GYMN-L Digest - 23 Feb 1996 to 24 Feb 1996

There are 12 messages totalling 422 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

1. Olympic trials
2. gymn on t.v.
3. new subscriber
4. Level 10 to Elite
5. IG delivery on the east coast amd midwest
6. Buckeye Classic (long)
7. Phys-ed project
8. GYMN-L Digest - 22 Feb 1996 to 23 Feb 1996
9. E-mail address + Book (2)
10. ISO Coaching Position
11. Changing of the guard

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 10:10:10 GMT
From: ***@NOBLESNET.ORG
Subject: Olympic trials

I had heard that the Olympic trials were going to be held in Boston this year,
my home town, but I haven't heard anything about it. Does anybody know
anything about it? If so, I'd love to hear from you!

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 12:55:44 -0500
From: ***@EXPERT.CC.PURDUE.EDU
Subject: gymn on t.v.

Could someone send me an e-mail with the info. on Saturday's gymnastics
broadcast? I'd really appreciate it. Please send to my private address,
thank you.
Aaron

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 15:50:26 -0500
From: ***@DURHAMNEWS.NET
Subject: new subscriber

Hi everyone!

My name is Jen (or Jenny, it doesn't matter to me), and I am
joining Gymn Forum through my sister, Leslie's computer. I attend
McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada where we are given free
access to e-mail but it is virtually impossible to get on the Internet. For
this reason I will be unable to subscribe to the Digest, but I hope to
correspond to many gym fans through e-mail.

I got hooked on gymnastics at a fairly young age when Leslie (who is
ten years older than I am) would sit me in front of her old gym posters and
make me say "Davydova" and "Shaposhnikova". I was only three years old and
the conversion process had already begun!

Since those early days I have gained tremendous love and
appreciation for the sport. Through Leslie's enormous tape and magazine
collection I have had access to gymnasts before my time (I'm now 19 and I
was born, ironically enough, on the day of the closing ceremonies of the
Montreal Olympics). Some of my favorites are: Comaneci (of course),
Yurchenko, Omeliantchik, Szabo, Silivas, Dobre and Frolova. From today's
crop I fancy Kochetkova, Khorkina, Begue and Marinescu.

I hope to hear from other gym fans soon (I won't be able to respond
until Monday, Feb. 26 however) and, like my sister, I have personal
information on Bontas, Hadarean and Davydova.

Talk to you soon,
Jen

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 15:54:33 -0500
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Level 10 to Elite

In a message dated 96-02-23 14:03:25 EST, you write:

>How does a level 10 become an elite? I have heard that there is some kind
>of qualifying test, and then they must meet a minimum score at level 10.
>Can you help?
>
A level 10 must hit a 36.00 AA at either Regionals or Nationals. Then she
must Do the Elite National Element Testing and score a minimum of 33.00(not
easy). The text is available through USAG as well as the video. She then must
attend an Elite Regional Qualifier. If her scores are high enough she can go
from there to a Classic meet. The qualifiying score tends to change a lot
though. Check that qualifying score for 10's It's higher for seniors than it
is for juniors. It may even be 37.00 this year. It always seems to be higher
in Olympic years.

Shelley

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 20:58:05 -0500
From: ***@UMICH.EDU
Subject: IG delivery on the east coast amd midwest

I was wondering if there was someone who lives on the east coast or
midwest and can tell me how long it takes for their IG to be delivered to
their house. I sent in the subscription a momth ago and have not heard
from IG since. Since calling them would be expensive I just wanted to
know how long it takes.

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 11:58:53 -0500
From: ***@USAID.GOV
Subject: Buckeye Classic (long)

1996 Buckeye Classic
16-18 February 1996
Celeste Center, Ohio State Fairgrounds
Columbus, OH

Open Competition (Saturday & Sunday)

Teams
------

Cypress A, B, C (TX)
Brown's (TX)
Camberley (GBR)
Desert Devils (AZ)
Kentwood (MI)

Individuals: Michele Hess (Buckeye); Shannon McLemore & Annette
Taylor (Cypress)

To say that Cypress dominated the competition would be an
understatement. Cypress C & B took the first two slots, and no
doubt they would have taken the third as well if not for a sharp
squad from Brown's, who finished about a fall ahead of Cypress A.
Their third place finish was all the more impressive considering
they only had four athletes (Amanda Curry, listed in the program,
did not compete).

A mature team from Desert Devils were solid, particularly on FX
(the styles were reminiscent of NCAA routines), and finished a few
points behind Cypress A; a young team of competitors from Kentwood
finished sixth. Camberley, the team from Great Britain, had
problems, especially on beam, but were nevertheless upbeat and
performed with enthusiasm.

Individually, Cypress claimed the majority of the top 15 spots,
with only 3 others---Bhardwj, Diaz, and Katie Taylor---managing to
break in. Andree Pickens (Cypress), the top finisher, twice
received the high score of this competition (9.85) on VT and FX,
and was relatively clean enough on the other events to become the
only competitor to score over 39.00. Mohini Bhardwaj (Brown's),
who did well on FX & UB, was uncharacteristically off on B (had to
touch the beam after performing a front tuck), and curiously only
scored a 9.45 on what some thought was a fairly good vault
(Yurchenko 1.5). Monica Flammer (Cypress) actually tied Bhardwaj--
-ties were broken by the highest score given to a competitor---to
place third, and Aileen Diaz (Brown's) and Kaitie Dyson (Cypress)
were both consistent, and finished in fourth and fifth place.

Michelle Hess (Buckeye) was the lone representative from the host
club in the open division, and did well on her two strongest
events, V (9.4) and FX (9.65). According to the Columbus Dispatch
(02/18/96), the vault she performed---half on, half-off with a half
twist---is one of her own invention.

In the 9-14 category, Katie Taylor (Kentwood), Melinda Baimbridge
(Cypress), and Kristen Thome (Cypress) were the top finishers.
Both Taylor and Baimbridge had a good meet, and both would have
finished even higher if not for unfortunate breaks (Taylor sat down
her double front dismount off UB, and Baimbridge had to put her
hands down on her first pass on FX). Thome scored consistently
between 9.275-9.45 and matched Baimbridge's score of 37.725

Other athletes of note were Kendall Beck (Cypress), and Marie
Fjordholm (Brown's), both of whom would have definitely been higher
in the standings if not for serious problems on an event.
Fjordholm had a rough time on UB, scoring only a 7.95; Beck fell
twice on B performing the most difficult routine of the competition
(see description below).

The good (i.e. close, non-obstructed view) seats were reserved for
"patrons" of the meet, so it was either the bleachers or the nose-
bleed sections; I chose to sit in the bleachers near the beam,
which meant that my view of V was blocked. I also had a difficult
time identifying athletes whom I did not know on sight (I was using
their competition numbers as a guide) on UB, so my descriptions of
those events are, unfortunately, nearly nonexistent. I also caught
pieces of routines from the corner of my eye, but I've only
described those that I was able to view in their entirety.

Here is a guide to my shorthand:

bh=back handsprings M=mount DIS=dismount
ff=flip flop (flick) RO=Round off --->=through to

"+" - indicates direct connection


1st Rotation
------------

UB
Monica Flammer - Markelov, Jaeger, double layout DIS
Andree Pickens - Shaposhnikova, full-pirouette on top+reverse
hecht+gienger; toe-on Rudi DIS
Kaitie Dyson - inverted giants, 1.5 twisting giant+reverse hecht;
double layout DIS

FX
Kristen Thome - double tuck, front layout+front tuck, double twist
DIS
Melinda Baimbridge (Cypress) - full-twisting Shush, front/w
full+front tuck, 2.5 twist, double twist DIS
Tara Phillips (Cypress) - full-in, 2.5 twist+punch front, triple
twist DIS
Brittany Thome (Cypress) - whip ---> double tuck; triple twist;
double twist DIS
Annette Taylor (Cypress) - 2.5 twist; 2 whips --> double twist;
rudi+bh layout stepout DIS
Marline Stephens (Cypress) - full-in; whip --> double tuck; 2.5
twist DIS (fall)

BB
Katie Taylor (Kentwood) - ff+layout+layout+pikedown; front
tuck+jump; ff+bh+bh double tuck DIS


2nd Rotation
-------------
BB
Kelly Parkinson (Cypress) - ff layout ff; back dive 1/4; sheep
jump; front tuck; RO+bh+layout DIS
Dyson - planche M; back dive 1/4; bh+bh+true layout; jump+ back
dive 1/4; RO double tuck DIS
Pickens - front tuck M; ff+ 2 layouts; front tuck+jump;
ff+bh+double tuck DIS
Flammer - chin on M; jump+back dive 1/4 into "her" planche; ff+
layout+ff; front tuck; RO+double pike DIS
Beck - RO layout M; ff+full twist (fall); ff+2 layouts (fall);
jump+Rulfova; ff+bh+double tuck DIS
Kelly Cristensen (Desert Devils) 2.5 twist; front
handspring+front w/full; double twist DIS


3rd Rotation
-------------

FX
Dyson - full-in; front w/full+front tuck; double twist DIS
Kelly Parkinson - full-in (very high); 2.5 twist punch front;
front w/full+front tuck DIS
Beck - full-in; 2.5 twist+punch front; triple twist DIS
Pickens - front w/full+front w/full; double tuck; front
w/full+front tuck DIS

BB
Julie Rankin (Brown's) - press handstand M; ff+layout; jump+back
dive 1/4; RO double twist
Marie Fjordholm - press to handstand M; ff+3 layouts; RO double
tuck DIS
Aileen Diaz - RO layout M; ff+2 layouts; jump+Korbut; RO double
pike DIS
Mohini Bhardwaj - front tuck M; ff+3 layouts; side somi; front
tuck (had to touch beam); jump+back dive 1/4; RO double tuck DIS


4th Rotation
-------------

FX
Bhardwaj - triple twist; front w/full+front layout; rudi DIS

UB
Katie Taylor - full pirouette+gienger; jaeger+straddled somi to
lowbar; double front DIS (sat down)

BB
Stephens - ff+layout+ ff; back dive 1/4; ff+bh+double tuck DIS
Phillips - M with consecutive flairs (!); ff+layout+ff (break);
back dive 1/4; two jumps+Chen; headstand; RO double tuck DIS
Annette Taylor - RO layout M; Korbut; ff+layout; Rudi DIS
Brittany Thome - headstand M; ff+layout+ff (was surfing there for
awhile but stayed on); double twist DIS
Lindsey Wing (Cypress) - ff+2 layouts; front tuck (fall);
jump+back dive 1/4; double twist DIS
Baimbridge - press to handstand M; back dive 1/4; ff+2 layouts;
Rulfova; ff+layout+bh+double tuck DIS

Event finals has already been discussed, so I don't have too much
more to add. I can provide the top three scores on each event,
however:

VAULT-- 1. Bhardwaj (9.775); 2. Diaz (9.650); 3. Beck (9.55)

UNEVEN BARS-- 1. Bhardwaj (9.775); 2. Pickens (9.750); 3. Flammer
(9.700)

BEAM-- 1. Bhardjwaj (9.775); Baimbridge (9.700); 3. Fjordholm
(9.575)

FLOOR EXERCISE-- 1. Bhardwaj (9.750); 2. Fjordholm (9.625);
Christensen (9.625)

Mohini performed with much more assurance during EF than during the
team competition, and with Pickens and Flammer only competing UB,
she had no problem sweeping the medals. She was somewhat fortunate
that Competition 1 rules were being used for finals, however, as
she sat down her first vault.

The Open Competition was by no means the only event occurring over
the weekend. The Celeste Center was divided into three sections,
and close to 40 meets consisting of levels 4-10 were held from
early in the morning to late in the evening (afternoon on Sunday).
Reportedly close to 2,000 athletes were present at Buckeye (the
Presentation Ceremony on Saturday, in which all of the gymnasts
were presented to the audience, had to be seen to be believed), and
while it was impossible to see everything, I did manage to see a
few of the other levels compete. Clubs of note in these levels
were Flytz, Buckeye, and the American Twisters. While I am not
crazy about compulsories, I will say that it was just as enjoyable
watching the Level 5 and 6 athletes go through their routines as it
was the optional gymnasts.

-----ge

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 21:58:33 -0600
From: ***@SCOTT.NET
Subject: Re: Phys-ed project

Why don't you try something on the line of the Presidental Physical Fitness
Testing results between school kids who take gymnastics and one who do not.
My daughter, who was 9 in December broke 3 school records in the physical
fitness testing. I was very impressed with the results when I saw the ages of
the kids which she beat out.

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 23:34:16 -0500
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: GYMN-L Digest - 22 Feb 1996 to 23 Feb 1996

Somebody in the last digest asked when the Kodak invitatoinal ws on t.v.
Well, if it's the Kodak Peachtree Invitational, then I'm almost sure it's on
Feb. 24th, at 8:00pm est. on ESPN. This is only for New York, so Im not
exactly sure about other places.

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Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 00:19:26 -0500
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: E-mail address + Book

It took a lot of e-mailing and a lot of rejection, but I would just like to
tell all of you that ***@aol.com and ***@aol.com are the same
person. I use *** as my aol screen name at my dad's house, and ***
as my aol screen name at my mom's house. Basically what I'm trying to say is
that you can send your mail to eithe addresses, because I check them
everyday. Also, I just wanted people to be aware of this, because I'll use a
different screen name, depending on where I am.

Next, I would like to know if anyone out there has ever read the book "A Very
Young Gymnast". by Jill Krementz. If so e-mail me. Has anyone ever heard of,
or does anyone know what happend to Torrance York? She seemed like a very
talented gymnast. At ten-years-old she won the NY City Championship (1978 I
think). Also, has anyone ever heard of or know about Jackie Cassello? She was
a Junior National Team member in 1978, and I'd like to know if she ever made
it to seniors. She was coached by Muriel Grossfeld, but grew up in NY.

Thank you for your time, hope to hear from you all soon, at either e-mail
addresses!!

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Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 00:26:22 -0500
From: ***@LEARN.SENECAC.ON.CA
Subject: ISO Coaching Position

To: gymn-l@psuvm.psu.edu

As many of you are affiliated with one or more gymnastic clubs across the
US and Canada I was wondering if anyone knows of any available coaching
positions. I'm a level 3 NCCP Women's coach having spent the past two
years working with High Performance athletes. I will be available
following the Canadian National Championships (beginning of June '96).
If you know of any jobs or would like more info or a resume I would
greatly appreciate your correspondance.
Allan

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Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 00:43:03 -0500
From: ***@YALE.EDU
Subject: Re: E-mail address + Book

> Next, I would like to know if anyone out there has ever read the book "A Very
> Young Gymnast". by Jill Krementz. If so e-mail me. Has anyone ever heard of,
> or does anyone know what happend to Torrance York? She seemed like a very
> talented gymnast. At ten-years-old she won the NY City Championship (1978 I
> think). Also, has anyone ever heard of or know about Jackie Cassello? She was
> a Junior National Team member in 1978, and I'd like to know if she ever made
> it to seniors. She was coached by Muriel Grossfeld, but grew up in NY.

I have that book. Last I heard she went to Yale and competed on the
gymnastics team here. My sister saw her compete once. I figure
she graduated circa 1990, but I don't know for sure. I could probably ask
the coach sometime if she knows anything.

:)
Adriana

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Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 22:10:45 EST
From: ***@MUSIC.CC.UGA.EDU
Subject: Changing of the guard

I just returned from the Georgia/Kentucky meet where I witnessed
the most impressive display of gymnastics that I have ever seen.
However, I am not talking about Jenny Hansen, who did have a decent meet
(39.65). Georgia freshman Karin Lichey scored a 40.00 in the all-around
Yep, you read that right. I knew when she nailed her beam routine that
she had a chance, but I was concerned that she would let the possibility
of a perfect score distract her on her floor routine. Nope, perfect.
She received a five minute standing ovation and hugs from both schools'
gymnasts and coaches. Her dad presented her the all-around medal and
flowers during the awards ceremony.

Paul

"Do or do not...There is no try."---Yoda

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End of GYMN-L Digest - 23 Feb 1996 to 24 Feb 1996
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