GYMN-L Digest - 15 Jul 1996

There are 7 messages totalling 443 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

1. last week's mails
2. For those SI subscribers out there...
3. dominique
4. Overscoring.
5. GYMN-L Digest - 14 Jul 1996 to 15 Jul 1996 - Special i
6. wildcards from Africa
7. WAG: FRA club championships, (more) Moceanu, Takahashi, Brown.

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 05:15:17 GMT
From: ***@PIPELINE.COM
Subject: last week's mails

Hi guys-

I've been away on vacation since July 4, and I think my server erased my
mails during that period. If anyone has them, could you please send them to
me? I just get the Digest. Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Eric

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 01:56:23 -0400
From: ***@CORNELL.EDU
Subject: For those SI subscribers out there...

And, for that matter, most other people as well...
...have most of you either gotten the Sports Illustrated Olympic
Special issue yet or seen it on newsstands? I spotted it in the school
library, but I'm interested in procuring a copy for myself but I have the
feeling that it's passed me by.

The Dominique article is fairly standard, but the Romanian
gymnastics photo spread was quite well done, IMHO...

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 01:58:42 -0400
From: ***@ADAN.KINGSTON.NET
Subject: dominique

I am new here, but I`ve been watching for a few days and I cannot believe
how much complaining about Dominique there is. Some of you sound like Joan
Ryan. You should rememeber that she probably reads this too. Think of
your family members. What would they think if they were her and saw all
this garbage.


Bye for now

Jenn

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 02:19:15 -0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Overscoring.

What I don't understand, is why so many people feel that the US is going to
be favoured in the Olympic Games. As far as the Women's competition goes
there are 6 judges turning in scores on each event. Also at each event is an
STC and an Expert which together decide the start value of the routine.
Those two plus the FIG Commiittee member form the control panel. The US has
on 1 (one) acting judge in the entire competition. Linda Mulvihill, and she
is our Regional Technical Chair from Region II, in the Northwest United
States. I know Linda will go to that competition and judge fairly and
acurately giving the best scores to those who deserve them. Perhaps it
should be noted by people complaining of biased scoring towards US gymnasts,
that those scores, if they are in fact biased, are not coming because we
asked for them or needed.

Dean
Washington State Judging Director

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 04:39:42 -0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: GYMN-L Digest - 14 Jul 1996 to 15 Jul 1996 - Special i

--PART.BOUNDARY.0.2206.emout10.mail.aol.com.837419981
Content-ID: <0_2206_837419981@emout10.mail.aol.com.30754>
Content-type: text/plain

see attached - Thanks, Dana

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 05:22:47 -0400
From: ***@EROLS.COM
Subject: wildcards from Africa

In response to my question,

>Could it be that both the Morroccan and Egyptian wildcards were awarded
>because their top gymnasts in each discipline are the best representatives
>from Africa?

Helen Crewes pointed out that "although Egypt won the team RSG competition at
the All Africa Games, a South African girl (Michelle Cameron) won the AA. In
the WAG South Africa won the team competition and a South African gymnast
(Tanya Steenkamp) won the AA." (actually, South Africa, rather than Egypt,
might have won the team rsg competition)

However, while Cameron scored 34.050 at those Games last September, with Lina
Monir in 2d with 34.000, Lina has had at least one significantly higher score
in a major meet since then -- 35.125 at Corbeil. Perhaps this recent showing
was a factor in selecting her as the only RSG representative from Africa
(indeed, the South Africans weren't listed in any of the competitions posted
on the web; perhaps relative lack of exposure to international competition in
the last year is also a factor). As for Morocco vs. South Africa for the WAG
spot -- Morocco doesn't show up in the results for the All Africa Games (did
anyone show?), but perhaps their one representative at Sabae outscored any
representatives that South Africa may have sent (I can't figure out from the
Sabae site how many there may have been). Once again, the Moroccan is the
only representative from Africa, so that would seem to be a factor. All
other continents were represented through the ordinary process (except
perhaps Asia for group RSG -- and China got a wild card). (USAG's qualifying
process page explains that rhythmic gymnasts qualify by finishing well at 95
worlds, or in the top 5 at "continental competitions" -- but that can't be
right for Africa. Perhaps the All Africa Games are not sanctioned and so
don't count? Indeed, is there any "continental competition" other than the
European Championships?)

Anyway, sorry for rambling on what may be way too esoteric a subject for most
people. If anybody learns anything about wildcard recipients -- who they
are, how they might have been chosen, etc. -- I, at least, would love to hear
a bit more (at least until the Games start and the mailboxes explode).
-- Ann

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Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 17:27:41 1100
From: ***@OZEMAIL.COM.AU
Subject: WAG: FRA club championships, (more) Moceanu, Takahashi, Brown.

1/June/1996 (yeah, it's a bit old, but I don't think anyone's posted it)

Gold Marseille (Canqueteau, Gelly........)
Silver St. Etienne (Troscompt, Volle, Collet.....)
Bronze ? (Furnon...........)

Ludivine did a "perfect" FX that scored 9.85. I don't like her FX that she uses
now as much as her old one, but its still very French. (Isn't it wierd saying
that, cos people usually say "Very Romanian" or "Very Russian", but the French
FX's are the best.)

In a Sunday paper we got a full page article on Moceanu. It is (inappropriatly)
called "The New Nadia". Appologies if details have already been sent, cos
Australian papers seem to copy everyone elses articles. The photo is of her
doing a split leap, front on without the beam in the picture.

It describes how alike Dominique and Nadia are. It tells how they first noticed
how similar they were when they were walking through the airport together, and
a traveller called out to Nadia "Nadia, your daughter looks exactly like you."
It describes how Bela thinks there similar and that he keeps having "Nadia
flashbacks"

To me they couldn't be more different, but Bela says they're the same by the way
they move, the way they work, the facial expressions and the things they do.
Then she's compared to Retton (no where is she given any of her own something)
Retton says she's scared for Moceanu.

They mention the stress fracture, with Moceanu's response "I just have to go out
no matter what." Then describes how she was granted a "virtual free ride to the
Olympics"

Ironically, Karolyi says how much he hates putting added pressure on the
athletes knowing what it can do to them, and uses that tried and tested Zmeskal
"evidence" (my words not the articles)

It finishes with Moceanu's parents expectations of her and how Dominique had to
do gymnastics even if Dmitri "had to eat bread and drink water." It even tells
us that she was conceived in Greece. (Thanks for that!) When she was one year
old they used to take her into the back yard and clasp her tiny hands around
the clothesline, graduall releasing their grip on her until she was hanging
unaided. Dmitri took her to Karolyi when she was 3 years old, but Bela laughed
and said bring her back when she is 9 or 10, so a few days after her 9th
birthday he did.

We also got an article on Kasumi Takahashi (Aus RSG rep) called "Taka (Hashi)
Bow!" Its about how in LA she raises litle more than the odd appreciative
glance, but in Melbourne she is a sporting celebrity. She has been on
Billboards, TV ads and is stoped in the mall for autographs. It describes her
Commonwealth Games success (5 golds) etc.

She is the daughter of an Australian Ballet dancer and a Japanese business man.
She is Japanes born, American based, but thouroughly Australian. She spent her
early years in Japan before her family moved to the US. However, she's always
only ever wanted to represent her mother's home country where she had never
lived.

It explains how she got Australia the wild card from FIG - by being the Oceania
Regional Champion.

On the 14th of July Craig and Simone Alexander <alexand@OZEMAIL.COM.AU> wrote
>Lisa Moro will turn 15 this week, but the youngest member of the
>Australian women's team is Kirsty-Leigh Brown (who is 14). According to
>Brennon, she is so excited to be on the team and is grinning from ear to ear.

Isn't she gorgeous!! She has even more reason to be grinning because Australia
pays for the parents of the youngest member of each sport to go and watch their
child compete for free!!!

Leonie.
P.S. get ready for the thousands of new gym fans these Olympics will create.
Prepare yourself for the endless stream of silly questions ie "why don't the
men have FX music" and "why don't rhythmics tumble?" are the two most common I
can think of !!!

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End of GYMN-L Digest - 15 Jul 1996
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