Early Career
Born in Dallas, Texas, Vise is not the only athlete in her family. Her brothers are active in many different sports and Vise's mother was also a gymnast when she was younger. Her grandfather, the well known character actor Burton Gilliam, was a Golden Gloves boxer who won more than 200 bouts before turning to acting.
Vise started gymnastics at age three in a beginner class (level 1) and advanced so quickly that she could not compete in level five, because she did not meet the age requirement of six. She moved to WOGA (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) in Plano, Texas, along with teammates Katie Dailey and Mellissa Smith, when she had progressed as far as she could go in that program (level 8) at seven years old. She continued to progress at a rapid pace and at the age of 11, she passed over level 10 and became an elite gymnast.
Vise is known for her beautiful long lines, graceful style, and extreme flexibility. One of her signature skills on beam is her mount, where she jumps to a cheststand and then arches her legs over. This signature move is also performed on the floor exercise that Vise rotates into a split. She is also known for doing a needle scale. These two poses are very photogenic and have contributed to Vise's fame as a gymnast.
Throughout her elite career she has been trained by former Russian acrobat Evgeny Marchenko. Her teammates at WOGA have included 2004 Olympic champion Carly Patterson and 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin.
Read more about this topic: Hollie Vise
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