Chris Cameron (born January 16, 1989) is an American artistic gymnast. Competing for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, he won the individual all-around title at the 2010

NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships are a gymnastics competition held each year to determine the best men's college gymnastics team. All schools compete in one National Collegiate division because only 13 schools sponsor NCAA men's gymnastics ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

Biography

Early years

Cameron's hometown is

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making ...

, where he attended Lake Region High School. He enrolled at the

in 2007. As a freshman in the spring of 2008, Cameron was named an Academic All-American by the College Gymnastics Association. At the 2008

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championship, he tied for third on

pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...

with a score of 14.850.

2009 NCAA season

As a sophomore in 2009, Cameron won his first individual all-around title at the Windy City Invitational on January 17, 2009. He followed with an all-around title at the Pacific Coast Classic on February 21, 2009, with a score of 89.750. At the Big Ten Conference team championship on April 3, 2009, he finished second to teammate Thomas Kelley in the all-around competition. At the NCAA finals on April 17, 2009, he helped Michigan to a second-place finish in the team competition with career bests on

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

(15.650) and pommel horse (15.300) -- earning NCAA All-American status in both events. Cameron was also named to U.S. senior men's national team following the Winter Cup Invitational at the Las Vegas Sports Center on February 9, 2009. He was the first Michigan Wolverine gymnast to make the national team since Scott Vetere in 1999–2000. After the selection, Cameron told a reporter, "It was the most exhilarating and unbelievable thing I've felt in my entire life. I could not believe what had happened."

2010 NCAA season

As a junior in 2010, Cameron was again named to the senior national team after placing third in the all-around at the Winter Cup Invitational in Las Vegas on February 6, 2010. At the Big Ten championship in early April 2010, Cameron won the all-around competition and floor exercise. He was also named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. After Cameron won the Big Ten title, Michigan coach Kurt Golder told a reporter, "I think he just has an inner drive to succeed and become the best gymnast he can become. It's really hard to find, and we're fortunate at Michigan to have a guy that's driven that hard." Teammate Thomas Kelley added, "He's more dedicated than any other gymnast I've ever met. He's got that little extra drive and little extra confidence that I think a lot of us aspire to have in our gymnastics. Just to go out, and know that you're going to hit no matter what. Chris doesn't waver. He's always rock solid."

2010 NCAA individual and team championships

On April 16, 2010, Cameron won the individual all-around title and led Michigan to the team championship at the

Christl Arena Christl Arena is a 5,043-seat, multi-purpose arena in West Point, New York. It was built in 1985 as part of the Major Donald W. Holleder Center, which also houses Tate Rink. It is home to the United States Military Academy's Army Black Knights ...

. Cameron won the all-around title with 90.500 points, including 15.600 on the floor, 15.450 on

rings Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

and

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

, 15.150 on

parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...

, 15.050 on pommel horse and a 13.800 on the

horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

. His score was 1.55 points ahead of second-place finisher Steven Legendre. Cameron's Michigan teammate Mel Anton Santander finished third in the all-around. After winning the all-around title, Cameron told ''International Gymnast Magazine'', "It's been a lot of hard work, and all I can say is I couldn't dream of a better way to do it. I wouldn't want to do all-around if it was going to hurt the team. But it just so happens I can help the team by doing all-around tonight. I did it, I won, we won. There's nothing better than this." In an interview with ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'', he added, "I usually grasp everything I've done right away. Not this. This hasn't hit me yet." After winning the NCAA all-around title, Cameron was scheduled to compete with the US national team at the Pan Pacific championships in Melbourne, Australia, starting on April 23, 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Chris 1989 births Living people American male artistic gymnasts Michigan Wolverines men's gymnasts Sportspeople from Winter Haven, Florida