gymn Digest Thu, 10 Mar 94 Volume 2 : Issue 85

Today's Topics:
[COL] GA v. BYU
AA Finals
A bit of admin
Dortmond Worlds
Onodi
Onodi Postscript
Qualifying (2 msgs)
Trivia Set #12

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

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Date: Mon, 07 Mar 94 19:32:53 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: [COL] GA v. BYU

Any more details on Juliet and Elisabeth?

Also, semi un-related, what is BYU's attitude towards gymnastics? I was
reading something recently that implied support for it was grudging due to
the school's Mormon heritage (this is not a religious comment - I am
referring to the piec I read which discusses Mormon opposition in the 1970s
to the ERA). Is this true?

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 09:02:08 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: AA Finals

My two cents:

At individual Worlds, I think they should decide how many they want to start
with and leave it at that, no eliminating people by countries for AA finals.

At team Worlds (I assume they'll still have an AA competition?) I suppose
they could limit the number in AA finals from each country to whatever the
number at individual Worlds is.

: )
Gimnasta

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 02:13:38 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: A bit of admin

I know, this sounds like it'll be boring, but please read!

1. I have two userids on AOL now. If you want to mail me concerning Gymn
stuff, please send to ***@aol.com. All other mail should continue to go
to ***@aol.com.

2. Due to a couple suggestions in the survey, I am going to change the way I
post trivia. Since our trivia is not really designed to "test" your
knowledge, I'm going to post the answers when I post the questions. Right
now, I'm planning to just do it in one msg; if you would prefer me posting
the Q's in one msg and the A's in another (at the same time, just different
msgs), to preserve a little suspense, let me know.

3. If you haven't answered the survey yet, please do! I've gotten 25 answers
-- that's only about one in five. That's supposed to be good for a regular
survey, but I expect better from you Gymners.

4. I can't remember #4! O well. It'll come to me later.

Rachele

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 13:54:03 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Dortmond Worlds

Just so that everyone knows . . .

The Dortmond Team worlds will be ONLY compulsory and optional TEAM
competition. The AA & EF will be decided in Brisbane next month. The last
"full" world championships (team, AA, & EF) will be held in '95 Sabe (sp?)
Japan as a qualifier for the '96 Atalanta Olympics. The top 12 teams in
Japan move on to Atlanta. The individual competitors are decided by how high
they finish in several Int'l comps that year ('95).

Susan

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 00:03:51 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Onodi

I write this to all of Gymn because I think it's important.

Joe writes:
>First of all I would like to apologize for being the one that started the
>Onodi bussiness. Personally, I love the woman. She was spectacular in
>the 92 Olympics. All I am is just concerned. I didn't mean to offend
>anyone.

No need to apologize. I didn't think you had any reprehensible intent.
People, especially in sports like gymnastics, often make that sort of comment
without realizing that it is a result of and contributes to attitudes about
women's bodies which can and do have very real, destructive consequences,
physically and mentally.

It is particularly problematic in activities like gymnastics, ballet, I
imagine also in skating, and the like. I'd say the majority of gymnasts I
have known (including myself) constantly obsessed about their weight,
thinking about it all the time, talking about food (or, rather, how to avoid
it) all the time, weighing themselves *numerous* times a day, looking at
themselves in the mirror every chance they got, inspecting every inch of
their bodies, thinking the wrinkles that formed when they did splits was
cellulite. Before weigh-ins, girls would go to the bathroom, take off their
underwear, spit -- anything to weigh as little as possible for the coach.
Many, if not most, were on the edge of developing full-blown eating disorders
(I made myself throw up once, but it was so gross and upsetting I never did
it again. And I'm usually as stable as they come). Some have developed
them.

Granted, weight control is genuinely important in gymnastics to avoid
injuries and because strength-to-weight ratio is so important. But what I
described is reality, and I find it problematic that girls are driven to that
kind of behavior, especially by coaches who aren't qualified to deal with
weight concerns. And the problem is a more general, widespread one for all
women (models, beauty pageants, swimsuit issue -- I'm sure you've heard it).
I can't get into all of that now, though.

> Read she is going to school in Austin, Texas. Is that true. I
>would love to meet her, and maybe get an autograph. :-)

She is at Word Incarnate College, according to IG.

-- Gimnasta

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 00:38:43 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Onodi Postscript

I have also had friends driven off teams (that is, they quit before they
really would have wanted to) by excessively demanding coaches who made their
lives miserable over their weight. These were collegiate gymnasts; one was
decidedly *not* overweight, another was a little, but was better than all her
teammates, hadn't lost the ability to perform her skills, and had *no* injury
problems (unlike teammates who weren't hounded by the coach). They finally
decided it wasn't worth the grief and the way the issue of weight ruled their
lives. They are not happy about their collegiate gymnastics experience
ending up like that.

I also have a judge friend who had a hot dog she left unguarded for a moment
stolen by Boginskaya (who became very upset upon being discovered scarfing
it).

: ), or should it be : ( ?

-- Gimnasta

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Date: Mon, 07 Mar 94 22:26:24 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Qualifying

Here's a topic for debate:

National limits should be removed from qualifying for finals (i.e., countries
should not be limited to 3 in aa or 2 in finals)

Let's hear some opinions!!!

Mara

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 13:53:21 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Qualifying

In response to the person who asked about how we feel about the 2 per country
AA limitation . . .

It's amazing how no-one cared about "per country" AA and EF limits until it
started to effect the USA. The limits were set in place because the Soviets
(women) and Japanese (men) used to sweep (the Japanese went 1-6 in one
Olympics AA and EF frequently consisted of 5 Japanese and three Soviets) the
awards and they thought it would be more sporting to other nations to limit
the number of athletes per country that could compete. The Americans (and
other Western nations) were instrumental in enacting this rule (and new life)
in the first place since it is they and not the dominant gymnastics nations
that benefited from them. In past years much of the American success we have
expirienced would have been impossible without the country limitations (and
new life). Try and remember how many AAs & EFs our athletes have entered by
"default".

Don't get me wrong, I think that country limitations are silly. The awards
should go to the best athletes regardless of where they happened to be born.
I essence we are punishing them for being too good. . .and how much sense
does that make? . They earned their spot in the top 8 or top 36 fair and
square. It's the same with new life. A truly world class athlete should be
able to compete every event well and consistantly over a period of a few
days. One "good" evening should not a world champion make. Both new life
and the country limitations rule were enacted for one main reason. It makes
for better entertainment. I think that's the saddest comment on the sport of
all.

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Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 02:14:04 EST
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Trivia Set #12

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Trivia Set #12

TOPIC: Floor exercise (especially tumbling)

Questions 1-5 submitted by Debbie; 6 by Lori, 7 by Robyn.

(This trivia set in honor of Kerry Huston, reigning USA floor champ,
who injured his neck in a parallel bars dismount in early February.)

--Q1. The '93 Women's Code calls a tucked full-in full-out a
"Silivas", but another female gymnast actually performed this
E-element earlier. Name her and name one of the meets in which she
performed this move.

A. Aleftina Priakhina (URS) used a tucked full-in full-out as her
first tumbling pass at both the '86 Jr. Europeans and '87 Europeans.

--Q2. Who was the first female gymnast to include 4 tumbling passes in
her routine?

A. Boriana Stoyanova (BUL) used 4 passes at the '83 Budapest Worlds.

--Q3. Which is *not* a "D" salto: piked full-in, 2 1/2 twisting back
salto, or 1 1/2 twisting front layout?

The 1 1/2 twisting front layout is an E move in the current Women's
Code.

--Q4. Who was the first gymnast to successfully perform a triple back?

Valery Lyukin (URS) premiered this move at the '87 Europeans.

--Q5. Heidi Anderson (USA) started which tumbling "trend"?

A. Rebound tumbling. At the '79 Moscow News competition, she performed a
full twist to immediate punch front.

--Q6. In what meet did Kim Zmeskal perform 4 whip-backs through to a
double back? Why did she quit performing this tumbling pass?

A. USA vs Romania, 1991; she couldn't stay in bounds consistently

--Q7. Who was the only gymnast to have her floor music renamed for
her?

A. Nadia, whose floor music is now generally referred to as Nadia's
Theme. (Actually I don't know if she was the only one)

--Q8. Why do men always seem to do a Y-scale in their routine before
their last pass?

A. The Code requires a two second balance element. Many men use this
as a "breather" to catch their energy for their last tumbling run.

--Q9. What unique front tumbling move does 1993 NCAA Floor Champ
Richard Grace throw in his routine?

A. Grace, who attends Nebraska, does a running double front, that is,
a double front tuck directly out of the run (no set up with front
handsprings, etc).

--Q10. Which of the following are not rated the same in both the
men's and the women's Code: tucked full-in, piked full-in, layout
front-full, Rudi (front 1.5 twist), double layout, double-twisting
double-back?

A. The Rudi and the double layout are rated "D" in the men's Code,
while they are "E" in the women's. The rest are the same: the
full-ins and layout front-full are D's in both Codes, while the
double-double is an E in both Codes.

[Isn't is interesting that while both consider a layout front full a
"D", that a layout front 1.5 is a D for men and an E for women?]

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End of gymn Digest
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