PHOTOS COURTESY WENDY HILLIARD GYMNASTICS FOUNDATION

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Historic
Moves

Detroit’s little-known role in USA
Women’s Gymnastics.

SHARON LUCKERMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

elevating numerous gymnasts to
n 1975, Zina, then 32, and
world championships and one to the
Vladimir Mironov, then 35, both
Olympic games, Michelle Berube,
Jewish Olympic-level coaches,
fled the Soviet Union; they eventual- a member of the Detroit team who
ly landed in Oak Park. Neither imag- competed twice in the Olympics.
ined the historic impact
ABOVE:
they would have on gym-
OAK PARK TO DETROIT
Wendy Hilliard
nastics in the United States.
When Drs. Zina and
in New York. She
Nor could they predict that
Vladimir Mironov first
opened a high-
training Wendy Hilliard, a
arrived in Metro Detroit
quality, low-cost
student at Detroit’s Cass
gymnastics program from Kiev, they taught
Technical High School,
in Harlem in 1996 gymnastics classes, open
would help her become the
to the public, at the Jewish
like the one she
first African American on
participated in as a Community Center of
the USA National Rhythmic teen in Detroit. She Metropolitan Detroit in Oak
Gymnastics Team.
Park.
started a similar
nonprofit program in
Wendy, 55, of Harlem,
During that time, Wendy
Detroit in 2016.
N.Y., achieved many honors
Hilliard, 15, took tumbling
since high school, includ-
classes in Detroit, but there
ing her 2008 induction into the
was no equipment and no rhythmic
USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. But
gymnastics classes. While coaches
her most enduring legacy may be
in Bloomfield Hills were too expen-
the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics
sive, Wendy discovered Zina’s classes
Foundation (WHGF) she founded 21 at the JCC that offered artistic gym-
years ago in Harlem, based on the
nastics (bars and beams), rhythmic
rigorous and affordable classes she
gymnastics, tumbling, trampoline
experienced in Detroit, headed by
and sports acrobatics.
her beloved coaches.
Within a year of Wendy studying
Zina went on to gain world atten-
with Zina, her mother, Gwendolyn,
tion as a national team coach,
convinced Leon Atchison, director

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February 8 • 2018

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