GYMN-L Digest - 29 Aug 1995 to 30 Aug 1995

There are 31 messages totalling 813 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's (7)
  2. Devil's Advocate
  3. German Masters (Men) 1995
  4. height and weight (2)
  5. Kharkov and Belenky
  6. Why they peak late....
  7. weight of gymnasts
  8. Two Quick Comments (2)
  9. "Gym Stars" question
 10. Kharkov and Belenky (and Degteva)
 11. Alexis Brion on "Mike & Maty"
 12. WUG
 13. Old gymnasts, ugh!
 14. WUG Event Finals
 15. Eurosport
 16. New Question:
 17. Foreign Gymnasts in the NCAA
 18. (Fwd) Re: Intro
 19. World Trials/J. Thompson
 20. U of Utah, UCLA (2)
 21. _Women's Gymnastics, a history_
 22. _WG_ order form

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Date:    Tue, 29 Aug 1995 23:01:23 -0400
From:    ***@UMICH.EDU
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

I agree with Dory's interpretation.  I was unaware of the lack of
collegite scholarships in Canada..
Additionally, if a gymnast in the calaber as Kalinina would be interested
in competing for a college..if academically qualified why not?  That
opportunity is huge for a foreign gymnast.

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

Date:    Tue, 29 Aug 1995 23:04:25 -0400
From:    ***@UMICH.EDU
Subject: Re: Devil's Advocate

Regarding the height issue, look at Khorkina.  Despite being taller than
the other gymnasts ( and younger, although you forget that when you see
the maturity she evokes), Khorkina's long lines and gracefullness can not
be matched.  I love watching her on bars.


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

Date:    Tue, 29 Aug 1995 22:46:37 -18521200
From:    ***@MADRAD.RADIOLOGY.WISC.EDU
Subject: Re: German Masters (Men) 1995

In regards to Kharkov not making the German World
team (while doing well in nationals), can it be
because he's not yet considered a German citizen?
(I don't know how long he's been in Germany, and
how many months you need for citizenship.)  How
long was it before Belenki was able to represent
Germany? Didn't he compete in the German nationals
before he was able to compete for Germany?  Just
wondering.

        Lani.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 00:21:10 -0400
From:    ***@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU
Subject: height and weight

     I was watching Eurosport's coverage of the men's and women's European Cup
over the weekend, and I noticed a couple of things. First, Eurosport does not
flash statistics about the gymnasts' height or weight at all. But at the same
time, the British commentators made many references to the varying heights and
body types of the gymnasts and how this affects their gymnastics. If I remember
right, the commentator even called Yelena Piskun "chunky." But throughout the
coverage, the commentators stressed how NICE it was to see so many different
body types and that this was a positive thing for gymnastics. The women's field
in Rome showed very well that gymnasts of very different shapes and sizes can
excel. They just design their routines to suit their body type. The competitors
in Rome included the tall and thin Khorkina, the "chunky" Piskun, the very
slender Olga Yurkina, the "stocky" Podkopayeva, tiny Gogean and Amanar, and the
Hungarian Adrienne Nyeste, who looks like a typical 16-year-old: she has the
body of a young woman. The commentators rarely (if ever) gave exact figures for
height and weight, but drew the viewers' attention to the different body types
in a POSITIVE way, saying that gymnastics was a sport that is open to everyone,
not just "pixies." It was a nice approach, and no comments were made about
anyone being too tall, too stout or over-the-hill. It was really interesting to
compare European (well, British) commentary to American. Gogean is 18, but was
never referred to as being washed up, and there was nothing but praise for
Boris Preti, who is still competing at age 29. The overall message seemed to be
a friendly, welcoming invitation to participate in gymnastics no matter what
your age, height or body type. I found it refreshing!

Beth

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 00:33:56 -0400
From:    ***@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU
Subject: Kharkov and Belenky

     I think Lani is right and it's quite possible Kharkov has not had his
citizenship changed yet. I know the Germans were able to speed up the process
for Belenky because either his grandfather or great-grandfather was from
Germany. But usually it seems to take 3-5 years to get your citizenship
changed. Dory, wasn't this true for Elena Degteva? I saw her compete as part of
her Canadian club when she was 13 or 14, but never saw her as a member of a
Canadian national team until last year.

Beth

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 02:19:41 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

>Should foreign-born gymnasts be actively recruited
to compete here?

IMHO, not at state universities that are funded with tax dollars.  It's hard
enough for a family to send a kid to college these days, without losing a
possible scholarship to a non-citizen.

Mara

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 06:27:49 CST
From:    ***@CCLINK.NET.UOKHSC.EDU
Subject: Re: Why they peak late....

< You can add Kathy Johnson to the list and Julianne McNamara, as well.
Both were in their best shape and did their best as "old ladies" of 24
and 18, respectively.>

Another one to add is Kelly Garrison-Steves ...

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 08:55:02 EDT
From:    ***@BIOMED.QUEENSU.CA
Subject: weight of gymnasts

I'm normally a quiet reader of this mailing list but I had to comment about
the weight of female gymnasts.

In a perfect society, where all coaches are first looking for the good and
health of their pupils before their performance at big events, the weight of
each gymnast could be broadcasted without putting any pressure on the
gymnasts to lose weight.

But we don't live in a perfect world, and grand principles are pretty much
meaningless if you want to apply what works instead of "what, in theory,
should work."  Female teenagers are, generally, concerned with their weight,
even if they are not gymnasts.  Gymnasts have the added pressure that we
expect them them to be thin and that their weight is broadcasted
internationnally; for an emotional teenager (and most teenagers are), a
"high" weight can be the evidence of a failure: not enough self-discipline
to lose the weight, not enough control over chocolate cravings, etc.

Gymnastics is a sport where self-discipline is very important, especially at
the competitive level where the hours of training are countless.  and the
teenage gymnast IS very disciplined: she doesn't go to the mall because of
training, she doesn't date because of training, she doesn't go out to
parties, movies, long trips, etc because of training.  She might even not go
to school and take correspondance courses.  The gymnast knows that
self-discipline is an attitude she needs but a teenager can easily go
overboard (just like some teenagers go overboard in their rebellion against
parents).  When you enter the sport at a young age (and you have to in order
to make it to the top), you are a child and you trust your coach, your
parents, and your public.  If your weight is broadcasted on television, you
are going to think that it matters a lot - maybe if you were thinner, you'd
be better!  The gymnast can end up believing that losing weight is the magic
recipe to get better: less mass to move for the same amount of force output
- F = m a - WOW! that equals to more power, right!?  Well, maybe, but also
dizzy spells, health problems, delayed menarche, fragile bones, and also
psychological problems.

In a perfect world, gymnasts would know that it is their performance that
counts and not their weight, women would be loved for who they are and not
their looks, models wouldn't be so thin, there would be no war, and nobody
would be poor to the point of not eating well.  Guess what? the world isn't
perfect!

When I watch a competition, I like knowing the height of the gymnasts, or,
let's be honest, how short they are.  The weight, I don't need; I can see
their ribs anyway, I know they're not fat.  Their accomplishement is how
good they perform gymnastics, not how much they starved themselves.  If they
believe that their weight is so important, it's probably because we, the
public, the coaches, the parents, put so much emphasis on it.  Where would a
10, 12 or 14 year old who doesn't go out much get such ideas?

Gymnastics is a beautiful sport, but we should not be blind to think that it
is perfect; nevertheless, we can change it to make it better.

Anne-Caroline

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 12:56:34 GMT
From:    ***@CAPITALNET.COM
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

>  Time for a new topic. Should foreign-born gymnasts be actively recruited
>to compete here? Lissenko and Kalanina were originally offered scholarships
>by Maryland. My sister says its bad for US collegiate programs. I say its
>good. Your views? How about Rukhina? Do you have an opinion?
>
So what's new? There have been several foreign-born athletes recruited to
NCAA schools.  So this is the first time you're getting former Soviets?
What's the big deal?

Lissenko and Kalinina could kick butt in the NCAA.  This could only raise
the level of competition.

Lissenko, in particular, should be quite deserving of a scholarship.  She
is quite bright, for what I remember -- reads Dostroevsky, Tolstoy, speaks
pretty good English, and does great gymnastics.  I'd be more interested
to know what her course of study is.

Now the question of their eligibility would be a major concern too.  I
recall they competed in some pro-am's and performed in plenty of
exhibitions. Did they get paid for this? Or did the politburo get it?  Did
they get a stipend for finishing first at Worlds or Olympics?
Would members of the '94 Romanian team (who got bonus $$$) be eligible
in the NCAA?  Who knows?

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 12:59:52 GMT
From:    ***@CAPITALNET.COM
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

>>Should foreign-born gymnasts be actively recruited
>to compete here?
>
>IMHO, not at state universities that are funded with tax dollars.  It's hard
>enough for a family to send a kid to college these days, without losing a
>possible scholarship to a non-citizen.
>
>Mara
>
>

Unless, UMass is not really state-funded, my friend Lianne Laing (from
Nepean, Ontario, Canada), is on a gymn scholarship there.  Oh, and
add her to the list of gymnasts who peak in later years.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 08:46:54 -0500
From:    ***@TNTECH.EDU
Subject: Two Quick Comments

1)  Pressure with regard to anything (weight included) is ultimately
 self-imposed.
The weight problem is a societal problem not limited to gymnastics.  Can we
really say that by not mentioning weight on TV, we can eliminate the problem?
TV announcers are not the problem.

2) In my opinion, old gymnasts are better.  As I've said before, I like the
maturity in their choreography and their added grace.  However, if we tally up
the medals over the years, which age group rises to the top?  Unfortunately,
performance is measured by medals and the teenagers seemed to, for the most
part, have cornered the market.

Mike

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 09:55:49 EDT
From:    ***@EOS.NCSU.EDU
Subject: "Gym Stars" question

Hey folks,

I mailed of my subscription for Gym Stars on Monday, and I was wondering
how long it usually takes to receive your first issue.  I was hoping to
maybe get the Fall or Winter issue as my first issue.  (I was hoping to
start off with the issue covering the Sabae Worlds, whichever it may
be.)

Thanks for any help,
 --Brent

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 08:01:35 -0600
From:    ***@HARRIER.SASKNET.SK.CA
Subject: Kharkov and Belenky (and Degteva)

>     I think Lani is right and it's quite possible Kharkov has not had his
>citizenship changed yet. I know the Germans were able to speed up the process
>for Belenky because either his grandfather or great-grandfather was from
>Germany. But usually it seems to take 3-5 years to get your citizenship
>changed. Dory, wasn't this true for Elena Degteva? I saw her compete as part of
>her Canadian club when she was 13 or 14, but never saw her as a member of a
>Canadian national team until last year.

Yes, it was true for Lena.  The first time I saw her compete nationally was
around '91, but she was not eligible to compete internationally for Canada
until the Dortmund Worlds!

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 10:08:48 EDT
From:    ***@EOS.NCSU.EDU
Subject: Alexis Brion on "Mike & Maty"

Hello again

Did anyone else catch the Olympic episode of ABC's "The Mike & Maty
Show" from a couple of weeks back?  They had Mitch Gaylord and swimmer
Melvin Stewart in studio for "breakfast."  Both talked about the
Olympic experience, training for the Olympics, etc.  Mitch also talked
about doing Robin's stunts in "Batman Forever."  He was originally only
supposed to do the acrobatic type stuff, but they talked him into doing
the running into explosions type stuff, too.  Something he said he would
NEVER do again.  They also had a featurette on Alexis Brion.  They
seemed to focus as much on her folks as they did her.  Her mom did a
large part of the interview, talking about the expenses and being
Alexis' chauffeur.  Her dad was only in the sequence for about ten
seconds:  he's a navigator on a sub (which means he's probably met my
aunt who is secretary at the sub offices at Norfolk).  Alexis' mom said
it cost about $25-30,000 a year for her to do gymnastics.  Being an
officer on a sub must pay REAL good.  Mrs. Brion works bingo to help
with things and is a travel coordinator for the gym.  That was about it.

 --Brent

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 10:23:08 -0400
From:    ***@FREENET.SCRI.FSU.EDU
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

Let foreign gymnasts compete at the collegiate level at colleges in their
country.
Judy

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 10:48:31 -0500
From:    ***@ASTRO.OCIS.TEMPLE.EDU
Subject: Re: WUG

Kathy says:

>I like it how it is not as difficult to score a 10.00. It kinda makes it more
>realistic, than having to be so perfect. just my opinion,
>                                     Kathy

That's exactly what I don't like about the inflated scoring at so many
meets, both at the college level and the elite level.  I want to see a
10.00 once every ten years or so, because that's how often I see a routine
and think "I can't find a single deduction in there."

Think about it this way.  Let's say a great, but not perfect, routine gets
a 10.00.  What happens when the next gymnast does an even better routine?
I get particularly frustrated watching NCAA meets because there's often no
scoring distinction between the top routines, even when one seems clearly
better to me.

Here's another problem with inflated scoring.  As a gymnast, how do you
know what to work on?  Presumably the code of points tells you how much
difficulty you need and what you'll get deductions for.  If you don't
really get deductions for things like form breaks, where's the incentive to
work on perfect form?  Especially if you don't have quite enough difficulty
and you'll get more points by improving that area?

I'd love to go back to the days when women's gymnastics was scored like
men's gymnastics, and there was no shame in finishing a meet with a 38.00.
When you might, in fact, win with that score.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 10:48:36 -0500
From:    ***@ASTRO.OCIS.TEMPLE.EDU
Subject: Re: height and weight

I love the idea of commentators glorifying the diversity of body types in
gymnastics.  Thank you Beth, you've made my day.

I have to say, though, it's hard to think of Piskun as chunky or Podkopaeva
as stocky.  Sigh.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 10:31:03 CDT
From:    ***@UA1VM.UA.EDU
Subject: Old gymnasts, ugh!

 That is what I thought I read in a post. How about "age-enhanced" and those
who are young are "age-challenged". Just thought I would get a little humor in.
From one who auditorily-challenged and lost many lunches to a vertically-
challenged and forever-hungry    golden retriever. Brenda

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 12:57:12 -0400
From:    ***@PANIX.COM
Subject: WUG Event Finals

From the official web page, here are the Univ. Games EF results:

MEN

FX                             V
1. Shabaev (RUS)     9.600     1. Scherbo (BLR)      9.687
2. Masuda (JPN)      9.512     2. Leric (ROM)        9.662
3. Jung (KOR)        9.487     3. Wang (CHN)         9.500
4. Wiley (USA)       9.475     4. Shabaev (RUS)      9.493
5. Gotov (RUS)       9.400     5. Cho (KOR)          9.437
6. Cho (KOR)         9.200     6. Tanaka (JPN)       9.087
7. Suzuki (JPN)      9.000     7. Wiley (USA)        8.925
8. Dong (CHN)        8.275     8. Suzuki (JPN)       8.887

PH                             PB
1. Supola (HUN)      9.687     1. Jung (KOR)         9.687
2. Urzica (ROM)      9.675     2. Scherbo (BLR)      9.675
3. Hatakeda (JPN)    9.650     3. Dong (CHN)         9.662
3. Han (KOR)         9.650     4. Leric (ROM)        9.650
5. Lee (KOR)         9.625     5. Tanaka (JPN)       9.637
6. Tanaka (JPN)      9.587     6. Shabaev (RUS)      9.612
7. Kan (BLR)         9.550     7. Hatakeda (JPN)     9.600
8. Shabaev (RUS)     9.050     7. Yukov (RUS)        9.600

R                              HB
1. Damjanov (CRO)    9.687     1. Dong (CHN)         9.725
2. Wang (CHN)        9.637     2. Scherbo (BLR)      9.687
3. Masuda (JPN)      9.575     3. Tanaka (JPN)       9.637
3. Tanaka (JPN)      9.575     4. Yukov (RUS)        9.600
5. Vassilenko (RUS)  9.512     5. Supola (HUN)       9.475
6. Han (KOR)         9.437     6. Wang (CHN)         9.200
7. Wang (CHN)        9.425     7. Han (KOR)          8.875
8. Urvachov (UKR)    9.250     8. Shabaev (RUS)      8.800

WOMEN

V                              B
1. Ovary (HUN)       9.562     1. Sivovol (RUS)     9.725
2. Dragoner (HUN)    9.506     2. Yuan Kexia (CHN)  9.612
3. Sivovol (RUS)     9.456     3. Hornbeek (USA)    9.537
4. Goryunova (RUS)   9.418     4. Postavets (RUS)   9.475
5. Miura (JPN)       9.381     5. Shulga (UKR)      9.425
6. Masuda (JPN)      9.012     6. Y. Yurkina (BLR)  8.900
7. Fan Di (CHN)      8.900     7. Weller (GER)      8.775
8. Hornbeek (USA)    8.450     8. Lichey (USA)      8.500

UB                             FX
1. Ding Yan (CHN)    9.725     1. O. Yurkina (BLR)  9.650
2. Hornbeek (USA)    9.675     2. Ovary (HUN)       9.550
3. Golub (RUS)       9.575     3. Shulga (UKR)      9.487
4. Seo (JPN)         9.550     3. Kalinina (UKR)    9.487
5. Miura (JPN)       9.462     5. Sivovol (RUS)     9.362
6. Fan Di (CHN)      9.412     6. Maty (USA)        9.300
7. Sivovol (RUS)     9.300     7. Yuan Kexia (CHN)  9.275
8. Shulga (UKR)      9.050     8. Y. Yurkina (BLR)  8.212

Debbie

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 12:01:44 -0600
From:    ***@ZEPHYR.MEDCHEM.PURDUE.EDU
Subject: Eurosport

It is amazing how different a persepctive you get when you see the event
on TV without the constant flash of statistics! I noticed that with
their Moscow '80 coverage. Yeah, They may look small or pale or pwoerful, but
it doesn't matter, really. It only matters what they do on the apparatus.

Jeff

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 12:02:22 -0600
From:    ***@ZEPHYR.MEDCHEM.PURDUE.EDU
Subject: New Question:

What is the next "big" meet? Is it World's trials?

Jeff

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 15:12:54 -0500
From:    ***@ASTRO.OCIS.TEMPLE.EDU
Subject: Re: Two Quick Comments

Mike syas:

>1)  Pressure with regard to anything (weight included) is ultimately
> self-imposed.
>The weight problem is a societal problem not limited to gymnastics.  Can we
>really say that by not mentioning weight on TV, we can eliminate the problem?
>TV announcers are not the problem.

There isn't one single problem.  No, I can't say that taking gymnasts
weights off the TV would eliminate the problem, but I _can_ say it would be
a good start.

It seems naive to me to say that weight pressure is simply self-imposed.
Sure, some people are better able to resist culturally imposed (or coach
imposed, or parent imposed) pressure better than others, but that doesn't
make it okay for us to be imposing that sort of pressure in the first
place.

One summer when I was a gymnast, I dropped my weight to 100 lbs (I was 5' 0
tall).  At 100 lbs I got sick and had to be in bed for close to a week.
When I got back to the gym I weighed 103 lbs.  I maintained that weight for
a while (which was light enough to stop my menstrual cycle for almost a
year), and then tried to drop my weight again.  I went down to 100 lbs and
again got sick.  When I got back to the gym I weighed 105 lbs.  I dropped
my weight to 103 (a good working weight for my body at that time) and
competed well.  When (at my coach's insistence) I dropped the three pounds
again, I got sick again.  This happened several times until I got badly
injured and had to be out of the gym for three months.  I returned at 115
lbs and was never again able to bring my weight below 107.

Obviously it was a bad idea for me to try to bring my weight below 103 lbs.
It's true that I made the decision to do it; no one hid the food from me.
Still, do you want to exonerate the coach who routinely called anyone over
95 lbs lard ass?  Do you want to excuse him for refusing to spot anyone
over 105 lbs?  (Try improving your tumbling with no pit and no spotter;
it's just about impossible.)  Is it okay that he discouraged us from
drinking water during practice because he thought we should lose water
weight every day?

You can call the pressure to lose weight self-imposed, but in my case the
choice was between dropping my weight to an unhealthy level, quitting the
sport, or stagnating because I couldn't add difficulty without a spotter.
You can say that my experience was unusual, but if so it was unusual in
degree only.  How many gymnasts do you know who haven't been pressured
about their weight?  Why does the NCAA publicize the female-athlete-triad
as a serious problem?

How about making gymnastics a sport where we talk very little about height
and weight, and where we acknowledge that gymnasts of different sizes will
have different strengths and weaknesses?  I've noticed that there are a lot
more "tall" and "heavy" gymnasts since the code of points started rewarding
difficult dance more.  Maybe there are other, similar interventions we can
use.  maybe coaches should have to go through trainings on recognizing
budding eating disorders.  I think we should be attacking the problem of
weight pressure from a lot of different angles.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 15:34:10 -0500
From:    ***@TNTECH.EDU
Subject: Foreign Gymnasts in the NCAA

I certainly would feel very badly for any US gymnast who was denied an
opportunity for a scholarship.  However, let's be realistic.  College athletics
is not designed to provide access to needy students.  It's designed to provide
a place for student-athletes to get an education while excelling in their
sport.

The issue of publicly funded institutions is an interesting issue.  However,
remember that many of the large athletic programs are "not" funded by our tax
dollars.  Rather, the scholarhsips, coaches' salaries, and facilities are
funded by separate athletic "corporations" which receive funds from corporate
sponsorships and booster clubs.  For example, I can tell you that the Lady
Gator gymnastics team at Florida is fully funded by the University Athletic
Association (a separate entity from the university) which gets its funds from
the net revenues produced by football and basketball and from Booster Club
donations.

Mike

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 13:14:34 +0000
From:    ***@EFN.ORG
Subject: (Fwd) Re: Intro

Forwarded message:
From:     Self
To:       ***@WPI.EDU
Subject:  Re: Intro
Date:     Wed, 30 Aug 1995 08:01:56

Hello Gymners,

I just wanted to say that anyone who hasn't checked out Tim's Shannon
Miller Home Page is missing out on a real treat.  He has set up a
fantastic page with an enormous album of photos of Shannon.  I really
encourage you all to check it out.

And welcome Tim!

Katie

On 29 Aug 95, Timothy wrote:

>I also have a web page and the address is as
> follows:
>         http://www.wpi.edu/~wcsm
> I would appreciate any comments on my page, actually I should say
> Shannon's page, since I have dedicated it to her.

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 17:03:59 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: World Trials/J. Thompson

Does anyone know if the world trial will be televised?  Did Jennie Thompson
have any opportunity to petition into them since she was injured at
Nationals, or is she still injured?
-Emily

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 16:36:20 CDT
From:    ***@PROCTR.CBA.UA.EDU
Subject: U of Utah, UCLA

Does anyone know who U of Utah and UCLA recruited for this upcoming season?

Shawn

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 17:49:55 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

Look at the roster of the NCAA Division I hockey teams if you want to see
some foreign athletes on scholarship.  As soccer takes off, especially
women's soccer, where you you suppose the NCAA will find enough quality
athletes to field teams that will draw at the gate?  Aren't there are a
couple, um, basketball players too...like "Akeem the Dream" that were not
"native" Americans? Just pondering...

Don

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 21:36:47 -0400
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Foreign gymnast competing NCAA's

>Additionally, if a gymnast in the calaber as Kalinina would be interested
in competing for a college..if academically qualified why not?  That
opportunity is huge for a foreign gymnast.

The problem created is that a very rare commodity, a scholarship (and
probably a full ride), is being given to a foreign athlete when less US
families can afford to send their kids to college.  Even more ironically,
those families pay for the scholarship with their tax money.

I doubt anyone would have a problem with a Kalinina as a walk-on.  But would
she come without a full ride?  Unlikely.
Mara

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 21:59:59 -0400
From:    ***@UMICH.EDU
Subject: Re: U of Utah, UCLA

I know Kerri Strug will be competing for UCLA, but after the 1996 olympics.


> Does anyone know who U of Utah and UCLA recruited for this upcoming season?
>
> Shawn
>

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:44:54 -0600
From:    ***@RMII.COM
Subject: _Women's Gymnastics, a history_

Hey Gymn,

At USA Nationals, I bought a beautiful book on women's gymnastics; it
has turned out to be the _best_ gymnastics book that I have ever
purchased, and I highly recommend it. The book is titled _Women's
Gymnastics, a history_, and it is written by Minot Simons II.  Some of
you may recognize that name; I myself am familiar with his name
because he used to (and maybe still does) write for _World of
Gymnastics_, the official FIG magazine.

Everything about this book is fantastic -- the pictures and
illustrations, the text, the biographies.  There are 177 photographs
in the book (95 are color), and 82 routines are described in full.
_Women's Gymnastics_ includes valuable information such as Olga
Korbut's exact routines in 1972, well-written narrations of historic
moments in competition, interviews, biographies, and so forth.  The
photography is simply outstanding -- the majority of photos are taken
by Albrecht Gaebele.  I had not heard of him before, but I am now a
true fan of his work. Gaebele's photos have an impeccable clarity and
he has a keen ability to capture "the crucial moment."

This book covers women's gymnastics from the period of 1966 to 1974,
and is the first of four volumes which will cover competition through
1996.  I am certain that the complete set of four will be a
collector's item; I'm already anxious to get the next three volumes!
(Especially the last one, so that I know what will happen in
1996... grin)

Here is another mini-review of the book, which I have taken from the
"data sheet" that Minot sent to me:

"Never in my 30-year involvement with the sport have I come across a
single more complete account of women's gymnastics. Minot Simons'
encyclopedic approach provides readers with more than they ever wanted
to know about top-level international gymnastics. From world and
Olympic results to revealing interviews with many top personalities,
_Women's Gymnastics, a history_ is a seven-course feat for the
gymnastics lover."

                ---Dwight Normile, Editor, _International Gymnast_

This book is only $35.00, plus S&H.  An order form follows in the next
message.

And even better... if you have questions about the book, you can email
the author directly!  Minot Simons can be reached at welwyn@aol.com.

Rachele

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

Date:    Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:47:00 -0600
From:    ***@RMII.COM
Subject: _WG_ order form

Directions: If you want to order the book I described in the last
message, then fill in this form, print it out, and mail it to the
address below.


         Gymn Order Form for _Women's Gymnastics, a history_
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

YES! I would like to order _Woen's Gymnastics, a history_. Please send
my copy to the following address:

Name:

Address:

Phone:

_________________________________________________________________________
                          Method of payment:

__ Check enclose    __ VISA    __ Mastercard

Name on the card:
Credit Card number:
Expiration date:
Signature:

_________________________________________________________________________
Shipping and Handling costs are per address.
U.S. incl. Alaska & Hawaii: Book rate $4.25, First Class $6.50
Canada: book rate $5.25, airmail $9.00
All other international: Book rate $6.00, For int'l Fedex, airmail,
or other express, please contact Welwyn Publishing.
_________________________________________________________________________

Number of copies:_____ @ $35.00 (USD) = ___________

6.25% CA tax (if applicable)......... + ___________

Shipping and handling................ + ___________

                                Total = ___________

_________________________________________________________________________
Welwyn Publishing Company
PO Box 222475
Carmel, CA 93922-2475
FAX: (408) 624-5294
welwyn@aol.com

                     "We welcome your comments!"

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

End of GYMN-L Digest - 29 Aug 1995 to 30 Aug 1995
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