Growing up in Beijing , Chow was tapped by a district club at the age of 5 to train in gymnastics . He was on China 's national gymnastics team for more than a decade , winning numerous national and international medals . However , he never competed in an Olympic Games ; in 1988 he was too young to make the Chinese team , and before 1992 he suffered a back injury and retired from competition . He moved to the United States in 1991 on the suggestion of his aunt , who was working on her Ph.D. at the University of Iowa . He accepted an English scholarship and a position as an assistant coach for the University of Iowa 's men 's gymnastics program . Afterwards he accepted a coaching job for the women 's program . Following his experience working with female gymnasts , Chow decided to open his own gym to train gymnasts at a younger age , when they would be more flexible and open to learning new skills . He and his wife moved to West Des Moines and opened Chow 's Gymnastics and Dance Institute on August 23 , 1998 . He expanded his operation to an , two-gym facility by 2003 . In June 2008 , a flood destroyed the facilities
flood
Iowa flood of 2008
Liang Chow