Tasha Schwikert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tasha Schwikert
Schwikert in 2008
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1984-11-21) November 21, 1984 (age 40) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1997–2005 (USA)
Club	Gym Cats
College team	University of California, Los Angeles
Former coach(es)	Cassie Rice; Val Kondos-Field
Retired	2008
Medal record Women's gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney Team World Championships Gold 2003 Anaheim Team Bronze 2001 Ghent Team Pan American Championships Gold 2001 Cancún Team Gold 2001 Cancún All-Around Gold 2001 Cancún Uneven Bars Silver 2001 Cancún Vault Silver 2001 Cancún Balance Beam Silver 2001 Cancún Floor Exercise Representing UCLA Bruins NCAA Championships Gold 2005 Auburn All-Around Gold 2008 Athens All-Around Gold 2008 Athens Uneven Bars Silver 2007 Salt Lake City Uneven Bars Silver 2008 Athens Floor Exercise Bronze 2005 Auburn Uneven Bars

Tasha Schwikert Moser (born November 21, 1984) is a retired American gymnast. She won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. Tasha also earned a team gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships. She was the U.S. senior national all-around champion in 2001 and 2002. Later, she became the NCAA all-around national champion in 2005 and 2008.

Tasha started gymnastics when she was very young. She quickly became one of the best gymnasts in the mid-1990s. She was a surprise addition to the 2000 Olympic team. Tasha performed very well in the team events in Sydney. After the Olympics, she became a top gymnast in the United States. She won two team medals at the World Championships. She also placed fifth in the all-around at the 2001 Worlds. An ankle injury affected her chances for the 2004 Olympic team. She was named an alternate for that team.

After her elite gymnastics career, Tasha joined the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team. She competed for four years. During her time at UCLA, she won two individual all-around NCAA national titles. She also won two Pac-10 all-around titles. Tasha was nominated for the Honda Award, a top award for college athletes. Today, she works in broadcast journalism. She has been a commentator at many big gymnastics events.

Tasha's Early Life and Olympic Start

Tasha Schwikert was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her parents are Shannon Warren and Joy Schwikert. She trained at the GymCats club in Las Vegas with coach Cassie Rice. In 1994 and 1995, she was part of USA Gymnastics' TOPS development team. At 13, in 1998, she joined the national team for the first time. Her first international competition was in France in 1998. There, she won a silver medal on the floor exercise in the junior division.

Tasha became well-known when she joined the U.S. team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Her spot on the team was unexpected. She finished ninth at the Olympic Trials and was not first chosen. She later joined the team in Sydney as a second alternate. When another team member, Morgan White, got injured, Tasha took her place. She was chosen over the first alternate, Alyssa Beckerman.

On April 28, 2010, Tasha and her teammates from the 2000 Olympic team received the bronze medal. This happened because the Chinese team, who had won the medal, had lied about a team member's age. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) took away the Chinese team's medal.

Tasha's Gymnastics Career After 2000

Tasha Schwikert was the only gymnast from the 2000 Olympic team to keep competing at the highest level. She improved her routines and skills. In 2001, she won the all-around titles at the U.S. Championships, the American Classic, and the Pan American Championships. She competed at the 2001 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Ghent. There, she helped the U.S. team win a surprise bronze medal. She was the highest-placing American in the all-around, finishing fifth. She also made it to the finals for the floor exercise and balance beam. She had a chance for a medal on floor, but she fell on her last tumbling pass.

In 2002, Tasha won all-around titles at the Pacific Alliance and the American Cup. She also won her second U.S. Championships. However, injuries in late 2002 stopped her from competing in the 2002 World Championships.

Tasha tied for second place at the 2003 U.S. Nationals. She was the captain of the team for the 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Anaheim. She supported her younger teammates and showed great leadership. In the team finals, she competed on vault and uneven bars. She performed both routines perfectly. Her scores helped the American women win their first team gold medal at the World Championships.

In 2003, Tasha also went to Japan to compete in the TV show Kunoichi. This show is known as "Women of Ninja Warrior" in the U.S. She reached the end of the second stage. However, she did not finish in time. A slip on the wall climb obstacle cost her valuable seconds. Her time ran out just inches from the finish.

At the 2004 U.S. Championships, Tasha was still dealing with injuries. She won the uneven bars title. But she did not place in the top three for the all-around for the first time since 2000. She was named an alternate for the 2004 Olympic team. She traveled to Athens with two other alternates, Chellsie Memmel and Allyse Ishino. However, she was not needed to compete.

Tasha's College Gymnastics Career

From 2004 to 2008, Tasha was a member of the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team. She had a full athletic scholarship. Tasha's younger sister, Jordan, also joined the Bruins. Both sisters decided to start at UCLA at the same time. This meant they were in the same graduating class.

In her first year at UCLA, Tasha won the NCAA National all-around title. She was the only gymnast in 2005 to earn first-team All-American honors on all four events. Tasha missed most of the 2005–2006 season. She had a shoulder injury that needed surgery. But she stayed a student at UCLA and a team member. Tasha returned to compete on floor and vault for the Pac-10 Championships in March. She continued to compete in a limited way for the rest of the season. UCLA did not qualify for the 2006 NCAA Nationals as a team. But Tasha qualified as an individual. She competed on vault and finished eleventh.

After recovering from her injury, Tasha became one of the best college gymnasts in the country by the end of the 2006–2007 season. She won the PAC-10 all-around title for the second time. She also won gold medals on floor exercise, balance beam, and vault. She was named the PAC-10 and West Region Gymnast of the Year. She also won the all-around title at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. At the NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship in April, Tasha was the only UCLA gymnast to win an individual award. She earned second place on the uneven bars. She was the only gymnast in the nation to rank in the Top 15 on all four events and the all-around. She was also nominated for the Honda Award.

Tasha finished her senior year as one of the strongest gymnasts on the Bruins team. At the 2008 NCAA National Championships, she won her second all-around title. She also placed first on uneven bars, second on floor, and eighth on vault.

Tasha's Life After Gymnastics

Since 2005, Tasha Schwikert has worked as a gymnastics commentator for the WCSN Network. She has covered the World Gymnastics Championships for three years. She worked with famous gymnasts like Nadia Comăneci and Bart Conner. Tasha has also commented on UCLA gymnastics broadcasts. She worked with NBC during the Beijing Olympics.

Tasha has also worked on the TV series Make It or Break It. She was both a stunt double and an actress on the show.

Tasha graduated from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May 2015. She worked as an attorney at a law firm.

Tasha's Personal Life

Tasha Schwikert married professional basketball player Mike Moser in 2015. They have three children together.

Major Awards and Titles

• 2008 NCAA Championships: 1st All-Around, Uneven Bars; 2nd Floor Exercise
• 2008 Pac-10 Championships: 1st Uneven Bars
• 2008 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships: 3rd Vault
• 2007 NCAA Championships: 2nd Uneven Bars
• 2007 Pac-10 Championships: 1st All-Around
• 2007 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships: 1st All-Around
• 2005 NCAA Championships: 1st All-Around
• 2005 Pac-10 Championships: 1st All-Around
• 2005 West Regional Championships: 1st All-Around
• 2004 US National Championships: 1st Uneven Bars; 4th Floor Exercise (tie)
• 2003 World Championships: 1st Team
• 2003 US National Championships: 2nd All-Around (tie)
• 2002 Pacific Alliance Championships: 1st Team, All-Around, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise; 2nd Uneven Bars
• 2002 US National Championships: 1st All-Around, Uneven Bars, Floor Exercise; 2nd Balance Beam
• 2002 American Cup: 1st All-Around
• 2002 American Classic: 1st All-Around, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise
• 2001 World Championships: 3rd Team; 5th All-Around
• 2001 Senior Pan American Championships: 1st Team, All-Around, Uneven Bars; 2nd Floor Exercise, Balance Beam, Vault
• 2001 U.S. National Championships: 1st All-Around, Balance Beam; 2nd Floor Exercise, Vault (tie); 3rd Uneven Bars
• 2001 U.S. Classic: 1st All-Around, Floor Exercise; 2nd Vault (tie), Balance Beam; 3rd Uneven Bars
• 2000 Olympic Games: 3rd Team
• 2000 Spieth Sogipa: 1st Team; 2nd All-Around
• 1999 World Team Trials: 7th All-Around
• 1999 China Dual Meet: 1st Team
• 1998 City of Popes: 2nd Floor Exercise (junior)

See also

In Spanish: Tasha Schwikert para niños