History & Biography
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Life Summary
• Biography
With her German father Klaus and South African Dutch mother Greta, Denise was full-blooded Southern Californian. She was born at St Joseph Hospital in Burbank California the second of two children. Her brother Derrick was born four years earlier. They lived in Burbank until Denise was eight when they moved to a nice house in Santa Barbara.
Denise was a.ways in the shadow of her older brother Derrick, who dad drove to become a winning Olympics swimming star on the United States Olympic Team. Likewise, he prompted Denise to become an Olympic gymnastics star for the USA, but his attention to her didn’t match that which her brother received, and for this, Denise was quite thankful.
Of course her mom encouraged her in other ways having been Miss South Africa in the Miss Universe pageant years ago. Denise participated in the Miss Teen California pageant when she was fifteen and was 3rd runner up, but Denise didn’t have the drive to pursue that sexist direction. She instead concentrated on her gymnastics even if she was nowhere good enough to make the U.S. Olympic team. She could still help the school win!!
