Nadia Meets Bruce Jenner!!

Nadia Meets Bruce Jenner!!

What an unlikely place for two Olympians, Nadia Comaneci and Bruce Jenner, to meet – Louise Duffy School, West Hartford CT.  Nadia and the Romanian team held a practice session at the Duffy School in preparation for their 1976 exhibition at the Hartford Civic Center.  ABC News contacted me and asked for permission to come to Duffy to meet with Nadia for a one on one interview with Bruce Jenner.  It was the only time they could get the two together for an interview, which was to air the following morning.  What a wonderful opportunity to watch history in the making.

Bruce Jenner arrived early for the interview, but the Romanian coaches would not let the interview take place until after their team had finished their practice session. Bruce was the perfect gentleman and ordered pizza which we ate in my office as we discussed the Olympics and much more.  When the time came for the interview, Bruce, with his infectious smile, walked to the center of the gym and performed a standing back handspring much to everyone’s amazement.  It was obviously not “Olympic quality”, but nonetheless, he did not “crash land” either.  So the form was not perfect with his bent knees and bent arms causing his head to come close to the mat.  Since Nadia did not speak English, they had interpreters, but the smiles between them indicated that they were both enjoying the meeting.  The interview aired the following morning, and we at Duffy were left with more fond memories of Nadia’s visit as well as memories of having pizza with Bruce Jenner in my office.