Liz Crandall (USA)

Born in Sacramento, CA, Liz Crandall, found she had a gift for gymnastics at an early age. Along with several of her gymnastics contemporaries (including Juliet Bangerter and Sandy Woolsey), Crandall ventured to Tempe, Arizona to find success - and political lessons - at Stormy Eaton's Desert Devils. 

Desert Devils was a strong and stable force in USA Gymnastics for many years, but the gym and its athletes were eventually overshadowed by young dynamites such as the Karolyi "Six pack," Miller and Dawes. Political maneuverings by USGF (the United States Gymnastics Federation) effectively squashed Desert Devils' spirit.

The year was 1991, and the World Championships were fast approaching. Crandall had enjoyed a success year previously, garnering value international experience.  At home, she competed in a  USA/East Germany dual meet, picking up multiple medals. A trip to Japan brought two competitions, including the prestigious Chunichi Cup and Tokyo Cup, where she medalled on her best apparatus, uneven bars.

Immediately leading up to the 1991 World Championships, Crandall placed 8th overall at the U.S. National Championships, and won gold on bars. Desert Devils teammate Sandy Woolsey placed 2nd overall and medalled in three event finals. On the heals of these 1991 U.S. National Championships, 8 athletes were selected to train for the 1991 Worlds squad. Crandall and Woolsey were in competition with six younger athletes for the six spots on the team.

As detailed on Keith McCaffety's for "My Years Among the Savages" Web site, the USGF allowed the coaches to determine the team, giving each coach one vote for each girl that he/she had in the running. Karolyi, with four girls in the running, got 50% of the vote - effectively allowing him to choose the team single handedly. Not surprisingly, Karolyi's four gymnasts (Zmeskal, Okino, Grivich and Strug) made the team, and the remaining two spaces were filled by gymnasts coached by former assistants of Karolyi: Shannon Miller (coached by Steve Nunno) and former Karolyi athlete Michelle Campi (coached by Rick Newman). Hours before the start of the 1991 World Championships, Crandall and Woolsey found themselves voted off the team.

Throughout her elite career Crandall maintained her NCAA eligibility. Following the 1992 Olympic Trials (where she finished 11th), she and Bangerter retired from elite competition and began their Freshman year at Brigham Young University (BYU). Crandall was a strong force on the BYU team, earning All American honors and setting a school record on the balance beam in her Senior year (1996). At BYU she majored in Health Promotion.

Since completing her NCAA career, Crandall returned to Northern California where she is a member of the 1998-1999 Northern California Gymnastics Association representing Woodland Gymnastics near her hometown of Sacramento.

Crandall married Chris Bader in December 2001 at the Mormon temple in Oakland, CA. The couple have one child.  

Liz Crandall was born on October 27, 1974. 

. This page was created on July 18, 1999 and last updated on August 18, 2002.