# Joanna Sime

Joanna Sime (born 31 May 1962) is a junior and senior international gymnast who represented Great Britain in the late 1970s.

## Competition record

Major championships competed in:
* World School Games, Orleans, France, 1976. Gold medalist team event, bronze medal on balance beam.
* Commonwealth Games, Edmonton, Canada. England team silver medalist. 1978 1978 Commonwealth Games
* World Championships, Strasbourg, France, 1978
* World Championships, Fort Worth, Texas, US 1979
* European Championships, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1979
Invitational competitions:
* Golden Sands Tournament, Varna, Bulgaria 1976,
* Golden Sands Tournament, Varna, Bulgaria 1978 (bronze medal balance beam)
* National High School All Around Invitational, Chicago, US, 1978
* Hungarian Invitational, Pecs, Hungary, 1979
* Romanian Invitational, Bucharest, Romania, 1980.
* Moscow News Tournament, Russia, 1981 Riga Tournament, Latvia, 1981
National championships:
* British National Junior Champion 1976
* British National Apparatus Champion 1978
* British Uneven Bar Champion 1978
* British Floor Champion 1978
International meets:
* GB vs Romania
* GB vs Bulgaria
* GB vs Germany
* GB vs France
* GB vs Sweden
* GB vs Denmark
* GB vs Holland
* GB vs Canada
* GB vs Hungary
* GB vs USSR
* GB vs Poland
* GB vs Finland
* GB vs Penn State University

## Career

Honors: The first unanimous decision in the history of the Tournament; Joanna was voted "Miss Moskovski Novosti" by 250 International journalists as the most charming and beautiful gymnast at the Moscow News Tournament, Russia, 1981.
Awarded the Honor of Master Gymnast by the British Amateur Gymnastics Association for participation in three world-level events.
Sime participated as celebrity sportswomen in children's TV show We are the Champions with Ron Pickering in 1978. We Are the Champions (TV series).
NCAA: Received a full athletic scholarship to the Pennsylvania State University from 1981 to 1985. Received the NCAA Team bronze medal in 1982, coached by Judy Markell Avener. NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship
Professional gymnastics: Took part in the Kurt Thomas's Professional Gymnastics show in Orlando, Florida, 1985. "Gymnastics America".

## Biography

Sime was coached by her late father, Max Sime, a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, and a well-known psychologist for his innovative work in cognitive ergonomics and human-computer interaction. He worked for the Medical Research Council (UK) and was based at the University of Sheffield, where he headed a scientific research team.
Max Sime was awarded the title of Master Coach by the British Amateur Gymnastics Association, for producing several international gymnasts for Britain, another being Joanna's sister, Katie Sime. He was also made an Honorary Life Member for his contributions to the Woman's Technical Committee and the Board of Control. The "Max Sime Memorial" is awarded each year at the British National Championships to the most artistic and stylish Gymnast to commemorate his considerable contribution to the sport.
Joanna Sime also trained in Washington, D.C., with Margie and Gregor Weiss, parents to top US figure skater, Michael Weiss and also coaches to several National US Champions, notably Stephanie Willem, Shari Mann and Jackie Casello.
As a result of a Sports Aid Foundation Scholarship, while competing at The European Championships in Copenhagen, Sime arranged with then president of the FIG, Yuri Titov, a training trip to the Soviet Union at the Central Army Club in Moscow, where she worked with reigning world champion, Elena Mukhina and became good friends. There she was coached by Mikail Klimenko and Victor Razumov and began her studies in Russian, for which she received an honors degree from Penn State University later in her career.
Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship