gymn Digest Wed, 6 Jul 94 Volume 2 : Issue 143

Today's Topics:

College Update (2 msgs)
Commonwealth Games on the Internet
Dortmund TV
General comments
IG Article
More Compulsories
My profile
No-Comp Rule Effect On NCAA
Profile
RSG Get's A Blurb
Sears Directors Cup
Tickets question (cont.)
TV coverage of Worlds
USOF '94: Men's roster
USOF '94: Rhythmic results
USOF '94: Women's roster
Women in sports study... (3 msgs)

This is a digest of the gymn@athena.mit.edu mailing list.

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Date: Sun, 3 Jul 1994 11:47:15 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@tenet.edu>
Subject:

set gymn digest

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Date: Wed, 06 Jul 94 01:37:33 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: College Update

To All:
Okay, here are some early, early, early predictions on 1995 NCAA Women's
Gymnastics Nationals, to be held at the University of Georgia.
FINISHING FIRST: Georgia. The big question mark with Georgia will be the
loss of Hope Spivey. The Bulldogs clearly were the best team at nationals
this year but their focus seemed to be fuzzy with the loss of Heather Stepp.
Will that focus be even more fuzzy without Spivey? Perhaps.
But nationals will be at Georgia, and Georgia is a team that thrives off
emotion and crowd appeal. Their incoming freshman aren't exactly stellar but
they're certainly solid: Kim Arnold and Julie Ballard. I'm particularly
anxious to see Arnold. I think she's going to be something special before her
collegiate career is done.
FINISHING SECOND -- Utah. For some reason, it seemed like Utah spent much
of the1994 season trying to find themselves. For me, they were a hard team to
figure out. They'd be on their way to a 196.00 in a meet and then they'd fall
like crazy on beam. Then, during the next meet, they'd nail beam and fall on
floor.
But the real Utes came through at the end, and I think that this
trial-by-fire will carry over into next season. Combine that with the best
coach in the NCAA, and you have a team that should be strong again. Their
incoming freshman class is the nation's #2-ranked class. It includes Traci
sommer and Monica Shaw.
FINISHING THIRD -- Florida. With one person quitting the team from
burnout and two others falling to injury, the Gators really had no right
finishing sixth at nationals this year. But the combination of Head Coach
Judi Avener and Assistant Coach Brad Wunderlich may be second only to the duo
at Georgia. Emerging from the era of the previous head coach, the new Florida
is lean and mean, thanks to the weight and aerobics program started by
Avener.
The core group that finished sixth at this year's nationals returns, and
the the two gymnasts who were injured also return. Add to that the nation's
#1-ranked incoming freshman class, and you have quite a team. The freshman
include the nation's #1-ranked incoming freshman (based on competition),
Martha Grubbs. (You can argue that UCLA's Stellah Umeh is ranked higher, but
she's been out of commission for nearly a half-year.) Florida's other
recruits include elite gymnasts Kourtney Gallivan and Sybil Stephenson and
Level 10 gymnast Erica Selga.
FINISHING FOURTH -- LSU. Okay, I'm going out slightly on a limb here, but
LSU is scary. In fact, if I had to pick a darkhorse to win it all, I'd pick
LSU.
The Tigers had more depth of talent than any team in the country this
year but the inexperience that came with the team's youth cost them in the
end. "So, why are they scary?" you ask.
Simple. They return EVERYONE (as in 13 people) --- AND they get another
recruit (Amy McKlosky). The only thing that could hurt LSU is the lack of
continuity in the assistant coach position. For the second time in the past
three years, the assistant coach has left. And in the most recent case, he
was exceptionally talented.
FINISHING FIFTH -- UCLA or ALABAMA or MICHIGAN. The race for fith boils
down to one person -- Stellah Umeh. If Stellah lives up to her talent, she
will be the best gymnast to grace the ranks of the NCAA since Hope Spivey
arrived. That will give UCLA a phenonemal push and will give Leah Homma (my
new favorite NCAA gymnast) a partner in talent.
UCLA's weakness, though, is depth of talent. They always seem to have 1-3
strong finishers, but the first two or three up seem kind of week. If UCLA
can plug those holes, they'll be a force with which to reckon. (One other
note: I've heard a rumor the female half of the UCLA head coaching duo quit.
If this is true, it could hurt.)
Now, let's look at Alabama. I have plumb learned to expect miracles from
this team, and they almost pulled off a miracle at this year's nationals. So
why don't I think they'll finish higher next year? Well, put simply, they had
a horrible, horrible, horrible recruiting year, recruiting Merritt Booth,
Danielle McAdams and Shay Murphy. The talent just isn't there to break in
with the big boys.
And, finally, there's scary Michigan. The Wolverines could finish as high
as second, depending on how well American Twisters recruit Heather Kabnick
performs. She's pretty awesome, and if she tag-teams in the talent department
with current Wolverine Beth "I throw any trick in the book" Wymer, Michigan
will be formidable. (Michigan's other recruit is Lauren Labranche, whom I've
never heard of.)
Okay, other predictions:
*North Carolina State will make it to nationals, will finish in the top
10 and the head coach will be named NCAA Head Coach of the Year. This guy has
almost brought his team to nationals the past three years with just TWO
(count 'em, 2) scholarships. Most other teams in the top 20 have 10
scholarships. Well, this year, NC State has 7 scholarships.
*Stanford's Freshman Keri Monahan will be the surprise gymnast everybody
will have wished they recruited.
*And people will call Minnesota "surprising."
--- Ronald

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Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 14:52:18 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: College Update

Ron,

I was just wondering how the rankings get determined and who does it
for the incoming freshmen class. Because, for example:

re: Georgia:
> Their incoming freshman aren't exactly stellar but
> they're certainly solid: Kim Arnold and Julie Ballard. I'm particularly

Kim Arnold is a most respected gymnast, particularly because she is
known to excel on vaulting with a hand piked front. I would say she's
most definitely a prized recruit, unless she's been injured or something.

re: Utah:
> incoming freshman class is the nation's #2-ranked class. It includes Traci
> sommer and Monica Shaw.

re: Florida:
> #1-ranked incoming freshman class... Martha Grubbs... Florida's other
> recruits include elite gymnasts Kourtney Gallivan and Sybil Stephenson and
> Level 10 gymnast Erica Selga.

Now see, these make no sense to me. I have heard of both Traci Sommer
and Monica Shaw, and they're both supposed to be awesome.
Particularly Sommer... she was in the '92 Olympic Trials. Now, for
the four gymnasts mentioned for Florida, the only one I've heard of is
Martha Grubbs. And while she's pretty good too (in my opinion, Sommer
is better than Grubbs), I'd much rather have Shaw and Sommer over
Grubbs and three gymnasts whose names I've never heard of.

I'm not criticizing the rankings; I'm just wondering what the source is.

Also, you mentioned that you'd never heard of Lauren Labranche. She's
a very strong gymnast from New England Gymnastics Express. I believe
she's elite.

Rachele

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Date: Mon, 4 Jul 1994 11:39:55 UTC-0700
From: <***@cs.ubc.ca>
Subject: Commonwealth Games on the Internet

Hi everyone,
The special project run by the Victoria Freenet will also allow me, your
Commonwealth Games gymn reporter, to file my reports from on site each day
and will allow me to get questions from you to ask during the press
conferences. If you have any questions about the competition, you can email
me (I'm going to try to remember to type in the list of countries competing
tonight.)

Karen

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Date: Fri, 01 Jul 94 20:54:30 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Dortmund TV

This was on the AOL gym board from David Michaels and since I don't know if
he was planning on posting something similar here (he's on "Gymn" too) I'll
take it upon myself to do so.

>>ESPN might be persuaded to take some of Dortmund, but most of the good
stuff will air on NBC. Of course >>good stuff<< is a value judgement.

Final decision on Dortmund will be coming soon. It might be 2 hours of
coverage.

What would you like to see in that time frame?

David<<
via Susan

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Date: Sun, 3 Jul 94 03:48:00 UTC
From: ***@genie.geis.com
Subject: General comments

Dear Mara, Ron, George, et al,
I am still getting used to this Inet format. The notes come in faster
than i can read them, let alone reply to.
Let me see here....
Mara: I don't think I have '87 worlds. I tend to tape over old tapes if
they have no relavance to current compositional rules. I keep the tapes to
practice judge. Once the rules have changed, I want current routines.
Regarding the reference to page 10 of Technique (deduct .1 for poor
composition on bars if a non-element transition is used). That is a very
valid deduction for that level of meet. You need a way to seperate the
scores on the higher and lower level routines. Composition is the best
place to look for that option. It is not uncommon for these sorts of things
to be brought up at a judges meeting prior to a big international meet. It
usually doesn't effect the higher level gymnasts, but makes for a greater
score range.

Ron: Is Stella Umeh going to UCLA? For sure? I heard that she might
still be considering Michigan. That might be old news.
Wow... Stella Umeh and Leah Homma on the same team and Dominique Dawes and
(keep your fingers crossed) Larrisa Fontaine at Stanford. It is Pac-10
heaven. I'll get to see them all. (Big Grin) Is UCLA becoming the new
Canadian Connection? This was Florida's prime roll.

George: I have mixed feelings about dropping the compulsories. To quote
Marshall Avener (yes, Judy's ex-) " Compulsories is like handing the same
recipe to many different cooks. They will all make the same thing, but each
dish will come out a little different." It is so true. I enjoy watching
compulsories to see the differences between gymnasts. I recall at the
Montreal Olympics, when Nadia Comenci performed her compulsory bars, many
people wondered why she got to do a different routine. She had so much more
extension, that it looked like a different routine. Also, compulsories are
unforgiving on a gymnast's weakness.
I think it would be great if the collegiate gymnasts participated in
international competition because of dropping the compulsories. I am not
sure all female gymnasts reach their prime at 17. I think the strength of
our '84 Olympic team came from gymnasts that stuck around because of the '80
boycott. Kathy Johnson, Julianne McNamara and Tracee Talavera all missed
their chance in '80. I don't think they would have gone for a second
Olympiad if they had been able to compete in Moscow. By the way, I think
Hope Spivey- Sheeley is a perfect example of a gymnast that improved through
her collegiate years.

Well, I had better send this before my teens get home and hog the phone
line.

Kathleen

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Date: Tue, 5 Jul 1994 10:31:58 -0400
From: <***@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: IG Article

Hey Ron,

More comments for you.....now that you mention that you were trying to make
it easy for people to read your article you'd be surprised to know
how many people (especially children) do not know what a modem is. Obviously
there are different styles of writing...but I don't think the journalist way
of writing a story means misinforming the readers just to make point or
to make it easier to understand. Alot of times reading an article that
contains an unknow concepts stimulates curiousity in individuals and
this drives them to find out more info.....I'm not writing this note to
FLAME...just wanted to comment......

later!

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Date: Fri, 01 Jul 94 19:42:14 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: More Compulsories

I personally lament the loss of compulsories but realistically think that
little change will be felt in the standings of competitions. While all of
gymnastics is a truly political game (for better or for worse) people without
a country (ie: anyone but the USSR, Romania, and the US) were basically
royally screwed when it came to compos...or scored fairly depending on how
you look at it. When compared to the big three the scores are ludicrously low
but overall they seem more fair and accurate.

Secondly, with new life compos already had little effect on the AA and
EF...even team was somewhat predestined with the big three scoring high
regardless of performance (BTW, Bontas' beam in Barcelona was the highest
compo beam score given...a 9.9 for a 8.9 performance). The seperation of
teams was a godsend simply because now there was a great Soviet and Chinese
in every round to watch. The scores were totally uneffected IMHO by this
cosmetic change.

Basically, the FIG was moving to this descision for the past ten years and
have so hobbled the compos that they are the expensive lame duck of the
competition and only rightly should be axed. Of course they could have
changed the rules and made them viable again but obviously they no longer
wanted to bother. Basically the compulsory excercises were already on life
support and they just decided to pull the plug.

There will be no revoltuions of collegiate gymnasts moving back onto the
Int'l scene and the US men will not surge in the world rankings (they'll fall
simply due to the break-up of the Soviet Union). The red sea will not part
and pigs will not fly (hmm...really that's not an inadvertant NCAA girl slam
;-)

I'm so sad that I can longer see my favs at their simplistic best but I doubt
that anyone else (beyond our baised little group that is) really gives a rip!

Susan

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Date: Tue, 05 Jul 94 20:14:36 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: My profile

Here's my profile for those who would like to know more about me.

Name:Brian
Age:16
Place of residence:Seattle, Wa
Occupation:Student, Actor
Connection to gym:I have never been a gymnast. I started following
gymnastics after Barcelona. I was caught up in
all the Zmeskal hype and watched it. I fell in
love with the sport and have been following it
with a
microscope ever since.
Particular interest:International and National Men + Women.
Favorite gymnasts: I have MANY so, I'll write a group of my very favorites.
Kim Zmeskal, Tatiana Lyssenko, Silvia Mitova, Kerri Strug
Tatiana Groshkava, Daniela Silivas, Brandy Johnson,
Natalia Laschenova, Tatiana Gutsu, Henrietta Onodi,
Svetlana Boginskaya, Cristina Bontas, Aurelia Dobre,
Natalia Kalinina, Yang Bo, Michelle Campi, Olyssia
Dudnick and Hilary Grivich. (In no order except KZ is
my favorite.)
I have probably forgotten a few. I like every gymnast basically except for
one or two. Many of you may recognize my name from IG. I've had letters
published in the past. If have any other ?'s for me about anything, feel
free to write anytime.---Brian

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Date: Fri, 01 Jul 94 23:25:40 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: No-Comp Rule Effect On NCAA

To All:
Will we see more NCAA female gymnasts in USGF competition once the
no-compulsories rule goes into effect?
Oh yeah.
I've heard again and again, from NCAA gymnasts of all skills, that they
wouldn't mind competing some club competitions while in college but either
1)hate compulsories or 2)haven't trained for them because they're not
required in college.
Now, do I think NCAA gymnasts could fare well in national competition?
Oh yeah.
Don't look for any NCAA gymnast to win an all-around, but I do think
you'll see NCAA female gymnasts entering competitions with the specific goal
of being a top-3 finisher on various apparatus. And they'll do it.
Simply because of the size and strength that comes with age, I've yet to
see a club gymnast on the national level who can vault with better power,
height and distance than the top collegiate vaulters. (Of course, the NCAA is
under the old code for vault, where a handspring-front tucked with a half is
a 10.00, so that would hurt them in scoring.)
And two and three years ago, the nation's best tumbler was not on the
national team but was rather at the University of Georgia. I saw Hope Spivey
in one competiton throw a front-tuck to a double-layout. Then she followed
that up with a full-in, then ended with a front-tuck to a full-in.
Not even Dominique was throwing such raw power back then.
And then there is just the sheer grace and power that NCAA gymnasts will
bring to national competition -- and with that comes excitement. Yes, most
will be looked at as "oddities" who excel at only one or two events, but
those oddities create excitement -- and that causes more people to watch, and
more sponsors to contribute..and so on.
Four years ago, there was a gymnast at UF named Pam "Air" Titus. When she
did her layout-pikes, her *HIPS* were 8 feet in the air or higher. No
exageration. Crowds would gasp in awe. In warm-ups, it was hilarious because
the coach could not spot her until she came down.
Incredible. Imagine the excitement that would be brought to the floor at a
national competition?
I think having NCAA gymnasts competing at national competitions in the
future can do nothing but great things for the sport.
Imagine the hype that would have occurred if former Olympians Hope Spivey
and Missy Marlowe had competed nationally last year. Or what about in 4
years, when Stella Umeh and Dominique Dawes are still competiting at the
collegiate level? I suspect they'll create a stir if they have left national
compeition and decide to rejoin it.
One more example: remember Chelle Stack?
Well, she's at Oklahoma now and will be competiting collegiately next
year. How many faces will smile and how many memories will be jogged if she
tries to compete nationally in a year or two?
Sure, she may not win anything, but the memories and the happiness will be
there.
I can't wait.
-- Ronald


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Date: Tue, 05 Jul 94 21:14:31 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Profile

There were a few things I forgot to put down.
My favorite male gymnasts:
Ivan Ivankov(my favorite), Valeri Liukin, Dmitri Bilozerchev, Alexei
Veropaev, Grigori Misutin, Igor Korobchinski, Scott Keswick, Li Ning, and
Peter Vidmar.(No order except Ivankov is my favorite.)
I also forgot to put Doni Thompson in my list for the women. She's going to
be a star next year.---Brian

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Date: Tue, 05 Jul 94 23:38:22 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: RSG Get's A Blurb

Amazingly enough I found a speck of RSG Olympic Fest news and here it is
(from a larger O. Fest article)...

DATE: Tuesday, July 5, 1994
SOURCE: Julie Deardorff.
COLUMN: SHORT TAKES. Festival notes.
Newspaper: Chicago Tribune

Illinois in rhythm: Illinois boasts six athletes on the rhythmic gymnastics
roster, the most from any state. Two clubs are the reason: Rhythmic Gems in
Evanston and Illinois Rhythmics, located in Northfield and Wilmette. "It's
not dance; it involves a good deal of gymnastics," explains Russian coach
Lana Lashoff, who started Rhythmic Gems three years ago. "It requires two
risk elements, such as tumbling underneath high tosses (of balls or clubs)."
Gymnasts to watch include Skokie's Natalie Lacuesta, 12, who won the
junior all-around in this year's rhythmic national championships, and
Winnetka's Caroline Hunt, a two-time junior national champion and runner-up
in this year's senior division.

Posted By Susan

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Date: Fri, 01 Jul 94 20:21:09 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Sears Directors Cup

To All:
Hey, I couldn't help but comment about the Sears Director Cup, given to
the best collegiate sports programs.
There was an effort by the University of Florida to have gymnastics
included in the core sports for tabulation. It looked like UF and the rest of
the SEC schools were making headway until it became apparent that Florida,
year after year, was the only SEC school consistently making it in the Top 5.
When the other schools didn't have a prayer (ostensibly because UF is the
richest SEC school and attracts the best coaches by waving huge salaries),
the idea fell.
Similarly, there was an SEC Awards Cup, given to the best SEC schools.
Well, guess what? Because UF has dominated both the mens and womens side of
the cup for the past 3-4 years, the SEC voted to do away with it.
So, down the tubes went to the push for gymnastics to be included in the
core tabulation for the Sears Director's Cup.
--- Ronald

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Date: Tue, 05 Jul 94 13:52:25 EST
From: ***@email.cfr.org
Subject: Tickets question (cont.)

Hello all!

A month or so ago someone posted advise on how/when to buy tickets
to gym events. Unfortunately I did not save it or print the message out.
The post suggested that it might be a better idea to buy tickets from
the arena box office when the competition is about to start (ie. on a
visitors arrival) rather than buy it way in advance. Better seats can be
gotten this way, because many return their tickets.

Question:
I'm planning to attend the team trials in Richmond, Virginia. Should I
take the chance to buy my ticket(s) on arrival, or in August through a
Ticketron outlet?

Thanks to all (sorry for redundancy of post)!

Connie (who has been "burnt" in the ticket buying jungle :-( )

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Date: Tue, 5 Jul 1994 14:35:27 +1000
From: <***@pharm.med.upenn.edu>
Subject: TV coverage of Worlds

David - and any other TV people:

Please try to convince your sponsors that you should cover GYMNASTICS - as
much as possible. Not equipment - we know the beam is 18' wide (just
kidding, but a good close-up and ONE comment about 4" --make sure the girl
has big feet more impressive--) and drop the topic.

If you need to do the up-close and personal bits - can we have it be
someone not as likely to make it big (Shannon Miller - she'll probably get
coverage in '96 even if she doesn't make the olympic team) and show a
couple of their routines. I always feel bad for the people who make it,
but you would never know it unless you happened to be at the meet. In
other words - give each country some sort of attention. I think I have
mentioned before that the US is made up of lots of different ethnic
backgrounds - maybe a multi-cultural approach would work.

I would also like to mention gender-equity. Don't favor one sex over the
other, maybe a guys floor than a woman's - show some equal elements,
discuss differences in landing expectations, height, dance, transitions.
Then do the same for vault, high bar - uneven bars. This might help some
people learn that there is lots of sharing in this sport, it is not one of
dividing lines.

A theme presentation may help a lot in this type of a broadcast. Probably
a lot of work, but then the gymnasts work hard to give a good show, lets
reward them by putting as much of their hard work (on the mats) on the air.

Thank you for listening (in advance)

Mayland

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Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 07:23:21 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: USOF '94: Men's roster

Here's an old press release from USA Gymnastics:

June 14, 1994
Luan Peszek, Director of Public Relations
Ramonna Robinson, Manager of Public Relations


USA GYMNASTICS ANNOUNCES
MEN'S U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL TEAM

1994 World Championships team member Mihai Bagiu leads the men's
gymnastics roster for the U.S. Olympic Festival-'94, July 1-10, in St.
Louis, Mo.

Bagiu has vaulted from 34th all-around at the 1991 U.S. Championships
to third all-around on the Men's Senior National Team at the 1994
Winter Cup Challenge. That finish also earned him a spot on the 1994
World Championships Team. 1994 has been a product ive year for Bagiu.
After World Championships, he took sixth place at the 1994 Hilton
Challenge and helped the U.S. men win the gold medal in that
competition, defeating China and Belarus. Bagiu is also scheduled to
compete June 10-11 in the 1994 Budget Rent a Car Invitational, a dual
competition between Romania and the United States.

Also scheduled to compete at Festival is Bill Roth who captured five
gold medals at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, tying the record for
gymnastics set in 1983 by Olympian Scott Johnson. Roth also holds the
record of highest score on the high bar at a U. S. Olympic Festival
with a 9.9.

Steve McCain will compete in his third Festival this year, after
participating in both 1991 and 1993. Several members of the 1994 U.S.
Olympic Festival men's gymnastics roster will be making their second
appearance at Festival. They include Brian Yee (19 91 Festival),
Lindsey Fang (1993), John Macready (1993), Rob Keiffer (1993),
Jay Thornton (1991) and Mike Dutka (1993).

1994 U.S. Olympic Festival
Men's Gymnastics Team Roster

NORTH
Steve McCain
John Macready
Larry Johns
Josh Birkelbaw
Guard Young
Scott Finkelstein

SOUTH
Jeff Lutz
Rob Kieffer
Jay Thornton
Dan Ryssman
Sanjuan Jones
Jamie Natalie

EAST
Bill Roth
Garry Denk
Spencer Slaton
Tim Dalrymple
Tim Elsner
Lindsey Fang

WEST
Mihai Bagiu
Bo Haun
Mike Dutka
Dan Fink
Kendall Schiess
Jason Furr

The North Team will be coached by Tom Gardner of Byers Gymnastics and
Mark Williams of the University of Oklahoma will coach the South Team.
Joe Stallone of Gymnastrum will coach the East Team while Gold Cup
Gymnastics' Ed Burch will coach the West Team.

The U.S. Olympic Festival is America's premiere event for the
country's best athletes and is a primary developmental vehicle for
U.S. Olympic teams. The U.S. Olympic Festival-'94 will feature 3,000
American athletes competing in 37 different sports throu ghout the
Metropolitan Area of St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois.

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

Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 07:18:59 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: USOF '94: Rhythmic results

This is via the AP wire:

ST. PETERS, Mo. (AP) -- Final results Tuesday of the Rhythmic Gymnastics
competition at the U.S. Olympic Festival (JR-junior competitor):

All-around

1, Tamara Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., (East), 73.050. 2, Jessica
Davis, San Anselmo, Calif., (North), 71.175. 3, Caroline Hunt,
Winnetka, Ill., (West), 70.275. 4, Lauri Illy (JR), (South), 70.125.
5, Lori Fredickson (JR), Sandwich, Ill., (East), 69.175. 6, Natalie
Lacuesta (JR), Skokie, Ill., (North), 68.900. 7, Tina Tharp (JR),
Jacksonville, Fla., (South), 68.250. 8, Jennifer Lim (JR), Skokie,
Ill., (West), 67.350. 9, Sara Sieber, (North), 66.450. 10, Christi
Tucay, Burbank, Calif., (East), 66.150. 11, Kristin Lee (JR),
Mountlake Terrace, Wash., (West), 63.800. 12, Kelsi Kemper (JR), Gia
Harbor, Wash., (East), 63.000. 13, Vanessa Vander Pluym, Redondo
Beach Calif., (South), 62.675. 14, Johanna Shoemaker, North Potomac,
Md., (South), 62.100. 16, Liriel Higa, Los Angeles, (North), 59.750.
Roxanne Pietrasik, Glenview, Ill., (West), 31.875 (injured after four
events).

Rope

1, Lauri Illy (JR), Virginia Beach, Va., (South), 17.250. 2, Lori
Fredrickson (JR), Sandwich, Ill., (East), 17.100. 3, Tina Tharp (JR),
Jacksonville, Fla., (South), 17.050. 4, Natalie Lacuesta (JR), Skokie,
Ill., (North), 17.050. 5, Sara Sieber (JR), Glenview, Ill., (North),
16.600. 6, Jennifer Lim (JR), Skokie, Ill., (West), 16.250. 7, Johanna
Shoemaker (JR), North Potomac, Ill., (South), 15.350. 8, Kelsi Kemper
(JR), Gia Harbor, Wash., (East), 15.000. 9, Kristin Lee (JR),
Mountlake Terrace, Wash., (West), 14.800. 10, Liriel Higa (JR), Los
Angeles, (North), 13.750.

Hoop

1, Tamara Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., (East), 18.225. 2, Jessica
Davis, San Anselmo, Calif., (North), 18.075. 3, Christi Tucay,
Burbank, Calif., (East), 17.400. 4, Caroline Hunt, Winnetka, Ill.,
(West), 17.325. 5, Vanessa Vander Pluym, Redondo Beach, Calif.,
(South), 15.950. 6, Roxanne Pietrasik, Glenview, Ill., (West), 7.750.

Ball

1, Tamara Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., (East), 18.650. 2 (tie),
Tina Tharp, Jacksonville, Fla., (South), 17.850 and Lauri Illy,
Virginia Beach, Va., (South), 17.850. 4, Lori Fredrickson, Sandwich,
Ill., (East), 17.650. 5, Natalie Lacuesta, Skokie, Ill., (North),
17.600. 5, Caroline Hunt, Winnetka, Ill., (West), 17.600; 5, Jennifer
Lim, Skokie, Ill., (West), 17.600. 8, Jessica Davis, San Anselmo,
Calif., (North), 17.450. 9, Sara Sieber, Glenview, Ill., (North),
17.050. 10, Kristin Lee, Mountlake Terrace, Wash., (West), 16.900. 11,
Kelsi Kemper, Gia Harbor, Wash., (East), 16.500. 12, Liriel Higa, Los
Angeles, (North), 16.150. 13, Johanna Shoemaker, North Potomac, Md.,
(South), 16.100. 14, Christi Tucay, Burbank, Calif., (East), 15.850.
15, Vanessa Vander Pluym, Redondo Beach, Calif., (South), 15.050. 16,
Roxanne Pietrasik, Glenview, Ill., (West), 8.150 (injured, did not
compete).

Clubs

1, Tamara Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., (East), 18.475. 2, Caroline
Hunt, Winnetka, Ill., (West), 17.700. 3, Lauri Illy, Virginia Beach,
Va., (South), 17.675. 4, Jessica Davis, San Anselmo, Calif., (North),
17.550. 5, Natalie Lacuesta, Skokie, Ill., (North), 17.400. 6, Christi
Tucay, Burban, Calif., (East), 17.350. 7, Tina Tharp, Jacksonville,
Fla., (South), 17.250. 8, Jennifer Lim, Skokie, Ill., (West), 17.000.
9, Kristin Lee, Mountlake Terrace, Wash., (West), 17.000. 10, Lori
Fredrickson, Sandwich, Ill., (East), 16.900. 11, Kelsi Kemper, Gia
Harbor, Wash., (East), 16.750. 12, Sara Sieber, Glenview, Ill.,
(North), 16.550. 13, Vanessa Vander Pluym, Redondo Beach, Calif.,
(South), 15.975. 14, Johanna Shoemaker, North Potomac, Md. (South),
14.950. 15, Liriel Higa, Los Angeles, (North), 14.650. 16, Roxanne
Pietrasik, Glenview, Ill., (West), 7.975.

Ribbon

1, Jessica Davis, San Anselmo, Calif., (North), 18.100; 2, Tamara
Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., (East), 17.700. 3, Caroline Hunt,
Winnetka, Ill., (West), 17.650. 4, Lori Frederickson, Sandwich, Ill.,
(East), 17.550. 5, Lauri Illy, Virginia Beach, Va., (South), 17.350.
6, Natalie Lacuesta, Skokie, Ill., (North), 16.900. 7, Jennifer Lim,
Skokie, Ill., (West), 16.500. 8, Sara Sieber, Glenview, Ill., (North),
16.250. 9, Tina Tharp, Jacksonville, Fla., (South), 16.100. 10,
Vanessa Vander Pluym, Redondo Beach, Calif. (South), 15.700. 10,
Johanna Shoemaker, North Potomac, Md., (South), 15.700. 12, Christi
Tucay, Burbank, Calif., (East), 15.550. 13, Kristin Lee, Mountlake
Terrace, Wash., (West), 15.200. 13, Liriel Higa, Los Angeles, (North),
15.200. 15, Kelsi Kemper, Gia Harbor, Wash., (East), 14.750. 16,
Roxanne Pietrasik, Glenview, Ill., (West), 8.000, (injured, did not
compete).

Team Scores

1, East (Lori Frederickson, Sandwich, Ill.; Kelsi Kemper, Gia
Harbor, Wash.; Tamara Levinson, Silver Spring, Md., Christi Tuchay,
Burbank, Calif.), 271.374. 2, North (Liriel Higa, Los Angeles;
Natalie Lacuesta, Skokie, Ill.; Sara Sieber, Glenview, Ill.; Jessica
Davis, San Anselmo, Calif.), 266.75; 3, South (Lauri Illy, Glenview,
Ill.; Tina Tharp, Jacksonville, Fla.; Johanna Shoemaker, Rockville,
Md.; Vanessa Vander Pluym, Rednodno Beach, Calif.), 263.150. 4, West
(Kristin Lee, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; Jennifer Lim (Skokie, Ill.;
Caroline Hunt, Winnetka, Ill; Roxanne Pietrasik, Northbrook, Ill.),
233.300.

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

Date: Wed, 6 Jul 1994 07:27:37 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: USOF '94: Women's roster

Another one, the women's version:

June 14, 1994
Luan Peszek, Director of Public Relations
Ramonna Robinson, Manager of Public Relations

USA GYMNASTICS ANNOUNCES
WOMEN'S ARTISTIC U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL TEAM

Several top USA Gymnastics' athletes are scheduled to compete at the
U.S. Olympic Festival-'94, July 1-10, in St. Louis, Mo.

Leading the roster is 1994 World Championships team member Larissa
Fontaine from Deerfield, Ill. Fontaine has had a successful year,
placing 17th all-around at the 1994 World Gymnastics Championships in
Brisbane, Australia. Prior to World Championships, Larissa finished
third all-around at the American Classic/World Championships trials
and seventh all-around at the 1994 McDonald's American Cup.

Doni Thompson from Colorado Springs, Colo., is the top-ranked junior
scheduled to compete at the Festival. Thompson tied for first place in
the junior division of the 1994 American Classic/World Championships
Trials, improving her fifth-place ranking aft er the 1993 Coca-Cola
National Championships. In international competition, Thompson
captured third place all-around and won the uneven bars event at he
1993 Commonwealth Games. At the 1992 Mexican Olympic Festival, she
took gold medals in the all-around
and all four event finals.

Fourth-ranked Senior National Team member Kellee Davis from Parkland,
Fla., is also scheduled to compete. Davis recently competed in the
1994 Hungarian International Gymnastics Championships, placing fourth
on floor exercise and fifth on balance beam. Sh e finished ninth
all-around with her partner Scott Keswick at the 1994 International
Mixed Pairs competition. Davis is also scheduled to compete June 10-11
in the 1994 Budget Rent a Car Gymnastics Invitational, a dual
competition between Romania and the United States.

Returning for their fourth U.S. Olympic Festival will be Heidi
Hornbeek from Phoenix, Ariz., and Summer Reid from Sparks, Nev.
Hornbeek's Festival career began in 1990 in Minneapolis, Minn., where
she finished seventh all-around. The 1991 Festival in Los
Angeles, Calif., saw Hornbeek finish 18th; however, due to injury,
she did not finish the competition at the 1993 Festival in San
Antonio, Texas. Reid finished 14th-AA in 1990 and 1993, and she tied
for 6th all-around in 1991. Other athletes who compete d in former
Festivals include: Monica Flammer (Houston, Texas), Karin Lichey
(Cincinnati, Ohio), Tanya Maiers (Atlanta, Ga.), Kristin McDermott
(Allentown, Pa.) and Dominique Moceanu (Houston, Texas). McDermott was
a member of the first-place U.S. Tea m at the 1991 Pan American Games
and finished eighth all-around, fifth on balance team and tied for
sixth on floor exercise.

1994 U.S. Olympic Festival
Women's (Artistic) Gymnastics Team Roster

EAST
Heidi Hornbeek
Amy Chow
Summer Reid
Doni Thompson
Kristy Powell
Mary Beth Arnold

NORTH
Sarah Balogach
Kristin McDermott
Sarah Cain
Martha Grubbs
Kristin Maloney
Tanya Maiers

SOUTH
Mary Ann Esposito
Larissa Fontaine
Samantha Muhleman
Jaycie Phelps
Karin Lichey
Dominique Moceanu

WEST
Raegan Tomasek
Kellee Davis
Katie Fitzpatrick
Jenni Beathard
Monica Flammer
Marissa Medal

Tom Forester of Colorado Aerials will coach the East Team while the
Parkettes' Donna Strauss will coach the North Team. The South Team
will be coached by Mary Lee Tracy of Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy,
and Tim Rand of American Twisters will coach the West Team.

The U.S. Olympic Festival is America's premiere event for the
country's best athletes and is a primary developmental vehicle for
U.S. Olympic teams. The U.S. Olympic Festival-'94 will feature 3,000
American athletes competing in 37 different sports throu ghout the
Metropolitan Area of St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois.

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

Date: Sat, 02 Jul 94 10:00:30 EDT
From: <***@MIT.EDU>
Subject: Women in sports study...

>''Some gymnasts have shorter legs than swimmers of the same age, and we
>wonder if they're caused by repeated impacts with gymnastic mats,'' she said.

Gee, doesn't anyone think about the fact that shorter girls are more likely
to choose gymnastics than swimming?

>By far the most common health >concern for girl athletes is Korbut's problem:
>delayed menarche (initiation of menstruation, which usually occurs at age 13)
>and missed menstrual periods.

Is this actually a problem? I had the impression that this had no ill effects.


--Robyn

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

Date: Sat, 2 Jul 1994 11:07:34 -0400 (edt)
From: <***@dorsai.dorsai.org>
Subject: Women in sports study...

>
> >''Some gymnasts have shorter legs than swimmers of the same age, and we
> >wonder if they're caused by repeated impacts with gymnastic mats,'' she said.
>
> Gee, doesn't anyone think about the fact that shorter girls are more likely
> to choose gymnastics than swimming?
>
> --Robyn
>
I thought it was that buying pants with shorter inseams tends to mean
you will grow up to have shorter legs. I'm sure there is a very high
correlation there.

--Ken

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

Date: Fri, 01 Jul 94 22:08:52 EDT
From: @aol.com
Subject: Women in sports study...

>''Some gymnasts have shorter legs than swimmers of the same age, and we
wonder if they're caused by repeated impacts with gymnastic >mats,'' she
said.

Yes, and some doctors lose brain fluid from hitting their heads on their
medical books...

Mara

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

End of gymn Digest
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