Czech-born Rudy Hradecky moved to the U.S. when he was just a year old. Just like his family’s adaptation to their new country, Hradecky was able to adjust skills learned in track and field to make him a gymnastics national champion by the time he was 19. A University of Illinois alumnus, Hradecky’s career accomplishments that included five AAU vault championships, put him in a position to take over the New York Sokol gymnastics unit and become a role model to young gymnasts with Czech and Slavic backgrounds.