Paul Hunt (gymnast)

Paul Hunt is a gymnastics coach and gymnastics clown. An Illinois native,[1] he is from Murray, Utah. He runs Hunt's Gymnastics Academy (a.k.a. Hunt's Gym) in Salt Lake City.[2] Hunt has performed comedic performances of women's gymnastics routines,[3] including the uneven bars,[4] floor exercises,[5] and the balance beam[6] since 1980.[5] He has performed on US and international television,[7] including Wide World of Sports and America's Funniest Videos.[8]

Hunt was a competitive men's gymnast at the University of Illinois[4] in the early 1970s.[6] He won the Big Ten Conference individual championship in the floor exercise in 1971,[9] and had another win in the floor exercise in 1973.[10] He was the 1972 US National Floor Exercise champion.[2]

Hunt has been coaching gymnastics in Utah since 1974.[8] While demonstrating a backflip for a female student, he realized the comic value of a man performing women's gymnastics.[2] He performs his routines during gymnastics competitions for comic relief, wearing a skirted leotard and often calling himself Paulina Huntesque,[8] Pauletta Huntenova or some similar variation. Often he would sport his thick mustache.

References

  1. ^ About Paul at Hunt's Gymnastics Academy
  2. ^ a b c Floor routine by Paul Hunt (circa 1987) on YouTube; sportscaster commentators unknown.
  3. ^ "Hunt relies on humor to promote gymnastics", The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), 3 February 1986.
  4. ^ a b Nadia Tour uneven bar performance (1981) on YouTube
  5. ^ a b Floor Exercise routine (1980) on YouTube
  6. ^ a b Balance beam routine (1988) on YouTube
  7. ^ Performance (1996) on France's Canal+
  8. ^ a b c Teachers & Staff, Hunt's Gymnastics Academy
  9. ^ Big Ten Conference 2006-07 Big Ten Records Book, Men's Gymnastics
  10. ^ Roster of Winners of Individual and Team Championships in Sports During 1973, The New York Times, 23 December 1973.

External links