Kristie Phillips

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Kristie Phillips-Bannister (formerly Kristie Phillips) is a retired American elite gymnast.

Phillips was born on March 23, 1972 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She began gymnastics in her home state at the age of 4. At 10, she was the children's all-around gold medalist at the Louisiana State Championships. As she excelled in the sport, she moved to the Atlanta School of Gymnastics, and, finally, to Houston Texas to train with Bela Karolyi.

1 Junior career
2 Senior career
3 After gymnastics
4 References

[edit] Junior career

As a junior, Phillips was one of the United States' top-ranking athletes in both national and international competition. From 1985 to 1987, she placed first in the all-around in every single American competition she entered, including the 1986 American Classic, the 1986 Olympic Festival and the 1987 U.S. Classic. At her first U.S. National Championships in 1985, Phillips won the all-around title in the junior division; she repeated her success the following year.

Phillips made her debut in international competition at the age of 12, at the 1984 Canada Classic, where she won a silver medal on the floor exercise, a bronze on the uneven bars and placed seveth in the all-around. She continued to do well in international meets over the next three years, placing sixth at the prestigious 1986 City of Popes, winning a vault silver medal at the 1986 World Sports Fair and earning the all-around gold at the 1986 America Cup.

By 1986, Phillips was considered to be one of the United States' best hopes for a medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and was the subject of a considerable amount of media attention. At the age of fourteen, she was featured on the cover of the September 1, 1986 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, which touted her as "The New Mary Lou" (in reference to Mary Lou Retton). She was also interviewed for the 1987 ABC-TV documentary Olga, Nadia and Mary Lou.

[edit] Senior career

As Phillips moved into the senior ranks in 1987, she appeared to be on track for the Seoul Olympics. At that year's national championships, she won her first and only senior all-around title. She also earned an all-around silver medal at the 1987 Pan Am Games and won her second American Cup. Phillips was also nominated for the 1987 James E. Sullivan Award.

However, a growth spurt, the onset of puberty and conflicts with her coaches derailed Phillips' Olympic ambitions. She briefly switched to SCATS in California to train with former Olympian Don Peters, however, she was unable to maintain her previous level of gymnastics. Phillips was able to earn a berth on the American team for the 1987 World Championships, but only placed 45th in the all-around at the meet.

In 1988, Phillips returned to the Karolyis. She placed 9th at the U.S. Nationals that spring. At the Olympic Trials, she moved up one place to 8th and was named as the second alternate to the U.S. Olympic team. She trained with the squad in America, but did not travel with them to Seoul.

[edit] After gymnastics

Phillips attended Louisiana State University from 1990 to 1992, where she was a competitive cheerleader and a Delta Gamma sister. After college, she moved to New York City where she coached gymnastics and performed in various film and television projects, including 1994's Spitfire (a straight-to-video 007-spoof).

In 1996 Phillips participated in the Reese's Cup, a televised elite gymnastics exhibition. Three years later, in 1999, she returned to the world of competitive gymnastics, placing 23rd at that year's U.S. National Championships. She competed at the US Nationals again in 2000, placing 24th, before retiring.

Phillips currently lives in Troutman, North Carolina, and owns a gymnastics facility in Statesville, North Carolina. She has spoken on several occasions about her experiences in gymnastics, most recently in the 2003 CNN documentary Achieving The Perfect 10.

Phillips was inducted into the United States Gymnastics Federation Hall of Fame in 2006.