Denise Griffith-Jensen
High School Honors
3 letters in gymnastics: PIL All-Around Gymnastics Champion in 1970 and 1971; State Champion in the Floor Exercise, All-Around Gymnast State Champion, and State Champion in the Uneven Bars and Balance Beam. AAU Junior National Champion; qualified for the Pan-American Games at age 15.
Finished 4th in Senior Nationals to qualify for 1972 Olympic Trials in which she was a runner-up Olympian. Received Grant scholar-athlete award, 1971. Performed with National Gymnastics team, 1972. Inducted into Grant Hall of Fame, 2016.
Post-High School Career
Coached her own gymnastics team for three years in Junior Olympics in the mid-70’s. Attended Mt. Hood CC for one year; graduated cum laude from Portland State University with BS in Biology, 1982. Graduated cum laude at OHSU with a Medical Degree in 1986. Practiced emergency medicine for 30 years at trauma centers in Portland and Seattle vicinities. Currently serves many retirement communities teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). Remains physically active in the equestrian sport of Ddessage.
Commentary
As a baby boomer I was influenced by the 1960’s: An era of civil rights movements, cold war, the Kennedy assassination, the feminist movement, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. The world was a place of both conflict and hope & strife and prosperity. For me the dynamic message was that opportunities for women and girls were limitless! Gymnastics allowed expression of that message and brought cohesion to my world without boundaries to my aspirations. It provided me focus, self-worth and recognition at a tumultuous time.
I began gymnastics during its rise in popularity worldwide, competing with the likes of Kathy Rigby, Olga Korbut and Linda Methany While I did not reach their level of prowess, I aspired to join them in the Olympics; that’s what I envisioned while swinging through the air on uneven bars, landing a back flip on a 4-inch beam, tumbling and spinning on the floor exercise and racing full speed to vault higher and farther than anybody else. While the sport and the competition itself inspired me, let it be known I had an amazing group of coaches, choreographers, teachers and families that showed me life had a lot to offer if I just kept putting myself out there…and so I did (and still do!).
Of course, life is not always a series of successes; a smooth tumbling pass or a stuck landing. It’s not about being fearless to try but remaining positive and pushing through that fear; being malleable, teachable, and in keeping with one’s own principles and values while facing life’s difficulties and failures. The “gymnastic experience” also carried me through many trials and tribulations of my medical career. In fact, it’s likely a primary reason for my admission to medical school as my admissions interview was all about my gymnastic endeavors!
Thank you to the Hall of Fame committee. I appreciate the honor and the recognition this Hall of Fame induction is providing me. Now that I have reached my 70th decade of life it allows me time to reflect on the real success of life; inner peace through living life fully and gracefully.
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