Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, is best known for its harbor front Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Melbourne, Victoria’s coastal capital and home of one of the world’s tennis grand slams, the Australian Open, is a city of stately 19th-century buildings and tree-lined boulevards.

In our global love for Australia we dare not overlook Brisbane which the informative travel site lonelyplanet.com wonders is one of Australia’s underrated cities.

Compared to traditional gymnastic performances with the structure that we have become familiar with, it’s possible that its newer cousin Rhythmic Gymnastics, though exciting and entertaining by comparison, is somewhat underrated as well.

The Australian beauty Danielle Prince is changing that perception.

Ms. Prince is an elite Rhythmic Gymnast, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and 4 time Australian Senior National Champion.

As reported by results.glasgow2014.com, it’s a sport that she took up at age ten so her rise to win team gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and winning her first Australian senior international all-around title in 2011, is truly amazing.

This raises a question for many of us new to this female sports discipline.

What is Rhythmic Gymnastics and what are her origins?

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or groups of 5 or more manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon, rope and freehand (no apparatus).

Competitive rhythmic gymnastics began in the 1940s in the Soviet Union.

It’s a sport that combines elements of ballet, gymnastics and dance.

How do you win?

The victor is the participant who earns the most points, determined by a panel of judges, for leaps, balances, pirouettes (pivots), apparatus handling, and execution. The choreography must cover the entire floor and contain a balance of jumps, leaps, pivots, balances and flexibility movements.

The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships, World Cup and Grand-Prix Series.

Leave it to Danielle to try new things.

It’s been shared that Danielle performed a combination of dance styles since she was three years old, including jazz, ballet and tap. When she was 11, her dance teacher suggested that she try Rhythmic Gymnastics for her natural flexibility and skill.

What has helped propelled Danielle is the love and support of her parents who reportedly spent a small fortune furthering Danielle’s career and it’s been worth every penny.

Australia would sure think so.

When the country’s team faltered, Danielle was one of the few bright spots.

On July 25, 2014 the informative source smh.com.au briefly shares the story. “Australia faltered badly in the defense of their rhythmic gymnastics team title at the Commonwealth Games, finishing out of the medals.

Having dominated the sport at the Delhi Games in 2010 where they collected three gold and two silver out of a possible six medals, the new-look Australian outfit struggled to put up competitive scores at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.”

Despite the team’s disappointing performance, as a qualifier Danielle and one other teammate were the lone bright spots.

As of this writing here are two videos showcasing Danielle’s mesmerizing talents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MaDTA0NoNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a9ouZX1eKE

It’s time to travel to Danielle’s enticing home of Brisbane.

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia.

Brisbane’s metropolitan area has a population of 2.3 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centered on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.4 million.

The citizens are also referred to as Brisbanites.

One of the oldest cities in Australia, Brisbane was founded upon the ancient homelands of the Indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples. Today, Brisbane is well known for its distinct Queenslander architecture which forms much of the city’s built heritage.

A favorite travel site for many, lonelyplanet.com is very impressed with Brisbane declaring, “Booming Brisbane is an energetic river town on the way up, with an edgy arts scene, pumping nightlife, and great coffee and restaurants. Lush parks and historic buildings complete the picture, all folded into the elbows of the meandering Brisbane River.

Brisbanites are out on the streets: the weather is brilliant and so are the bodies. Fit-looking locals get up early to go jogging, swimming, cycling, kayaking or rock climbing, or just to walk the dog. And when it’s too hot outside, Brisbane’s subcultural undercurrents run cool and deep, with bookshops, globally inspired restaurants, cafes, bars and band rooms aplenty.”

In terms of the combination of brilliance and beauty, Danielle fits right in.

As the informative source australia.com sings Brisbane’s praises, it’s understandably a city on a world traveler’s must see list. “Combine art and outdoor adventure in Brisbane, where South Bank’s cultural institutions and restaurants meet riverside gardens and a lagoon. Take a paddle steamer or ferry down the Brisbane River, abseil Kangaroo Point cliffs and bike ride through the City Botanic Gardens. Day trip to Moreton Island or add Noosa, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast hinterland to your itinerary.”

As with all Fem Competitors, Danielle’s story teaches important life lessons that speak to the importance of female sports being united and whose performers compete based upon their attraction on the Social Media where they could compete well into their forties.

The point here is that at the tender age of 23, Danielle in one of the oldest members of her team and the reviews say this could her last real shot at Olympic glory.

To be direct, many in her Olympic world view 23 as old.

One day we hope to see that change.

Danielle trains six days a week, twice a day, and also works out in the gym four times a week.

Her hope is our hope.

In November of 2015 at the authoritative site rio2016.olympics.com.au they respect her efforts. “Danielle Prince has a plan to dazzle the crowd come Rio, with her eye on making her Olympic debut in less than a year’s time. The 23-year-old is working hard to make sure she’s selected next year to wear the green and gold in rhythmic gymnastics.”

Rhythmic Gymnastics is a captivating newer Olympic discipline that is growing in popularity and there is no better a brilliant ambassador to help propel it into the future then the sensational Brisbane product, Danielle Prince.

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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.

http://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-15-hottest-gymnasts-in-the-world/?view=all

https://www.facebook.com/Danielle-Prince-153857364770200/

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/brisbane-gymnast-danielle-prince-takes-a-global-approach-ahead-of-rio-olympic-games/news-story/8d601e305e5d184e638306cf84e74b6d

http://results.glasgow2014.com/athlete/judo/1030257/danielle_prince.html

http://www.smh.com.au/commonwealth-games-glasgow-2014/commonwealth-games-news/rhythmic-gymnasts-struggle-in-glasgow-20140725-zwom9.html

http://rio2016.olympics.com.au/news/prince-aims-to-dazzle-at-rio

http://kelseyblog2014.edublogs.org/biographies/danielle-prince-grand-gymnast/

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/princes-time-to-sparkle/2912123/

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/prince-cuts-no-corners/2273959/

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/queensland/brisbane

http://www.australia.com/en/places/brisbane.html