gymn Digest Sun, 26 Feb 95 Volume 3 : Issue 74

Today's Topics:
A Couple of Questions
American Classic Comments
American Classic senior c...
beam flight series (2 msgs)
CAL/STANFORD/UCLA/SJSU/WMU MEET ON 2/25
Deva article (2 msgs)
Hi
Scherbo New Skills
Some Code changes.. etc (fwd)
TV Alert
UF-GA-Mich Collegiate Meet
UGA, FL and Mich

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Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 17:42:21 -0700 (MST)
From: ***@rmii.com
Subject: A Couple of Questions

| Also, has anyone heard from / about Michelle Campi lately?
| Or, better yet, Michelle, are you out there and how is
| your recovery going?

Michelle had to drop Gymn because it was taking up too much time, but
she sent me a very nice note saying that she had enjoyed her time on
Gymn.

Rachele

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 17:49:20 -0700 (MST)
From: ***@rmii.com
Subject: American Classic Comments


| Quite a few of these gymnast are invited to compete in the American Cup
| and, I would assume, the Mixed Pairs Competition. Are they all waiting
| until after those competitions do head to Argentina for the Pan Am Games?
| I saw that Miller may not attend but I would think there would be
| conflicts with some of the others as well.

Miller has not yet declined the Games, so we probably shouldn't count
her out yet. I have heard that Moceanu has declined the Pan Am Games
(and American Cup) -- which would explain why Mohini Bhardwaj is
alternate (because Jaycie would now be on the team).

I think the only real conflict with the Am Cup and Pan Am Games is
maybe the opening ceremonies for the Games. The Pan Am team is
leaving straight from Seattle for the Games. The men in fact have a
training camp in Seattle the week prior. (Maybe the women do too, I
don't know...)

Rachele

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 04:45:04 -0500
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: American Classic senior c...

just a general note about the gymnasts at the American Classic. I have known
a number of these girls since my first Classic in "89 as a Jr. B some before
that.

Amy Chow- the first time I competed with her was at the "89 classic in
Oakland(a bit ironic) and at that time she had everything inculding the
kitchen sink in her beam and bar routines the only problem was form and
consistantcy. Alot of people didn't notice her untill the past couple of
years I remember my coaches saying that when she pulled it all together that
every one needed to watch out!!!!
Heidi Hornbeek- like Amy the first time I competed with her was in '89 We
became friends and teamed up because we were both the only ones from our gym.
She has always been one of the best and everyone thought at that time all
she needed was experience...But (i hope this doesn't sound rude) for the past
6 years I think she's only had 2 or 3 "on" meets I honestly don't know how
she keeps going.
Kristy Powell-All I can say is that I have known her since she was 9 and she
has always been able to swing bars. All a coach would have to do is suggest
a trick and if kristy wanted to do it she would BY THE END OF PRACTICE.
Also just as a little side note: in one letter i read someone mentioned
Terry Walker, Cypress coach As an Ex-Cypress gymnast I know the way he
became one of the girls coaches(he originally coached boys he said girls were
too moody!?!) Anyway one day me and another girl were trying to learn the
hect half in the old comp. bar routine (for some reason it was a hard skill
to learn and teach) And our normal coach Debbie Kaitschuck was about to kill
us and herself trying to spot and correct us. So she got Terry over to help
spot and from then on he was forced(I mean that literally) to help Deb spot
part time And as the Elite program there grew he became full time girls
coach. And in my opiion a very good one at that. But I am sure tht even now
if you were to ask him he'd still tell you that girls are still too moody!!
Sorry this is so long But I'm filled with stories!!
-sara

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 00:04:43 -0500
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: beam flight series

In level 8 you only need one flight element in the acro series. However, the
other element must be a moving element and a handstand step down flip flop
doesn't cut it as a valid acro series so I wonder whether any acro series
with a backward roll would work.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 09:42:39 -0500 (EST)
From: ***@minerva.cis.yale.edu
Subject: beam flight series


> In level 8 you only need one flight element in the acro series. However, the
> other element must be a moving element and a handstand step down flip flop
> doesn't cut it as a valid acro series so I wonder whether any acro series
> with a backward roll would work.

I think in that case I would guess that a backward roll is ok. At least
it seems to me that it's "moving" in a way that a handstand is not.
There must be some judge one can ask to find out for sure. I wonder if
what is "moving" and what is not is defined according to the categories of
elements in the Code -- handstands are under a category called "Holds",
which by definition are not moving, so you'd think that everything else
that is not under that category must be moving. But that makes me wonder
about the sideways shoulder stand, which is categorized under "Rolls".
Would that be moving or not? Would it depend on whether the gymnast
stops in the shoulder stand or goes right through the vertical without
stopping? I wonder about this because it occurs to me that a back dive
right into that might look pretty cool.

:)
Adriana

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Feb 95 11:02:33 PST
From: ***@mcm.com
Subject: CAL/STANFORD/UCLA/SJSU/WMU MEET ON 2/25

Hello,

This is the first time posting for me. I just got on the list recently.
Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a great college
men's meet this saturday at Stanford. Cal, UCLA, San Jose State,
Western Michigan, and host Stanford will all be competing.

Last Saturday Stanford and Cal met with Cal coming from 1.45 down
on the last event, high bar, to win it by one tenth. It was real
exciting watching the whole meet, but especially high bar with
many National team members competing. Toe-on back hecht to
geinger, double twisting double layouts, full twisting Kovacs, and
many other combinations were typical order in nearly every routine.

For the meet this weekend, former Olympian Jair Lynch and National
team member Mark Booth will also be competing.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend attending this meet.
I believe it starts at 7 pm on Saturday. I will try and post an
update on Monday on the results.

Josh
Cal '93

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 01:56:57 -0500 (EST)
From: ***@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Deva article

Here is the article about Deva from Sovetsky Sport. I can't
vouch for the accuracy of the author's information. For example,
I had no idea Vanda Hadarean was still at Deva or that Maria
Neculita had been so seriously injured. Does anyone know anything
about this, for instance, exactly what the injury was? I'm
curious to know, and if anyone can verify that Hadarean is still
training, I'd love to know! I really like her style, and would be
happy to see her in competition again. :)

Beth

IN DEVA THERE ARE ONLY GIRLS. - The Big Secrets of a Small Town.
(By Natalya Kalugina. Sovetsky Sport, Jan. 13, 1995, p. 4.
Translated by Beth Squires:) Before the Montreal Olympics, this
was a god-forsaken little town. And it wasn't just anywhere, but
in Ceaucescu's Romania, which means it was "god-forsaken
squared." A year later, that is in 1977, Deva, having become
renowned all over the world, was turned into a closed city.
It was so closed that, it seems, the Romanians themselves
didn't know what was going on there. True, the products labeled
"Made in Deva" were applauded by the entire world. They (the
products) had names: Nadia Comaneci, Emilia Eberle, Daniela
Silivas, Aurelia Dobre, Eugenia Golea, Cristina Bontas and
Gabriela Potorac. They (once again the products) knew how to beat
the most distinguished rivals in gymnastics arenas, but they had
no idea how to talk to journalists or gymnasts from other
countries. At press conferences, which were impossible to avoid,
they looked with plaintive eyes at their coaches, and the latter
parried the bothersome journalists' questions with pre-prepared
stock answers. Everything was simpler with girls from other
countries. You could talk to them. Therefore, the stars from the
Deva production line lost their names, became simply "the
threatening and invincible Romanians" and evoked irritation among
those around them. For a little girl, especially the most
brilliant gymnast, especially a girl who is very strong in
spirit, cannot be made into a non-human, into a small cog in an
enormous machine. But it was thanks to these cogs that Deva's
secret could be observed.
But then the Berlin Wall came crashing down. While it was
being dismantled, Deva's most famous pupil, Olympic champion
Nadia Comaneci, quickly fled Romania. And then Nicolae Ceaucescu
himself was removed from the scene. And the secret center for
training super-gymnasts in the Romanian provinces became open. To
such a degree that journalists were allowed into Deva. Here is
what they saw there.
It turned out that Deva was the site of more than just an
academic and training center for the national women's gymnastics
team of Romania. What was there was something like schools for
potential Olympians at which 800 girls study, with 300 of them
living in school dormitories. This is convenient, since it helps
in balancing training hours and school hours. Little girls enter
a Deva school at age six, when they begin to learn flip-flops and
the alphabet, and they leave there with a bachelor's degree
[that's literally what the article says, but I would assume a
high-school degree is meant] and the ability to spin a triple
somersault (true, not everyone can do the latter. Some do simpler
elements). There are three classes of 30 pupils each all studying
the same things. Everyone wroks out at least 20 hours a week.
Beginning in the second year of study, academic-and-training
groups are formed, with 20 future gymnasts in each one. Then four
groups are chosen that spend 30 hours in the gym instead of 20.
Of these 80 girls, only 15 will work at the international level,
although this doesn't mean that the others are automatically
dropped from the program. Moreover, each girl is cherished like
the apple of one's eye.
Remember there was a very talented girl named Maria Neculita
on the junior team? Then she disappeared somewhere. It turns out
that she suffered a serious injury. In fact it was so serious
that she had to give up gymnastics forever. But she still
continues to study at Deva.
"Everything is so wonderful for us here! We are like a
family. When things went bad for me, all the girls supported me,"
Maria says with a smile.
But let's return to the 15 chosen "ultras." Currently among
them are Lavinia Milosovici, Vanda Hadarean, Gina Gogean and
Andrea Cacovean. They are the distinguished ones, so they are
known to everyone. But there are also quite young ones. Only
gymnastics fans know about them. But that is today. Tomorrow... I
think that it is sufficient to note that at the 1994 Junior
European Championships they surpassed their closest rivals, our
girls [the Russians], by 2.5 points.
The future and current champions in Deva receive special
treatment. They have to work much more than the others. Granted,
they have been "spared" in three areas. First, they don't have to
take lessons in music or drawing (they complete the rest of the
secondary-school curriculum in full). Second, they are freed of
free time. So at least their heads are not filled with foolish
things from TV. Third, a special schedule has been developed for
them. It looks like this: From 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. the champions
are regular schoolgirls. Then they work out from 10:30 until
1:00. From 1:00 to 5:00 is lunch, tomorrow's homework and at
least a little time to relax. Then they work out again from 5:00
until 8:00. The "stars" at Deva, in contrast to the non-stars, do
not get Saturdays off or school vacations: There is no time for
that.
So the secret center in the little town with the feminine
name of Deva has revealed its secrets. The only thing left to
remind people of is that it was once founded by handball coach
Bela Karolyi and his wife Marta, a former gymnast. By the way,
Bela also has his own gymnastics center in the US, where he works
now. The whole world is familiar with its results...

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 09:33:00 -0500 (EST)
From: ***@minerva.cis.yale.edu
Subject: Deva article

On Neculita: To say that an injury was so serious that she had to quit
gymnastics could mean almost anything, really. Maybe I'm being
naive, but somehow I think that if it had been something really huge we
would have heard about it.

:)
Adriana

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 16:11:04 -0700 (MST)
From: ***@blue.UnivNorthCo.EDU
Subject: Hi

Hi I am a new subscriber to your gymnastics forum and I thought I'd
introduce myself to you. My name is Holly and I am 19 years old.
I grew up in New York City where I competed from the age of 8 to 17 in
various levels and at three different gyms. I am currently attending the
University of Northern Colorado where I am a double major in both
Management and Marketing. I hope to eventually get into the Sports
Administrative Field. I have just read what was already sent to me and
am very glad I subscribed. I still love gymnastics and work out when I
can. Recently I went to the Winter Cup competition in Colorado
Springs. I hope this was what was meant by sending an introduction.

Look forward to receiving more gymnastics related mail

Holly

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Date: Fri, 24 Feb 95 19:33:55 -0800
From: ***@mhs.mendocino.k12.ca.us
Subject: Scherbo New Skills

There was an interview with Scherbo in one of the recent digests where he
mentioned new skills and a unique new release move on HB. Does anyone know
what his new supposedly spectacular release is and if he's competed it yet?
I'd also be interested in hearing about any other new skills he's performing.

Thanks,
Orion

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 23:14:20 -0500 (EST)
From: ***@minerva.cis.yale.edu
Subject: Some Code changes.. etc (fwd)

Someone just asked about the new value of a Hristakieva and about what
other skills were devalued, so here's a repost.

:)
Adriana

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 95 23:13:55 CST
From: ***@mad.adelaide.edu.au
To: gymn@MIT.EDU
Subject: Some Code changes.. etc

Hi from Anne in sunny down-under

A couple of elements have been changed in value by the FIG Women's
Technical Committee, the changes to take effect on 1st June 1995.

Vault Yurchenko (roundoff) onto the horse, half turn and stretched
front salto off (formerly number 4.505) is now 4.410 with a Start
Value of 9.90. [this is the Hristakieva]

On floor:

The Popa (straddle pike jump with full turn) was D now C

Stretched front salto with one and a half twist was E now D

The front flyspring - was B now A (regardless of whether to one or
two feet). This change will dramatically affect the acrobatic
series bonus for many gymnasts.

Can anyone help by posting the results of the Peachtree classic
where a group of Australian gymnasts took part? Would appreciate
any available results - thanks!

Anne/Adelaide/Australia

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Feb 1995 05:39:06 -0500
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: TV Alert

ESPN is doing a feature on '95 Dial Award winner Shannon Miller on
Sunday's (26/2/95) "Scholastic Sports America" It's on several times during
the day so check your local listings.

-Susan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 22:05:53 -0500
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: UF-GA-Mich Collegiate Meet

To All:
When the triangular meet between then #2 Georgia, #5 Michigan and #7
Florida was over, the favored Bulldogs were victorious, but the team from
Georgia was not the happiest. Michigan was.
In what Michigan Coach Bev Plocki is calling her team's greatest away
meet in her six years as head coach, the Wolverines earned the highest score
in school history and were trailing Georgia by less than half a point going
into the final rotation.
Finishing on floor as Michigan finished on beam, Georgia went on to win,
earning a 197.3 over Michigan's 196.45 and Florida's 192.925. But when the
meet was over, it was the Michigan team that quite literally was dancing on
the floor in utter joy.
"Every year, our team seems to grow another level," Plocki said. "We're
looking forward to coming back here (for nationals)."
The awards ceremony afterwards seemed like a prelude to nationals, where
not even a 9.9 was good enough for third place on an apparatus. Three 10s
were awarded on vault, going to Michigan's Heather Kabnick (handspring-front
with a half) and Georgia's Julie Ballard and Kim Arnold (both
handspring-fronts piked).
Michigan's Beth Wymer easily won bars with a 10.00, throwing a giant-full
to a giant-half to a piked Yaeger (an "E" element) and ending with a full-in
dismount. Wymer also took first place on beam, earning a 9.9 along with
Georgia's Lori Strong and Arnold. On floor, Georgia's quick-twitched Leslie
Angeles won, earning a 9.925 for her routine that featured a full-in,
double-pike and double-full.
After the meet, Georgia Head Coach Suzanne Yoculan said she was happy
when it was announced to the crowd after the third rotation that her team was
ahead by less than half a point.
"I loved it," Yoculan said. "Last year, we didn't have that. Until the
national championships, we didn't know what it was like to have someone
breathing down your neck."
Florida never was a factor in the meet. Counting nearly two points in
deductions for falls and breaks on their first event, bars, the Gators played
catch-up for the rest of the meet. The highlight of the competition for the
Gators was vault, where a school record of 49.10 was earned as five Gators
earned career highs on that event.

Interesting Note: Georgia is taking the art of mental imagery to a new
level. Most gymnasts at one time or another will close their eyes and imagine
their routine. At Georgia, it's required for beam.
The gymnasts have gotten so good at it that they can close their eyes and
time their mental imagery with a stopwatch and have their imaginary routine
the same length as their real one.
"Lori (Strong) has gotten so good at it that when she's done with her
mental imagery, her mouth will be dry, just as if she had done a real
routine," Yoculan said.
-- Ronald

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 00:19:17 -0500
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: UGA, FL and Mich

Just in from the meet, but I must say that I didn't see much of it at all.
The way they were doing the scores was horrible, I couldn't keep up. Thank
goodness, Jim is a member of the press and I was able to get the scores after
the meet. Here goes


UGA had a good meet all around, though Michigan gave them a run for their mone
y.

Julie Ballard and Kim Arnold both scored 10's on their vaults.

AA'ers Total team score 197.3
Strong 39.65
Ballard 39.3
Arnold 39.3

Florida, seemed weak against the other two teams. But put on a good show
just the same.

AA'ers Total team score 192.925
Guise 38.8
Selga 38.225
Johnson 37.875

Michigan, was strong on bars and even though I enjoyed the FX, I don't think
the judges did! One girl did a routine to "The Devil went down to Georgia"
and it was great! If they would have done better on beam, I do believe
they could have beat GA.

AA'ers Total team score 196.45
Kabnick 39.4
McDonald 38.925
Marshall 38.7

If I felt better, I would type in all the scores, but my gymnasts have given
me a cold! (really didn't want to go to the meet tonight but had no choice)

But on the same subject I want to brag a little. UGA is fighting over Jim's a
rtwork! Suzanne loves his work, and he will be on the calender next year.
And I got to hang out with Jullie Ballards parents, a real treat for me
since we come from the same part of the country.

Anyway email me if you want more details and I will get them out

Lori

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End of gymn Digest
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