William Roth (born August 21, 1970) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won a gold and two silver medals at the 1995 Pan American Games.
| Bill Roth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Roth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 21, 1970 Yonkers, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Mohegan Lake, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 169 lb (77 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 1990–1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Temple Owls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Fred Turoff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach(es) | John Roth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eponymous skills | Roth (pommel horse) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
editRoth was born on August 21, 1970, in Yonkers, New York, and was raised in Mohegan Lake, New York. His father, John, coached him in gymnastics.[1] He attended Lakeland High School where he was a member of the boys gymnastics team coached by his father.[1][2][3][4] A standout as a youth athlete, Roth considered pursuing higher education and gymnastics at Ohio State, Iowa, and Western Michigan before enrolling at Temple University to be trained by coach Fred Turoff.[5]
Gymnastics career
editRoth competed collegiately for the Temple Owls men's gymnastics team. He was an All-American in multiple disciplines and led Temple to three Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League championships before graduating in 1992.[6]
While at Temple, Roth competed at the USA Gymnastics National Championships. He was the United States national vault champion at the 1989 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships.[7] He placed second in vault at the 1990 and after the event Roth was named to his first United States men's national artistic gymnastics team.[8] In the following years, injuries took their toll on Roth, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery and pectoral tendon surgery causing him to miss the 1992 United States Olympic trials.[9]
On the international stage, Roth was a member of the 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Team Championships delegation for the United States in Dortmund. He later represented the United States at the 1995 Pan American Games and won a team gold medal and two individual silver medals.
After his performance at the 1996 United States Olympic trials resulted in not being selected for the team, Roth retired.[10]
Post-competition career
editUpon retiring from gymnastic competition, Roth worked for the Atlanta Hawks doing acrobatics before he joined the Philadelphia 76ers as their mascot Hip Hop.[11] He played the character for 14 years until a new ownership group selected a different mascot.[12] He later became a co-owner and head coach at Delco Gymnastics Training Center in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania.[12]
Roth and his wife, Christina, opened their 20,000 square-foot gym, Crosspoint Gymnastics, in September 2015 where he is involved with coaching youth gymnastics.[10][13]
Awards and honors
editRoth was inducted into the Temple Owls Hall of Fame in 2006.[6]
Eponymous skills
editRoth has one element named for him on the pommel horse.[14][15]
| Apparatus | Name | Description | Difficulty[a] | Added to Code of Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pommel horse | Roth | "Russian wendeswing with 360° t. and 3/3 travel." | D, 0.4 | Originally introduced in 1993, renamed in 2006. |
- ^ Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points
References
edit- ^ a b Pearlman, Skip (November 26, 1983). "Lakeland leads gymnastics pack". The Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, New York. p. C5. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Shustack, Mary (November 16, 1986). "Roth only double winner in states". The Reporter Dispatch. Vol. 67, no. 262. White Plains, New York. p. D11. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "The WRN Top Ten Scholastic Athletes". The Daily Item. Vol. 87, no. 115. Port Chester, New York. June 24, 1987. p. B5. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Heyman, Brian (December 8, 1986). "Lakeland received lift from lesser knowns". The Reporter Dispatch. Vol. 67, no. 284. White Plains, New York. p. B8. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Silary, Ted (February 28, 1990). "This Owl's A Very Rare Bird". Philadelphia Daily News. Vol. 65, no. 279. p. 76. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame Bill Roth". owlsports.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "1989 Men's Gymnastics Championships of the U.S.A." (PDF). usagym.org. July 8, 1989. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "1990 National Championships Results" (PDF). usagym.org. June 9, 1990. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "ROTH'S GOAL IS A BERTH ON U.S. TEAM". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. November 4, 1995. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Career as a gymnast helps Fox School alumnus jump into new venture". fox.temple.edu. December 2, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Teirstein, Mark Alan (February 28, 2001). "Roths achieve perfect balance". The Journal News. Vol. 3, no. 139. White Plains, New York. p. 6C. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Donahue, Bill (July 2012). "Unmasked". Suburban Life. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "Our History". crosspointgymnastics.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "Table of Named Elements Men's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). gymnastics.sport. December 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points 2025–2028" (PDF). gymnastics.sport. July 3, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.