Gymnast Marisa Dick has created a tricky move with a trickier name

Jay Busbee Yahoo Sports Aug 7, 2016, 6:15 AM

For gymnasts competing in major competitions such as the Olympics, there are two routes to immortality: You can win a medal, or you can pull off a move never before done in competition. The first gets you some of the most prized hardware on earth. The second gets the move named for your surname, forevermore.

For instance, here’s the list of moves named for United States gymnasts. They include The Church, The Fontaine and, of course, The McNamara; that’s a “jump to clear support on high bar, immediate clear hip circle (circle backward without hips touching bar) to handstand with 180 degree turn in handstand phase on high bar,” but you knew that.

For most gymnasts, that’s an honor beyond compare. But as The Wall Street Journal notes, for Trinidad and Tobago’s Marisa Dick, it’s, well … it’s a bit more than that. Marisa, you see, has already created a new move approved by the International Gymnastics Federation.

Its technical name is a “a change-leg leap to free-cross split sit.”

Its colloquial name is, yes … “The Dick.”

You can see The Dick at the 10-second mark below. (Yes, we are referring to the gymnastics move. This video is perfectly safe for work.)

Now, Marisa has heard all the jokes, and takes them in stride. The International Gymnastics Federation expects you to stop laughing – stop laughing now! – and focus on more than juvenile humor. “We would like to underline that there are more spectacular new elements expected than her new move,” the organization said in a statement to The WSJ. “We guess last time it makes the buzz only because of her name.”

Marisa has figured out a possible twist on … sorry! alteration to … er, let’s say “variation on” The Dick that could be construed as an entirely new move. We’re sure that everyone can come up with a suitably catchy name, but it would just be called “The Dick II.”

She’ll have the opportunity to compete Sunday, and as she’s not expected to medal, that could be Marisa’s only chance to show … uh, to perform in the Olympics. We’re all pulling … no, wait … we all wish for the best for her. Yes. Let’s go with that.