Peter Vidmar is a powerful and entertaining speaker at corporate meetings and trade shows. With over two decades of experience for hundreds of corporations and professional associations, Peter has helped people throughout the country realize and fulfill their own potential. In his inspiring, humorous, and entertaining presentations, he does much more than just speak about his experiences: he drives home his message by performing portions of his Olympic routine on the pommel horse.
Peter demonstrates the three components of a perfect score in gymnastics-risk, originality, and virtuosity (ROV)- and discusses how these principles apply to success in business and life. His message brings something unique and refreshing to the corporate arena.
In 1984, Peter Vidmar became the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. After winning numerous national and international titles, he finished his successful career at the 1984 Olympic Games. As the USA men’s gymnastics team captain, he led his teammates to America’s first-ever team gold medal with their stunning upset victory over the defending world champions, the People’s Republic of China. Peter went on to win the silver medal in the individual all-around competition (the first American to win an Olympic all-around medal) and, with a perfect score of 10, he captured the gold medal on the pommel horse.
Peter contributed to the Olympic movement for many years. He was chairman of the board of USA Gymnastics, the national governing body of gymnastics in the United States. He served as co-chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee Summer Sports Summit, an annual series of workshops designed to prepare America’s medal hopefuls to win gold in future Olympics. He also served as a U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Olympic Ambassador, helping to prepare all of America’s athletes to work with the media and represent the United States with character and respect. For many years, Peter also worked as the gymnastics commentator for CBS Sports and ESPN, and he worked as a journalist, broadcaster, and corporate spokesperson at many summer Olympics. Peter served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Executive Board of the USOC, and the Executive Committee of USA Gymnastics. He was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as the vice chair of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and was the vice president of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games.
Peter is one of only three athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice; first as an individual, and then as a member of the historic 1984 USA men’s gymnastics team. He is also the author of Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity: The Keys to a Perfect 10.