Jennifer Bricker-Bauer (born Jennifer Bricker, October 1, 1987) is an American

acrobat Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

aerialist Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

, and memoirist. Born without legs, she was placed for adoption by her parents. She is the sister of American Olympic gymnast

Dominique Moceanu Dominique Helena Moceanu (, ; ; born September 30, 1981) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning United States women's gymnastics team, the " Magnificent Seven", at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. ...

, although the two were unaware they were biological siblings until later in life.

Career

Bricker grew up competing in gymnastics alongside teammates who did not have disabilities. At age of 10, she competed in the Junior Olympics. In 1998, Bricker competed in the

AAU Junior Olympics The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the pinnacle competitions held annually by the US Amateur Athletic Union. Overview The AAU Junior Olympic Games are known as the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become th ...

( power tumbling), placing fourth. The same year she received the U.S. Tumbling Association’s Inspiration Award. She was the first disabled high school tumbling champion in the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. After taking a break from tumbling, Bricker began performing in aerial acrobatics and trampoline around 2008. With performer Nate Crawford, she co-choreographed and performed in a trampoline show at the Amway Center in Orlando during the 2008 Mascot Games. They ceased performing the show when Crawford was cast in

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Circus Tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, ''Circus (Britney Spears album), Circus'' (20 ...

(2009). This exposed Bricker to the show's producers and she became featured performer on the ''Circus'' tour, appearing in 40 shows across North America and Australia. She has also performed in

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

’s Las Vegas show, ''Club Light''. Her story is detailed in her memoir ''Everything Is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams'', which was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Writing in ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. The publication began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The print magazine's reported circulation is 275,000 as of 2023. ...

'', Nancy L. Segal noted, "The sisters' reunion makes for an inspiring story of family ties broken and restored. But it also provides priceless material for research into the roles of nature and nurture in athletic prowess". In 2022, Bricker performed in Omnium Circus's live show, ''I’mPossible''. She is an inductee into the World Acrobatic Society's Gallery of Legends Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Jennifer Bricker was born on October 1, 1987 with no legs. She was adopted by George and Sharon Bricker of Hardinville, Illinois. She grew up with three older brothers. Her adoption was closed, but her birth parents' names were on some documents. During the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, the cameras cut to the parents of gymnast

and the Brickers made the connection. When she was 16, Bricker asked her adoptive parents if they knew anything about her birth family and they told her about Dominique. Enlisting the assistance of a private investigator uncle, Jennifer Bricker got in touch with her biological parents. She spent four years trying to get in touch with her sister. Bricker met with Dominique and her other sister, Christina Moceanu, in person for the first time in 2008. The Moceanu family is ethnically Aromanian, from modern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The sisters went public with their story in 2012. Moceanu's memoir, ''Off Balance'', tells her side of the story in learning that Bricker was her younger sister who had been placed for adoption at the hospital at birth. Before learning Moceanu was her sister, Bricker idolized her, and even had posters of her on her bedroom walls. The documentaries "Eva Longoria's Versus: Romanian Roots" (2015, a spinoff of ESPN's 30 for 30) and “She Looks Like Me” (2024) from director Torquil Jones tells the story of the two sisters discovering their connection. She married Austrian-born Dominik Bauer in 2019, becoming Jennifer Bricker-Bauer. She gave birth to a son, Malachi Bauer, in 2023.

References

External links

*
Everything is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams
Jen Bricker autobiography with Sheryl Berk, 2016, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI,
Everything is Possible
Jen Bricker, TED talk, 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bricker, Jennifer 1987 births Living people 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century American women writers American adoptees American acrobatic gymnasts American amputees American people of Aromanian descent American people of Romanian descent American wheelchair users American women memoirists American writers with disabilities Aromanian sportspeople Congenital amputees