''Achieving The Perfect 10'' is a television documentary film released on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

on August 10, 2003 about young girls training

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

at the highly competitive

Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, or Parkettes for short, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that had its beginnings in the early 1960s with a middle school gymnastics program in Allentown that gradually grew into ...

in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The documentary follows several Parkettes gymnasts—ranging from the novice competitor Ashley Barry to the elites Nicole Harris, Annie Fogerty and Kristina Coccia—through their daily training routines. It focuses largely on the dynamics between the athletes and their coaches, their parents' sacrifices, expectations and observations, and their experiences dealing with injuries and preparing for competitions. Several sequences in the documentary have sparked controversy and debate in the gymnastics community and others, such as one in which a seven-year-old gymnast works out on a broken ankle at the urging of her parents. After it was aired for the first time on CNN, Parkettes' coaches and some gymnasts stated that the documentary did not present an accurate picture of the gym.

Starring

Ashley Barry, Kayla Stark, Nicole Harris, Annie Fogerty, Kristina Coccia, Krista Jasper,

Kristen Maloney Kristen Ann Maloney (born March 10, 1981) is a retired gymnast from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, in the United States. She won bronze in the team event at the 2000 Olympic Games. Maloney was also the U.S. senior all-around national champion in 1998 ...

, Paige Cipolloni, Kristal Uzelac, Kristie Phillips, Donna Strauss, Tia Orlando, Geralen "Lou" Stack-Eaton, John Min, and others.

External links

Transcript at CNN.com
2003 television films 2003 films Gymnastics mass media American sports documentary films Parkettes Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania Films shot in Allentown, Pennsylvania Films set in Pennsylvania American documentary television films 2000s American films {{Gymnastics-stub