Just about every time Julie Zetlin has traveled with the hoop that’s an essential part of her sport, she has tangled with airline officials, felt the stares of fellow passengers and fielded outlandish questions.
Is that a Hula Hoop?
As we watch 16-year olds compete in the gymnastics events, even the 20-somethings among us look back regretfully and wonder if our glory days have passed. Here, we take a look at which sports skew young and which allow for more longevity.
Is that something you wear under a dress?
Are you part of Ringling Brothers?
To flight attendants, Zetlin replies, “Yes, it is permissible carry-on luggage.”
To everyone else, she explains, “No, I’m not in the circus!”
A Bethesda native, Zetlin is the first U.S. rhythmic gymnast to qualify for the Olympics since 2004, as well as a former student at Walt Whitman High School and die-hard Washington Capitals fan.
She heads to London later this month with no expectation of winning a medal in a sport dominated by Russians. Instead, her goals are to stage a fearless, mistake-free performance; raise awareness of the sport she loves; and, ideally, inspire the next generation of Americans to surpass her and one day win Olympic gold.
She takes no less pride in that.
“I think I’m upping the game for U.S. rhythmic gymnastics,” says Zetlin, 22, whose mother was a junior national champion in Bulgaria. “We’ve been stuck at a certain level for a while, and I think I’m kind of the one that’s crossing the boundary line. I’m just trying to improve my sport and help improve our girls — make them want to work harder and work longer. Too many quit too early and don’t get anywhere.”
Rhythmic gymnasts tend to peak later than traditional gymnasts because their sport is rooted more deeply in ballet and performance. They also tend to be taller, given the premium placed on creating fluid, evocative lines with four pieces of equipment — a ball, hoop, ribbon and baton-like clubs — that alternately soar through the air and serve as extensions of their bodies in choreographed routines set to music.
In Zetlin’s case, qualifying for the Olympics represents nearly two decades of work and persistence through two knee surgeries.
“My mom founded a rhythmic team and enrolled me, and I loved it because I loved to dance. I especially loved to dance around with the ribbon,” Zetlin recalls. “I was very hyperactive as a little girl, so it was definitely my calling.”
Her ability blossomed as she grew taller — she’s now 5 feet 6 ½ — and honed her skill in classical ballet.
“I’m the type of gymnast who really loves performing to different types of music and letting my personality shine on the carpet,” Zetlin says. “That’s one of the most fun things about rhythmic gymnastics for me: To show that I’m an actress as well.”
Rhythmic gymnasts need a combination of extreme athleticism, artistry, flexibility and hand-eye coordination to perform their routines with the sport’s four apparatus.
The ball routines showcase gymnasts’ flexibility. Like a must-see-to-believe performer in Cirque de Soleil, Zetlin makes the ball travel up and down her limbs during dance sequences and tosses it in the air, catching it in a crook in her leg or the nape of her neck, in the midst of dynamic tumbling passes.
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