Paul Hunt (gymnast)

Paul Hunt is a former gymnastics coach and gymnastics clown. He was born in Illinois and now lives in Murray, Utah. For over thirty years, he ran Hunt's Gymnastics Academy (a.k.a. Hunt's Gym) in Salt Lake City until it closed at the end of December 2020 due to lost revenue from the COVID-19_pandemic and he decided to retire.[1] Hunt is perhaps best known for performing comedic performances of women's gymnastics routines,[2] including the uneven bars,[3] floor exercises,[4] and the balance beam[5] since 1980.[4] He has performed on US and international television, including Wide World of Sports and America's Funniest Videos.[6]

For other uses, see Paul Hunt.

Hunt was a competitive men's gymnast at the University of Illinois[3] in the early 1970s.[5] He won the Big Ten Conference individual championship in the floor exercise in 1971,[7] and had another win in the floor exercise in 1973.[8] He was the 1972 U.S. National Floor Exercise champion.[1]

Hunt started coaching gymnastics in Utah in 1974.[6] While demonstrating a backflip for a female student, he realized the comic value of a man performing women's gymnastics.[1] He performed his complex routines during gymnastics competitions for comic relief, wearing a skirted leotard and often calling himself Paulina Huntesque,[6] Pauletta Huntenova, Paulette Huntinova[9] or some similar variation. Often he would sport his thick mustache.

References
  1. Floor routine by Paul Hunt (c. 1987) on YouTube; sportscaster commentators unknown.
  2. "Hunt relies on humor to promote gymnastics", The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), 3 February 1986.
  3. Nadia Tour uneven bar performance (1981) on YouTube
  4. Floor Exercise routine (1980) on YouTube
  5. Balance beam routine (1988) on YouTube
  6. Teachers & Staff Archived 2014-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, Hunt's Gymnastics Academy
  7. Big Ten Conference 2006-07 Big Ten Records Book, Men's Gymnastics
  8. Roster of Winners of Individual and Team Championships in Sports During 1973, New York Times, 23 December 1973.
  9. Balance beam routine by Paul Hunt (c. 1988) on YouTube; sportscaster commentators unknown.
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