Kristie Phillips
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kristie Phillips-Bannister (formerly Kristie Phillips) is a former American gymnast.
She was the 1985–86 US Junior National Champion, and the 1987 US National Champion. In 1986, she was the McDonald’s American Cup gold medalist. She was a second alternate for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. She is profiled in Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, a book about the high toll gymnastics can sometimes take on young women. Touted as 'the next Mary Lou Retton' in the September 1, 1986 edition of Sports Illustrated magazine, when she was just 14 years old, Kristie's body later underwent adolescent changes, and she failed to make the 1988 Olympic team.
After retiring from gymnastics, she attended Louisiana State University and was a cheerleader there.
She currently lives in Troutman, North Carolina and owns a gymnastics facility in Statesville, North Carolina.
Phillips was also an actress, having appeared in such movies as 1994's Spitfire (a straight-to-video 007-spoof).
In 1999, Kristie returned to elite gymnastics. She competed at the U.S. Classic in Rochester, NY and qualified to the National Championships. Shortly after that, she retired again.
