In 2011, Jennifer continued to achieve great results. She placed second in the English Championships. She also competed in the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Germany. In July, she finished third in the all-around at the British Championships. Later that year, at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan, she helped the British team finish fifth.
The 2012 London Olympics
The year 2012 was very important for Jennifer. In March, she won the all-around competition at the English Championships. In May, she helped the British team finish fourth at the European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium.
Jennifer then took part in trials to qualify for the Great Britain Olympic team. She performed very well, helping her club, City of Liverpool, win first place in one trial. In June, she placed second in the all-around at the British Championships, which was the final Olympic trial.
At the beginning of July, Jennifer's dream came true: she was chosen to compete for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!
At the Olympics, Jennifer helped the British team reach the team finals. In the final, she performed on vault, balance beam, and floor, helping the British team finish in sixth place.
In September 2012, Jennifer announced that she was retiring from elite gymnastics. She shared this news on Twitter, saying she would no longer compete for Great Britain.
College Gymnastics in the USA
After taking a year off from gymnastics, Jennifer started attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in September 2013. She joined the UCLA Bruins team.
Jennifer had a great first year at UCLA. She performed well on vault, floor exercise, and balance beam. In March 2014, she helped the UCLA team finish fourth at the Pac-12 Conference Championships.
During her first two years, Jennifer completed almost all of her routines successfully. She achieved her best scores of 9.875 on floor and 9.85 on vault. She was also recognized as a two-time scholastic All-American for her excellent academic performance.
In September 2015, Jennifer had to stop competing due to wrist injuries. However, she stayed with the team as an assistant coach for the 2016 season. She also appeared in a special video honoring her coach, Valorie Kondos-Field, in 2019.
Speaking Up for Athletes
In 2020, Jennifer Pinches started speaking out about the need for better treatment of gymnasts. She described a "culture of fear" in the sport. In June, she helped write the first statement for the social media movement called #gymnastalliance. Many gymnasts around the world used this hashtag to share their own experiences and call for change.
The statement said, "We support all athletes and want to end any practices that don't put athlete health and well-being first. We believe in fair, respectful coaching and teamwork. Success should be built on trust and good communication, not on control or fear."
A week after the first #gymnastalliance post, British Gymnastics announced that there would be an independent investigation into the claims made by gymnasts. This investigation, called the Whyte Review, gathered information from almost 400 people, including many current and former gymnasts.
In December 2020, Jennifer co-founded Gymnasts for Change with Claire Heafford. This group is a network of gymnasts, parents, coaches, and fans who want to make gymnastics a safer and more positive sport.
During the 2020 Olympics, Jennifer was one of many gymnasts who supported Simone Biles. Simone Biles chose to withdraw from parts of the competition to focus on her mental health, showing that athlete well-being is most important.
Jennifer's Personal Life
On June 21, 2021, Jennifer announced that she had married her long-time boyfriend, James McIlveen. Their wedding had been delayed because of COVID-19. One of her bridesmaids was her UCLA Bruins teammate, Mikaela Gerber. Jennifer also appeared on a TV show called "Say Yes to the Dress - Lancashire" to choose her wedding dress.
