Back in 1996, John Macready was the youngest member of the men’s U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.
A two-time world championship athlete, Macready went on to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and March of Dimes. He also teamed up with fellow retired gymnast John Roethlisberger to open FLIPFEST, a gymnastics camp in Crossville, Tennessee.
Macready is now a motivational speaker and a proud father of three. Recently, a video of him has been making the rounds online, reminding all of us what a fun-loving athlete he was in his prime!
In 2000, he joined Olympians like Blaine Wilson and gold medalist Dominique Moceanu for the Reese’s Gymnastics Cup. This low-stakes entertainment competition was held at the New Orleans Sports Arena in Louisiana.
“This group of athletes is among the most talented group of gymnasts ever assembled for the Reese’s Gymnastics Cup,” said Bob Colarossi, the president of USA Gymnastics.
If Macready’s video is any indication, Bob was absolutely right! The year before, Macready performed a fun floor routine dressed in a shiny silver robot suit.
This time around, he managed to top that with a performance that was equal parts goofy and impressive. In a clip, we see Macready stepping onto the mat. Each time he touches his foot to the ground, the music plays in perfect sync. He continues from there, using the mat like it’s a giant piano keyboard before eventually launching into a high-flying floor routine.
The audience loved every move he made, especially when he hammed it up with some sweet air guitar.
Macready really had the entire crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Once a performer, always a performer. What a delightful blast from the past that we won’t soon forget!
Check out his awesome routine in the video below, and don’t forget to share this story.
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