Vitaly Scherbo, an Olympic athlete from Belarus, speaks about his career as a gymnast with Bishop Gorman students at the Vitaly Scherbo School of Gymnastics in northwest Las Vegas. More...

I learned on the Gym Chat message boards that Vanessa Ferrari's nickname is "the cannibal" (http://gymchat.com/messageboards/showthread.php?t=58958&highlight=vanessa+ferrari+nickname ) and now that Vitaly Scherbo's nickname was Cookie! [QUOTE] He was a rambunctious boy, running around his local gym, but he didn't look like an Olympian. In fact, when his coach first met him, he called Scherbo "Cookie" because he was a chubby child. The coach wasn't even going to take Scherbo, but his mother interceded and begged him to change his mind. As years passed, Scherbo shed his "Cookie-weight" and gained the physique and dedication of an Olympian. In order to train for the Olympics and to go to school at the same time, Scherbo had to awaken at 7 a.m. every day. After a breakfast that usually consisted of tea, bread and cheese, he would take the bus to the gym where he would work out for two hours, then he would go to school where he would take eight classes a day. After school, he went back to the gym. Most nights, Scherbo wasn't home until 9. When he got home, he still had to eat dinner and do his homework. "I didn't have any other choice other than to work hard," says Scherbo. "You have to be amazing. You have to achieve something." Scherbo has definitely done that. In the 1992 Barcelona games, Scherbo won six gold medals, and in the 1996 Atlanta games, he won four bronze medals. [/QUOTE] All-around champion at 1992 Barcelona Olympics From the cookie to the Scherbo Cup: [QUOTE] He became such a hero to his people that they named an athletic competition after him called the Scherbo Cup. He even spent his free time just hanging out with President Lukashemko. [/QUOTE] Cookies are good.