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Gymnast, 8, Sets Sights High

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: March 29, 2008

HUDSON, Fla. -- You have got to dream big to make it big, and for gymnasts, the Olympic Games are the crème de la crème of future fantasies.

Eight-year-old phenom and Hudson resident Lindsey Christianson will be getting her first taste of the Games' pomp and pageantry this June when she travels to China to perform exhibition-style routines leading up to the Beijing Opening Ceremonies in August.

As of right now, Lindsey's parents Bob and Holly Christianson, and her gymnastics coach Elizabeth Strazzullo of Top Contenders Gymnastics Academy, said there are tentatively three separate locations in China where she will perform. The routines will be designed by Strazzullo to show off all the disciplines Lindsey does best - which, basically, is all of them.

Only two years into the sport, Lindsey is one of those special little athletes who just have it from day one. Her acceleration through skill levels has been extraordinary, Strazzullo said.
A year ago she was competing Level 3. Now she is ready for Level 8.

To put it in perspective, she is, again, 8 years old, and Level 10 is the max a gymnast can reach.
Last year Lindsey won the Level 3 national championships at the Tampa Convention Center by recording 39.15 out of 40.00, the competition's highest ever all-around score.

The already budding resume combined with simply seeing the compact tumbler flip and spin with a poised grace that just doesn't seem possible at such a young age apparently impressed the right people, but there is also Lindsey's grandfather to thank.

A Family's Passion

Robert Christianson's brimming pride for his granddaughter's talent is what got the ball rolling.
A lifelong enthusiast of the Games, Robert has attended every single Summer Olympic competition since 1968, his son, Bob, said. In doing so, Robert has continued to amass one of the most extensive Olympic memorabilia collections in the world.

The memorabilia is where Lindsey's latest opportunity starts. Beijing Olympic officials initially invited Robert to exhibit his wealth of photos, medals, autographs, etc. at the Olympic Treasure Exhibition in Hong Kong.

"He (Robert) mentioned Lindsey to Betake Marketing, out of Hong Kong, about being a national champion and bragged about her as any proud grandfather would," Bob said of one of his father's trips overseas with the firm promoting the memorabilia exhibition. "Then they extended the invitation for her and the family to come over too."

The grandfather-granddaughter combo seemed an attractive allure, both Bob and Holly said.
"They want to tie the two together," Bob said. "You've got a grandfather that's been to all these Olympics, and at the rate Lindsey's going now, you've got the potential of maybe him getting to see his granddaughter in the Olympics."

The son, too, has the passion held by his father. Ironically enough, Bob was in attendance at the 1976 Montreal Games where Nadia Comaneci hit her perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars. The Romanian is now something of an idol for Lindsey, he said, as one of her prized possessions is a framed and autographed Sports Illustrated of her during the '76 Games.

Fans and Athletes

Like many gifted competitors, Lindsey benefits from having good athletic roots supporting her family tree.

Her grandfather was a collegiate shot putter with Olympic aspirations himself. Bob wrestled in college and played baseball, and Holly was a competitive ice skater. Lindsey's big sister, Jessica, is a sophomore on Hudson High School's volleyball team as well.

How gymnastics snuck its way into the fold was something of a fluke, Lindsey's parents said.

"We actually got into gymnastics by accident," Bob said. "Her older sister was involved in equestrian at the time and Lindsey had some problems as far as asthma and allergies with the dusty environment."
"This (Top Contenders Gymnastics Academy) was only $10 a week for open gym, and after her third night here someone came over and pointed her out."

"I noticed Lindsey in the rec classes and knew we had to evaluate her," Strazzullo said, who has coached multiple national champions and future collegiate gymnasts in the 27 years of running her Hudson facility.

Since then, Lindsey went from advanced classes, to team competitions, to where she is now - going to China to perform the sport she has fallen in love with.

Bob Christianson mentioned that it was always a dream of both his and his father to reach the Games. They both have succeeded, as fans.

Perhaps this June will foreshadow what could soon come true for their next generation in waiting.

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