Editing Dominique Dawes (section)

===Junior career===
Dawes was competing as a junior elite by the age of 10. She placed 17th in the all-around junior division at her first U.S. National Championships in 1988. In 1989, at the age of 12, she was sent to [[Australia]] to compete in her first international meet, the Konica Grand Prix. By the early 1990s, Dawes was achieving success both nationally and internationally. She placed 3rd in the all-around in the junior division at the 1990 U.S. National Championships.<ref name=usagbio>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205215631/http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/athletes/bios/d/ddawes.html Official Bio at USA Gymnastics]</ref>

At the 1992 USA vs. Japan dual meet, the 15-year-old Dawes received a standing ovation, after an energetic floor routine in which she revived the back-to-back tumbling revolutionized by Soviet star [[Oksana Omelianchik]]. The judges were equally impressed, and gave her a perfect 10. Though she was not part of the 1991 World Championship team, Dawes continued to move up on the national and international scene throughout 1991 and 1992.<ref name=usagbio />