Publications

Books

Degrees of Difficulty: How Women’s Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace. University of Illinois Press, 2021.

As women’s gymnastics comes under renewed scrutiny for its abusive culture, this book examines the sport’s Cold War history to reveal where that culture came from, how it is truly global, and why women’s gymnastics needs to return to its feminist roots to become an empowering experience once again.

Histories of Women’s Work in Global Sport: A Man’s World? Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, with Claire Nicolas.

Shortlisted for best anthology of 2019 by the North American Society for Sport History, this edited collection uses novel methodologies to reveal the extensive presence of women in the history of sports institutions around the world.

Newspaper articles

“The Cold War roots of the rules gymnastics fans loathe,” Washington Post, 4 August 2021.

“A ‘toxic’ and dehumanising culture: how Australian gymnastics needs to reform in wake of damning report,” The Conversation, 4 May 2021.

“Gymnastics NZ has apologised for past abuses — now it must empower athletes to lead change,” The Conversation, 15 February 2021 (reprinted on Stuff, The Spinoff, New Zealand Herald and others).

“Girls no more: why elite gymnastics competition for women should start at 18,” The Conversation, 5 August 2020 (also reprinted on Stuff).

Book chapters

“Acrobatisation and establishment of pixie-style women’s artistic gymnastics,” in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Socio-cultural Perspectives. Kerr, R., Barker-Ruchti, N., Stewart, C. & Kerr, G. (eds.). Routledge, 2020.

“Perfectionisation of women’s artistic gymnastics” in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Socio-cultural Perspectives. Kerr, R., Barker-Ruchti, N., Stewart, C. & Kerr, G. (eds.). Routledge, 2020.

“The commercialisation of women’s artistic gymnastics since the 1980s,” with Elizabeth Booth and Diana Dumitriu in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Socio-cultural Perspectives. Kerr, R., Barker-Ruchti, N., Stewart, C. & Kerr, G. (eds.). Routledge, 2020.

“Diversification of women’s artistic gymnastics since the fall of Communism” with Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Elizabeth Booth, Francesca Cavallerio, Diana Dumitriu, Myrian Nunomura and Froukje Smit in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics: Socio-cultural Perspectives. Kerr, R., Barker-Ruchti, N., Stewart, C. & Kerr, G. (eds.). Routledge, 2020.

“Women in Sport Organizations: Historiographical and Epistemological Challenges,” with Florys Castan-Vicente and Claire Nicolas in Histories of Women’s Work in Global Sport: A Man’s World? Cervin, Georgia and Claire Nicolas (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

“From the Carpet to the Executive Committee: Women Leading Women’s Gymnastics,” with Gregory Quin, and Axel Elias Jiménez in Histories of Women’s Work in Global Sport: A Man’s World? Cervin, Georgia and Claire Nicolas (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

“Introduction,” with Claire Nicolas in Histories of Women’s Work in Global Sport: A Man’s World? Cervin, Georgia and Claire Nicolas (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

“Maintaining a dual career horizon in women’s artistic gymnastics: A case of a female gymnast,” with Astrid Schubring, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Rosyln Kerr, and Myrian Nunomura in Athlete Learning in Elite Sport: A Cultural Framework. Routledge, 2019.

Journal Articles

“Ringing the Changes:How the Relationship Between the International Gymnastics Federation and the International Olympic Committee has Shaped Gymnastics Policy,” Sport History Review 51, no. 1 (2020): 46-63. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/shr/51/1/article-p46.xml

“Coming of Age: Coaches Transforming the Pixie-Style Model of Coaching in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics,” with Roslyn Kerr, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Astrid Schubring, and Myrian Nunomura, Sports Coaching Review 8, no. 1, (2019): 7-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2017.1391488

“The Code of Points and Career Development in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics,” with Myrian Nunomura, Roslyn Kerr, Astrid Schubring and Natalie Barker-Ruchti, in Science of Gymnastics Journal 11, no.1 (2019): 5-14. Available online.

“The Role of Setting in the Field: The Positioning of Older Bodies in the Field of Elite Women’s Gymnastics,” with Roslyn Kerr, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Astrid Schubring and Myrian Nunomura, Sociology 52, no.4, (2018): 727-743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038516674676

“Gymnastics’ Centre of Gravity: The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, its Governance, and the Cold War 1956 – 1976,” with Claire Nicolas, Sylvain Dufraisse, Anais Bohuon and Gregory Quin, Sport in History 37, no. 3 (2017): 309-331. https://doi.org/10.1080/17460263.2017.1363081

“’Gymnasts Are Like Wine, They Get Better with Age’: Becoming and Developing Adult Women’s Artistic Gymnasts,” with Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Roslyn Kerr, Astrid Schubring, and Myrian Nunomura, Quest 69, no. 3 (2017): 348-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2016.1230504

“Growing Up and Speaking Out: Female Gymnasts’ Rights in an Ageing Sport,” with Roslyn Kerr, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Astrid Schubring and Myrian Nunomura, Annals of Leisure Research 20, no. 3 (2017): 317-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2017.1310625

“An Ironic Imbalance: Coaching Opportunities and Gender in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in Australia and New Zealand,” with Roslyn Kerr, The International Journal of the History of Sport 33, no. 17 (2017): 2139-2152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2017.1283307

“Gymnasts are Not Merely Circus Phenomena: Influences on the Development of Women’s Artistic Gymnastics During the 1970s,” The International Journal of the History of Sport 32, no. 16 (2016): 1929-1946. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2015.1124859

“Making Meaning of the 1970s East-West Gymnastics Tours: Diplomacy, détente, and professionalising women’s artistic gymnastics,” Sporting Traditions 32, no. 2 (2015): 85-100. Available online.

Reports

“The future of women’s artistic gymnastics: Eight actions to protect gymnasts from abuse,” International Socio-cultural research group on Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, 19 August 2020. Available online.

“Women’s Artistic Gymnastics During the Cold War and its Aftermath: Final Report for the IOC Olympic Studies Centre,” The Olympic Studies Centre, 2016. Available online.

“Coming of Age: Towards Best Practice in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics,” with Roslyn Kerr, Natalie Barker-Ruchti, Astrid Schubring, and Myrian Nunomura, Land Environment and People Research Report no. 37. Christchurch: Lincoln University, 2016. Available online.

Review articles

“Athlete A: The Documentary That Launched a Global Crisis in Gymnastics,” Journal of Sport History 47, no.3 (2020): 282-284. Available online.