USGF Technical Journal - October 1982

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USGF

TECHNICAL Journal

OCT. 1982

Official Technical Publication of the United States Gymnastics Federation

Mario M cC utcheon on horizontal bar at the 1982 M cDonald 's M en 's Championships of the USA. Syra cuse . NY , June 4-6

photos by Dave Black


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UBGF

TECHNICAL

Journal

Editorial -

October 1982

Vol. 2, No. 5

USGF Scientific and Technical Journal Published Exclusively for the USGF Professional Membership

TABLE OF CONTENTS Hand Grip and the One-Arm Giant, Mas Watanabe ................ .

.. . .. . . .. . ..... . .. p. 4

Thought Processes and Emotions in Sport, Robert N. Singer, Ph .D ... .. . .. . . . . . . ....... . . .

..... p. 5

On Motivation , Puppets and Personal Responsibility, Kevin S. Spink .......... . ... . .... . . ..... . .. . . p. 1O Influence of Weight Training and Mental Practice on the Acquisition of the Glide Kip, C. Wilcox, M. Kneer, H. Heitmann, R. Ramella ..... . .... . . p. 11 Men's Program Committee Minutes, . ................. . . . ...... p. 13 February 25, 1982 . . Board of Directors Minutes, May 3, 1982 ..................... . .... . ... . ........ . ...... p. 14 Women 's International Program Committee Minutes, June 1, 1982. . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . ... ... .. . .. .. .. p. 19 Executive Committee Minutes, April 19, 1982 ............... . ..... . .... . . . .. . ........ . p. 23 Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics Committee Report ....... . . . . ... p. 24 Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, June 17, 19, 1982 ...

............... p. 27

Men's Program Committee Meeting Minutes, June 4 , 5, 1982 ........ .

. . p. 29

- - - - - - - - United States Gymnastics Federation - - - - - - Members: Amateur Athletic Union; American Sokol Organization ; American Turners ; Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women ; National Association for Girls and Womens Sports ; National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches ; National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women ; National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ; National Association of Women Gymnastics Judges ; National Collegiate Athletic Association ; National Federation of State High School Associations· National Gymnastics Judges Association · National High School Gymnastics Coaches Association: National Jewish Welfare Board ; National Junior College Athletic Association; United States Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs ; United States Gymnastics Safety Association . Young Men's Christian Association .

USGF GYMNASTICS In order to continue in providing o ur readers with the most diverse and comprehensive information concerning the gymnastics community. we have expanded the magazine's coverage to include 20 different Department.s. These various Departments will be a continuing series, however. each Department may not appear in every issue. Your contributions to the following menu of topical areas w ill compliment our original solicited articles. and will help benefit all those involved in the sport. The following are brief descriptions of each department. We look forward to your contributions. Please address such correspondence to:

Editors USGF GYMNASTICS Maptlne P.O. Box 7686 Fort Wortfl, TX 76111 Contributors should include with their double-spaced typewritten manuscripts a brief personal biography and a head-sho t photograph. Photography and illustrations included should be black and white. with an attached description, photo credit, and a self-addressed-stamped envelope for thier return by mail. USGF MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS: This department will publish historical. timely and competition articles encompassing the 18 member associations which comprise the lJSGF. BASICS: Will anernpt to cover the basic elements needed for proper overall gymnastics development-flexibility . dance, nutrition. strength. etc. This series encourages a variety ol' ''iev.-points and "basics" definitions. GUEST OPINION: Readers are encouraged co submit constructive commentaries or criticisms to the Editors of this magazine for possible USGF Technical Journal / Oct . 82

by Roger Couns il

TOO MUCH SCIENCE? We are approaching an era where coaches are becoming increasingly scientific in their approach. Scientists and Researchers have formulated sophisticated computer programs for conducting bio-mechanical analysis. These programs can tell one the various quantities surrounding a given human movement such as angular momentum, center of gravity and other readings that are useful from a comparative standpoint to tell a researcher what significant differences there are with regard to successful and unsuccessful performances. We are also becoming much more sensitive to the physiological phenomena surrounding athletic performance. We know the etfect of nutrition upon ath letic performance and many more coaches are now much better prepared to counsel their athletes with regard to diet, weight control and other factors affecting athletic performance . Although the area of sports psychology is also a formalized field and much has been done in that area , in my humble opinion , sports psychology is the very area where the greatest impact can be made on the athlete. We know the athlete has to be physically healthy to perform well. We know the athlete has to possess the basic attributes of physical fitness: balance, strength, flexibility, endurance and agility. What we still do not know, however, is precise information of a psychological nature to derive optimum performance from the athlete. Because there is such a diversity of personalities in a given gym and when coaching an athlete the coach is playing upon a total experiential background of that individual as an organism; the nuances of interpersonal relationships between coach and athlete are so complex and so diverse that pinpointing factors which elicit a desired response seems at this point in history well nigh impossible. We do know some generalizations in the realm of psychology. We know , for instance, that a positive approach to the interpersonal relationship is much more effective over a long period of time than negative motivation , intimidation, sarcasm and other manifestations of negativism. What we don't know, however, is the precise thing to say or do at a precise time to elicit the desired reaction or result from a given personality. In the years to come, I feel that the area of Sports Psychology is going to become much more precise and the typecasting of various personality types is going to become a much more exact science. The stories of people performing beyond their physiological predictabilities and beyond their level of fitness are legend. Stories of the effect of adrenaline upon strength of little old ladies lifting automobiles to pull loved ones from beneath and other such feats of superb performance are chronicle throughout history. Our goal as coaches is to identify causative factors related to performance and direct it towards the athletic arena. There are terms that we all use with regard to the attempt on the part of the coach to "over-coach" an athlete. The term "paralysis through analysis" eludes to the pitfall of trying to pass on too much information to the athlete for them to assimilate effectively. This of course would also apply to the scientific area. It is my firm belief, however, for a coach to derive the maximum performance from the athlete, you must not only be well versed in the elements of successful teaching and learning with regard to learning patterns but also have a broad and deep foundation in the scientific areas as they relate to athletic performance . It is my hope in the future that more coaches will have available to them , either through Universities or through USGF programs that are presently on the planning table , a means to develop their scientific background ; not so that they can teach it to their athletes but so they can have the perspective to make the day-to-day judgements with regard to the myriad of considerations that surround the preparation of an athlete for an outstanding performance .

Unless expressly identified to the contrary , all articles. statements and views printed herein are attributable solely to the author and the United States Gymnastics Federation expresses no opinion thereon and assumes no responsibility therefor.

publication. Manuscripts should be approximately 1050 words in length and should be oriented toward identifying so lutions to problem areas. This Department is designed as a forum for members of the readership to "speak their piece." LETIERS TO THE EDITOR: Your comments are welcome and encouraged, and may address any top ic. Articles. editorials, opinions or photography from the magazine; national and international competitions: gymnastics history and/or future directio ns ; L'SGF programs and service. etc. MEDIA REPllINTS: Moreso than ever before. major and local newspapers and many magazines are covering gymnastics and gymnasts. Those articles you enjoy, whether relating to a tot or Olympian. conpetition, personality or special feature. send copies for consideration to be reprinted in the magazine. Include the name and address ol' the publication and the date the article appeared. QUESTION/ANSWER: Ask a question - any question - and we'll try to fmd an in-depth answer. Who, what. where, when and why about history, competitions, coaching tips, athletes, coaches. judges. rules, _equipment. etc . . The editors will seek-out an authority to answer your questions. GYMNASTICS PEOPLE, PLACES AND NEWS: Who are the up-and-coming young gymnasts to took for? Who won a special award in your area? What events are going to happen? What took place in your town? Include a black and white photograph or illustration witb a 300-word description for possible publication. The following Departments are a part of our Department " Pool" International. National. Sports Medicine. lnterview. Safety, Olympic Up-Date. Business, Promotion and Public Relations, Book Reviews. Teaching and Training, the Gtm. Commentary and Editorial. 3


HAND GRIP AND THE ONE ARM GIANT ON HORIZONTAL BAR By: Mas Watanabe

The advent of the dowel with the long grip came to the gymnastics scene around '75 or '76. It was used by a Romanian on the ring event only at that time. Gymnasts started using this long grip consistently on the horizontal bar around '79 or '80. The first time we came into contact with this new grip with dowel for high bar event on a large scale was during the 1979 World Championships in Fort Worth. Prior to this, the Soviet Union and a few of the European countries who had already developed the pit into their training facilities , were first to develop the one-arm type movement on high bar. The development of the pit for training purposes was very important to the development of one-arm movements on high bar. It speeded up learning by minimizing the accident and fear factors besides allowing more freedom and security to the movement, as well as helping maximize repetitions. The safety belt was effective and of co urse safe ; however, it took more time and there was less freedom for the gymnast. The gymnast could only do one or two giants at a time, whereas with the pit the gymnast could practice multiple giants . The pit gave them more freedom and helps with the timing of the movement. Geinger in 1980 won the high bar event in the European Championships with a tremendously difficult routine , utilizing unique 1 arm combinations. He brought to light the use of this new grip with a large dowel. In our country, we were slower with the development of the one-arm movements for several reasons. Many of our programs did not start putting the pits in the training gyms until '79 or '80. Also in the beginning of our development of one-arm giants, very few of our gymnasts used dowels. Most just used the long grip . Since we did not participate in the 1980 Olympic Games, we were also not aware of the widespread development throughout the world of the one arm type movements until the '81 Moscow World Championships. We were surprised at the extent of variation in rapid advancement of performance level. One of the Cuban gymnasts used five different one-arm combinations in his routine showing not only uniqueness in composition but also adding excitement in variation of which was very well received by the judges. The dowel with the long grip helps to almost complete the circle around the high bar which adds to the security and stability of the grip. In addition , during the 1982 USGF China Tour, one of the Chinese gymnasts remarked that he literally puts his thumb around and on top of the grip or index finger during the one-arm giant so that his hand makes a complete circle around the bar. This makes a lot of sense, obviously. Since then we have noticed that most of the Europeans, Chinese and Soviets utilize this method. In the U.S ., however, we are not yet consistent in this. This, possibly, could be critical in learning one-arm movements for the first time and for other gymnasts who are trying to develop harder combinations of this skill.

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USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82


The following pictures were taken from various international meets, comparing different grips. Obviously, before a gymnast can develop a onearm giant, the correct technique of the giant swing action should be understood . Proper technique and refinement of basic skills cannot be emphasized enough. This is definitely the difference between just executing a skill and executing it well.

Note: 1-

23-

Im proper techn ique such as improper body beat action at the bottom ot the swing in back giants could li mit the development of more advanced combinations. A gymnast may be able to execute a skill , but without amplitude for following skill and it cou ld limit his potential for developing a variety of combinations. Perhaps the easiest and safest one-arm giant for a gymnast to learn is the backward giant with an over-grip, a back giant. For example, the most common progression for a gymnast just learning the one-arm giant would include the following steps. We are assuming that gymnasts are wearing a long grip with at least a small dowel, making sure that the wrist band of the grip is secure enough to keep from sliding up and down on wrist. Extra slack of grip during swing could cause the grip to wrap around the bar, without allowing the hand to go around properly, which cou ld cause a potential serious wrist injury . It is also recommended that the following progression should take place over the train ing pit or in an over head safety belt. Step 1 -

under bar swing with both hands over-grip, with proper beating action. 2 - release one arm during forward swing only, with continuous body action ... gradually build height and amount of swing. 3 - from support, cast away to slightly above the horizontal position to comp lete circle to top of the bard , regrasping bar at top. 4 - gradually increase height of cast until becomes complete circle.

USGF Technica l Journal / Oct . 82

On the descending phase proper weight shifting is necessary in order for gymnast to swing down straight. As soon as the hand re leases the bar, body weight shou ld be shifted slightly over the supporting hand as weight distribution on supporting arm is even . In general an imaginary line could be drawn through supporting arm to opposite toe. (Picture) As swing becomes higher, shoulder extension of descending phase must be maximized to insure smoothness of swing. Gymnasts shou ld stay as square to the bar as possible, to avoid outward turn.

The front one-arm giant, technically, if the gymnast understands the principle of how the front giant works, should be just as easy. One critical thing that increases the error in the one-arm front giant is to be aware of the extension in the shou lder, supporting the swing during the descending phase of the giant. During this part of the giant, it is easier not to have maximum extension of the shoulder wh ich would cause a jerking type action at the bottom of the swing. This would be unsafe as well as gives the gymnast an unsure feeling. There are two ways to solve this problem. The best way is to carry a certain amount of speed, especially in the descending stage . Naturally the centrifugal force would carry the body further and cause the maximum extension naturally throughout the descending phase . Of course, the gymnast can maintain the shoulder in this position. Another way would be to control the shoulder extension throughout the descending phase. With the beginning of learning one-arm giants, speed is very important, but often scary. Therefore , a gymnast can go slower with this way. This way is much more difficult. It requires maintenance of muscular tension throughout the descending phase in the shoulder muscles. The gymnast must gradually re lease the tension as the body descends. However, strength should not be the critical part. The critical part is how much and in what degrees that shoulder tension is controlled as the body descends naturally. The first approach should be a better approach , showing that a natural swing wi ll carry them in the correct position rather than the slower contro lled swing . In co nclusion, the dowel and the long grip have helped the development of the one-arm giant; however, the refinement of the basic skills would help facilitate the learning and open the door for potential of more advanced skills, combinations and originality.

5


Thought Processes and Emotions in Sport Robert N. Singer, PhD Reprinted with permission from the Physician and Sportsmedicine, a MacGraw-Hill publication, July 1982 In brief: The mental approach to sport is much more important than most athletes rea lize. Mental processes must be trained just as sports skills, and they take time to develop. Various methods /or dealing with psychological problems that appear before, during, and after competitive events include relaxation techniques, mental preparation, and positive self-evaluation. Sport psychologists can help athletes improve the psychological processes associated with successful athletic performance, but few are available in the United States at this time because the field is new. However, physicians and trainers have contact with many athletes and can listen to and help them with these problems.

Typical Questions About Sport and Psycho logy Each sport makes unique demands on athletes. Consequently, psychological processes associated with achievement in each sport must be recognized , evaluated , and developed (figure 1). But there are problems or considerations associated with every form of competition . The fo ll owing are typical concerns associated with mental processes, feelings , and attitud es ex pressed by many ath letes : 1. How to deal with anxiety before an event. 2. How to susta in motivation over many practice sessions. 3. How to deal with setbacks afte r less-t han- ideal performances. 4. How to develop co ncen tration ski ll s. 5. How to develop and know when to use automatic as well as adapt ive behaviors . 6. How to prepare mentally for an event. 7. How to contro l and direct emotions during performance . 8. How to deal with the communications style and decisions of the coach . 9. How to feel like a part of a team and contribute to cohesion , morale, and success . The list is end less. Being in contro l of one's mind and emotions puts an athlete closer to the realization of skil led performance.

Pre-Event Considerations More people in the United States are recognizing th at ath letes' though t processes and emoti ons immedi ate ly before, during, and afte r competition can greatl y (if not immeasurably) influen ce their present and future achievements. Th ey may work for or against the athlete. It's amaz ing how many elite athletes are reasonably successfu l in spi te of th eir inability to deal with their minds and emot ions as we ll as they could. We can o nl y specu late how much athletes who do not rea lize their potential are held back by persona l factors other than ski ll and cond itioning. The government of the Soviet Union and some other countries have long recognized th e importance of sport psychologists and other sports scientists in helping athletes sharpen their ski lls. Such has not been the case in the United States. Of co urse, we do not believe in governmenta l ihtervention in athletic programs ; however, it is up to athletic organizations, coac hes, ath letes, and sport psycho logi sts to in itiate techniques that wil l develop athletes' persona l resou rces and athletic accomp li sh ments. At hl etes must either activate or relax thought processes to ready themselves for compet iti on. Practice and competitive co ndi ti o ns may require similar or different consc ious strategies, depending on the objectives. Most of al l, at hletes must lea rn when to think and what to th in k abou t.

Illustrations by Terry Boles Figure 1. Sport psychology is concerned not only with improving athletic performance but with the athlete 's welfare and morality in sport as well. With more scientists, physicians, family members, and the public involved in sport, athletic accomplishments are elevated every year. So are pressures on athletes, who are training earlier and more intensively than ever before. The psychological effects on ath letes under these conditions are difficult to ascertain.

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Anxiety. Any meani ngful even t is bound to produce heig htened arousa l (pe rh aps too mu ch) , anxiety, and tension within athletes . Em otio ns that get ou t of con trol are a prob lem for many athl etes , regardless of their spo rt. Obv iou sly , thought processes and elevated emot ions need to be quieted. Many coac hes ma ke the mistake of trying to stimul ate ath letes just before compet iti on. Although some may need to be stimulated , many others may need to be more relaxed to attain an optima l arousa l state . An optimal arousal state exists for each person for each event. Athletes must train themse lves to be in this state, just as they train to develop the mechanical ski lls necessary to succeed in an event (figure 2) .

Athletic Achievement and Psychological Factors Better athletes are probably better because they have put everythi ng together: performance skills and strategies, health and ph ysical fitness , and sk ill s for managing psychological processes. Naturally, as in any personal qual ity, there is always room for improvement in performance. But coaches typ ica ll y deal superficially with psycho logica l factors such as motivation , anxiety , and concentration , and athletes deal with them with great d istress. Like fitness and health and a know ledge of how and when to execute a movement in sport, psychological processes represent another variable associated wi th achievement. Furthermore, these fa ctors affect the athletes' performance because of their impact on the qua lity and extent of practice and their influence on conditions before , during , and after the event . This art icle wil l address se lected psycho logical facto rs that concern ath letes. In practice or immediately before compet ition we consider (1) anxiety and how to deal with it, (2) sleep ing prob lems , (3) motivation and how to sustain it and persist at practice over a long ti me, and (4) mental preparation or how to mentally ready oneself for competition. During compet iti on athl etes may use au tom atic or adaptive behaviors depending on the dimensions of th e particul ar event an d th e demands placed on them . When a competitive eve nt is over, ath letes should cons id er (1) what to do with the time between events held on the same or next day, (2) learning from performance , (3) evaluating themse lves in a positive manner, and (4) appropriate ly attribut ing performance outcomes. I will discuss these topics in more detail in order to emphasize their importance and relevance to high-level athletic accomplishments . There are severa l possib le methods for coping wth anxiety . One of the most serious pre-event problems is dealing with the projected stress of the actual competitio n. Therefore, se lf-i mposed stress is necessary in pract ice. Athletes must take practice serious ly and be li eve that a practice run , jump, or throw is the real thing. They should develop the necessary att itud es and emotions to be psycho logica ll y prepared to compete. It is difficult to be a good contest compet ito r w itho ut being a good practice compet itor. Many relaxati on programs ex ist, including autoge nic training , Benson 's relaxation response (a sim plifi ed fo rm of transcendental meditation), tra nscendental meditation itself, progressive re laxat ion , se lf-hypnosis , biofeedback , Yoga or Zen, systematic desensitization, and other techniques. None has been found to be superior to the others, because the su itabi li ty of a particular relaxation technique is a personal matter. The primary purpose of al l these techniques is to relax th e mind and the body . Each technique can he lp one sleep, can be used throughout the day, and can help relieve stress before a contest. They may also be used in conjunction with imaging , which wi ll be discussed later. Each athlete shou ld fin d an approach that seems best for him or her. However, it takes time to use a technique effectively , so patience is necessary . Just as ath let ic sk ill s require pract ice for improvement. a relaxation technique must be worked w ith for a whi le to develop the sk ill to use it. Some ath letes find tapes with relaxing messages to be helpfu l.

USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82


Another relaxation technique is to mentally picture oneself in a totally artificial situation such as a void in space or reclining on clouds . If that's too farfetched, the athletes can imagine floating in water where they are buoyant and their limbs seem weightless . Playing soft music in the background also may augment relaxation . Sleep is important before any challenge . That's the time to inhibit mental activity, and good athletes can and do learn to do that with these techniques . Motivation to Practice. One of the athlete's most arduous tasks is to practice day after day, month after month , to achieve the goa ls of an elite ath lete. Boredom sets in and disappointments become difficult to overcome . To sustain intensity over time is a difficult chal lenge. Many ath letes are intrinsically motivated and can effectively govern their own training programs (figure 3). Others waver. Motivation may be intense at

Arousal optimal

Ui QJ .c

Ol

:f

Too little

Too muc h

Figure 2. The arousal level (emotions , motivation, attention) must be optimal for each athlete immediately before and during competition for each event if performance is to be effective. Better athletes learn how to reach the desired emotional/mental state, deal with anxiety effectively, and respond to situational stress appropriately. If an athlete's arousal level is too high or too low for the circumstances, performance will more than likely suffer.

a

Anxiety is fear, and athletes often fear that they will not do well in important contests . The "choking " phenomenon is common to many athletes in a variety of sports. They lose their composure and performance suffers. A positive approach for athletes who genera ll y perform well in routing competit ion but not in big contests is to have them recall previous outstanding performances and the mental/ emotional states associated w ith them. This is the state desired before any competition and especia ll y before an important contest. For examp le, a college runner performed well in meets in which the competition was weak , but her performance times were not very good in the important meets. Apparently anxiety overcame her. After her coach realized what had been happening , he sat down with her just before the biggest meet of the season and had her imagine previous successful performances in meetshow she felt and her general disposition . She developed a positive attitude toward herself and felt much more confident . Perhaps more importantly, her times at the big meet were better than ever. Athletes often repress deep underlying fears. Besides fear of failing - of not winning-they may fear letting down the coach , parents, or others important in their li ves . They may overcome anxiety by identifying and expressing the source . This requires patience and penetration. Going beyond the surface is not easy. It requires asking more and more questions that penetrate deeper into the fear that the athlete is blocking out , and an athlete may not subconsciously want to admit the real reason why he or she is afraid of the competition . Sleeping Problems. Athletes often have trouble sleeping before competing in a major event , but insomnia before competition and optimal athletic performance don 't mix well. The worst thing an athlete can do is mentally rehearse sports performance when it's time for a good night's rest. Athletes who can 't sleep the night-or several nights-before competition should adopt a method that wil l clear their minds and achieve a state of relaxation conducive to sleep . For example , ath letes should deliberately think about something pleasant other than the event. It might be a location that they find p2rticularly pleasing such as stro llin g along a beach or an occasion when they were happy and relaxed. Deep breathing also enhances physical re laxation. The ath lete should take a deep breath and exhale slowly. A deep breath tenses the body , and controlled exhalation relaxes it. The athlete should become conscious of the difference and enjoy the relaxed state . Controlled breathing also allows the athlete a short time-out immediately before any specific athletic task such as shooting a basket or serving a tennis ball. Muscle flexing while lying in bed can also help a person relax . The athlete deliberately tenses a part of the body , counts to ten , and then lets it relax . The body will seek and appreciate the rel axed condition . The person should start at one end of the body (the foot, for example), and next tense the leg and relax . He or she shou ld isolate as many parts of the body as possible , flexing and relaxing , and work upward to the head . A typical program to induce sleep might take 20 minutes.

USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82

Figure 3. Motivation should be internally generated to be sustained. Drives toward competency or se/1- fu/fillment are examples of intrinsic (internal) motivation. Threats or rewards are commonly used extrinsic techniques to motivate athletes. These sources of motivation are not as effective as intrinsic ones for many athletes to persist at training.

first and then gradua ll y weaken. People come closer to achieving their potential when they are dedicated to improving and succeeding. This commitment is expressed by training to meet increasingly more chal lenging goa ls. There are several tips for sustaining a high degree of motivation for a long time , which will in turn elevate the capacity to achieve. Athletes should try to be motivated for internal (personal) reasons , proving for themselves how good they can be by trying hard . They should take pride in their effort and achievements and set high, specific , but attainable goals that they want to achieve. Both long-term and short-term goals should be specified . Short-term goals help contribute to the realization of long-term goals. Athletes should express goals in terms that can be evaluated so they can constant ly assess their progress and then modify either their training procedures or goals, as appropriate. Mental Preparation. Thinking about opponents and situat ions early in the night or morning before competition ca n help strengt hen plans and physical skills. Im agery and mental rehearsal are techniques that internally create or construct performances and conditions as they are perceived to exist or shou ld exist in a forthcoming event . Imagery is done by forming a mental picture of a desirable performance in an expected context. Mental practice is repeated practice of an act or sequence of events in the mind . In both cases the person is typically relaxed and tries to picture things as vividly and positively as possible (figure 4) . Such thought processes can be very helpful , as the following cases show . A rookie professional basketball player told me that in preseason the coaches were pleased with his offensive skil ls and playing ability in general but not his defense. He was concerned about whether he would make the team. I asked him if he used imagery the night before competition. He responded affirmative ly, but only for offensive maneuvers. He clearly pictured his offensive moves against particular opponents in a variety of situations. He

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na ppening . Superb mechanical movements do little good 1f the att1 tud1nal/ emotional state is in disarray. In bri ef events . it is as 1f automatic over-l earned responses tak e over. In longer events. it may be necessary to ad1ust the plans and use adaptive oehav iors . Bet ter ath letes seem to know when to perform automatically and when to consciously intervene to accommodate sit uations that are not going according to plan .

Cons iderations After Competition

Figure 4. Mental rehearsal is a technique that can prepare athletes tor competition. However. the worst thing an athlete can do is mentally rehearse sports performance when it's time for a good night 's rest. Athletes should delibera tely think about something pleasant other than the event.

admitted that he never im agi ned play ing defense. I recomme nded that he do so to orient and motivate himself to play defense . He designated periods for imag in g and mentally rehearsing all aspects of his game and made the team . In an interview in the late 1960s in the New York Times . Jean C laude Killy . the famous Frenc h skier , stated that after he practiced on a new sk i slope and befo re competing, he mentally rehearsed the slope us ing a stopwatch . He conce ntrated on every area and turn o f the slope, timing himself as he envisioned hi s perform ance from sta rt to finish. Kill y stated that his mental performa nce time c lose ly paral leled the ti me he actua ll y ac hi eved in the subsequent compe titi on . fhe best professional golfers tel l me that they go through the following process before they hi t a bal l: relaxing, imaging , concentra ti ng on the ball and blanking the mind , and strok in g. Im aging cons ists of .. seeing in the m ind .. the stroke , th e fl igh t o f the ball , an d where th e ba ll is go in g to land . fh e ab il ity to internal ly c reat e vivid positive images and knowing when to do this ca n apparently enhance performance. Such processes can be se lf1n 1tia ted under relaxed conditions with the eyes c losed or done with persona l videotapes or recorded inst ructi ons . Athletes must take practice se riously and believe th at a practice run , jump, or throw is the real thing.

Considerations During Competition Idea lly movement fl ows in competition and the body performs with little need for de libe rate cognitive intervention . Focus should be o n the minimal numbe r o f most relevant cues. Information derived during or after the perfo rman ce shou ld be monitored. Th oug ht processes need to be quieted but directed towa rd pos itive o utcomes. Howeve r, during practice. thought processes may be more ac t ive to wo rk on ski ll s and tacti cs . Ath letes should seek an optima l arousal leve l, with consistent and con tinuous concen tration and competitive intensi ty. Again. relaxation techniques can be appli ed during the perfo rm ance if the arousa l state is too high . At hletes mus t be ab le to monitor wha t is going on and wo rk toward c on tro ll ing th eir emo tions. if necessary, so they do not have a negative impact on subsequent performance. Many times we don 't eve n realize what is

B

Repeated Events. Some even ts are 路路 one-shot .. - after they are finished that 1s 1t for the day or week . In other sports like tennis or track and f ie ld , there may be many events in o ne or two days w it h time intervals of two ho urs or more. In these situa tions ath letes must learn to re lax comp letely for a time and deactivate though t and emotional processes . Then just before the next event they should activate mental and emotional processes to get into the optimal readiness state . Sustaining arousal and intensi ty from one event to the next may be too draining and energy -d emanding . Lea rning From Performance . Athl etes should use resu lts o f compet it ion as a learn in g exper ience. There are tim es when it is app rop riat e to review. evaluate . and learn from performance using objec tive eva luat ion and constructive criticism . We also need to know how to be at peace with ou rselves . Dwelling on the negative is coun terp roductive . If the performance was not as effective as 1t should have been. analysis sho uld provide appropriate goals and indica te changes th at might improve performance. Positive Self-Evaluation . If winni ng is th e only cr iterion for eva luating performance. then it stand s to reaso n that there are many more unhappy than content competi tors aft er vario us athletic events. Consider such sports as fencing . diving , swimming. golf. and track and field . to name a few. where many athle tes compete. Wi nni ng is import ant , but what about eva luating athletes路 performance agai nst th ei r prev ious performances? Improve men t is a ve ry tangibl e measu re o f success . If improvement is ev ident, mot iva ti on to continue is sustained . Selfconcept is stre ngthened . Unfortunately. the sports wo rld usual ly judges pe rformance in absolute terms : win ning or losing . I hope this mentality w i ll change . Attributions. The reasons at hl etes give for their performances may influence subseque nt goa ls and achievements. Psych o log ists suggest th at ability and effort are two maj o r internal causative factors (attributi ons). and eve nt difficu lty and luck are two maj o r ex te rna l fac tors. We ca n do something about it w hen th e reaso ns we give to o urselves about our performances are under our persona l con tro l. Effort is one of the most important attr ibu ti ons. Effort is an unstable but internal fact or and there fo re under persona l con tro l (figu re 5). (An unstab le factor is one th at ca n be changed .) We ca n always practice or try harde r. Ath le tes who always complain abou t bad breaks o r the imposs ib il ity of doing th e job are g iving in to the circ umstance. Attributi ng perf ormance to a lack of ab ility may also represen t a defeati st atti tude.

Attributions of per1ormance Locus of Control

Stability

Internal

External

Stable (cannot be ch anged ) Unstable (can be changed )

Ability

Task d1ffoculty

Etton

Luck

Figure 5. These are four major perceived determinants (a ttribu tions) of performance outcomes. When the perceived locus of control is internalized and the attribution is associated with an unstable factor, motivation to persist at practice and improve performance will most likely occur. An effort attribution is usually most productive: II an athle te perceives a lack of effort in practice and/or contest perfor mance, he or she can exert more eflort to improve in the future.

But attributing per formance o utco mes to eff o rt is cons tru ctive and has th e nighest probability of leading to subseq uen t improvement. Athletes must believe that they can influence their destiny . They have control over the effort they exert in tra in ing reg imens and actual performance (figure 6) .

Recommendations Physicians and tra in ers are in contact with many athletes and can help them in a number of the areas discussed in thi s article . Coaches have a mu ltitude of responsibilities , and many do not have or make th e time to get to know each athlete on a more personal bas is. Furthermore. commu nicati on between th e coach and ath letes may be weak ; athl etes may fee l uncomfortable discussing ce rt ai n personal problems w ith th e coach. Perhaps a coach may lack an unde rstand ing o f th e psycho log ica r processes assoc iated wit h an ath lete路s

USGF Tec hnica l Journal/ Oct. 62


located at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) in the physica l educati on department. Sport psychology is an emerging profession in the United States, and as such, not many sport f'Sycho logists are avai lable for consu ltation. Where possible, however, it wou ld help ath letes and coaches to talk with physicians or sport psycho logists. The optimal sports medicine and science clin ic of the future may include physic ians , physical therapists, exerc ise physio log ists , nuritionists, biomechanists, and sport psychologists. The Sports Medicin e Counc il of the US Olympic Committee has been striving since 1978 to create such teams of specialists to work with would-be Olympic athletes.

Task perception

Evaluation

t

Expectations

Figure 6. This shows the relationship of attributions to goal expectations in a particular event or activity, and in turn, performance. When attributions are made to unstable factors (factors that can be changed), and especially if they are interna/Jzed (effort), subsequent goals will be reasonably high. High but attainable goals lead to the best performance results.

potential to ach ieve. Finally , most coaches and athletes have not interacted with a sport psycho logist because the field is so new in this country. This means that th e phys ician or trainer may gain the athlete's confidence in privacy , and he or she may feel comfo rtable discussing matters previously held in. If athletes admit to anxiety before compet ition, which is a common occurrence , the trainer or physician should console them . If the anxiety is becomi ng overpowering regu larly and the athlete cannot deal w ith it, there is a prob lem. Spo rts performance and daily act ivities can deterio rate. Parents and poss ibly coac hes shou ld be advised , and perhaps a sport psycholog ist or clinica l psycholog ist or psychiatrist shou ld be consulted. Not eve ry ath lete can effective ly reso lve the potentia l stress of athletic competit ion , but assistance can help. In other cases , it may be advisable fo r the ath lete to pursue another activity or lower the level of competition. As with anxiety immediately before athlet ic competition, so lving sleeping problems depends on their severity and regularity. Physicians or trainers can advise athletes to try any techniqu e described in this article. Serious cases should be handled the same way as severe anx iety cases. In fact , one of the major causes of sleeping prob lems is anxiety about forthcoming competition. At hletes having difficulty in persist ing at training and susta ini ng moti vation should be asked to follow the guidel ines in this article. This procedure assumes the absence of injury. Of course, with too much training an ath lete can become bored , psychologically fatigued , or go into a "s lump ." Sometimes a rest period or change of activity can relie ve the prob lem. Athletes comp lain ing of an inability to concentrate at a particular time or for long periods of time du rin g competition can be advised to try imagery and mental rehearsal techniques. Because these techniques are also used to improve many aspects of performance, a sport psychologist may help explore other possibi liti es. Time lags between competitive events he ld on the same day or in the same sport (s uch as go lf, in which the ball is repeated ly hit) need not be co unter productive. Using relaxation procedures to take one's mind and emot ion s away from the event until immediately before it and then using ap pro priate readying procedures should help most ath letes. If at hletes appear to be too se lf-condemning or constant ly blame others for their problems, the physician or tra in er should help them to think positively and constructively. Every experience shou ld be a learning experience. Every athlete sho uld try to improve and demonstrate competence. Physicians and tra in ers should listen to the reas ons ath letes give to themselves for their performances. Each ath lete should feel in co ntro l. If he or she usuall y attributes a poor performance to lack of preparation for or during a contest, future performances are more likely to improve. Athletes can be helped to attribute their performance more often to effort or a lack of it. Being a good listener is part of being a good psychologist. Physic ians and trainers wi ll probably have more opportunities to serve, train , or rehabilitate athletes. Therefore , they are in a position to listen to ath letes' perceptions of how th ey are doing psychologica ll y and emotionally both in and away from competiti on .

USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82

Sport Psychologists Sport psycho logists can primarily help athletes to improve psycho logical processes associated with successful ath let ic performances and overcome personal problems that might interfere with effective functioning. But just as physicians specialize , so do sport psycho logists. A part icula r sport psychologist may not be able to deal with all circumstances that have psycho logica l overtones. The physician, trainer, or coach who perceives a spec ial need for the serv ices of a spo rt psycho logist might contact a local university to see if a professor is available to provide ass istance. A psychologist , psychiatrist, or sport psychologist may reside in the community. The North American Society for Sport Psychology and Physical Activity has a number of members who are sport psychologists. Professor Richard Mag ill , the secretary of that orga nization, could supp ly the names of persons who might be of assistance. He is

Summary and Conclusion The mental approach to sport is much more important than most athletes rea lize. When, how, and what to think influences fee lin gs and achievements. Mental processes must be trained just as sports skills and tactics. They take time to develop appropriate ly for each person in each circumstance. More ath letes will come closer to reaching their potent ial as they and their coaches realize how mental processes can influence performance and how to improve these processes. In some instances physicians and trainers may be able to help athletes improve the psychological factors associated with achievement in sport. With more troubled athletes, family members shou ld be contacted. Coaches may need to be informed and sport psychologists asked for consultation. Ath letes need not succumb to mental and emot ional distress. In the absence of sport psychologists, knowledgeab le coaches, and sensitive parents , the physician and/o r trainer may represent the athlete's last hope for coping with the psychological aspects of athletic compet iti on.

References 1. Singer RN: Myths and Truths in Sport Psychology. New York City , Harper & Row, 1975 2. Singer RN: The Learning of Motor Skills. New York City, Macmil lan Co , 1981 3. Si nger RN , Mccaughan L: Motivation effects of attributio ns, expectancy, and achievement motivation during the learning of a novel motor task. J Motor Behav 10:245-254, 1978

Suggested Reading 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Covington MV, Beery RG: Self-Worth and School Learning. New York City, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976 Daniel M: "The choke" and what you can do about it. Scho lastic Coach 51:70-72, December 1981 Deci EL: Intrinsi c Motivation. New York City, Plenum Press , 1975 Ga llwey WT: Inner Tennis. New York City, Random House, 1976 Kaus DR: Peak Performance. Engl ewood Cliffs , NJ , Prentice-Hall , 1980 Kendal l PC , Hollon SD (eds): Cognitive-Behaviora l Interventions. New York City , Academic Press , 1979 Klavora P, Daniel JV (eds): Coach, Athlete, and the Sport Psychologist. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 1979 Neal ND: Mental imagery and relaxation in sk ill rehearsal. Scholastic Coach 51 :48,80, December 1981 Nideffer RM: The Inner Athlete. New York City , Crowell , 1976 Nideffer RM: The Ethics and Practices of Appl ied Sport Psychology. Ithaca, NY, Mouvement Publications, 1981 Nideffer RM, Sharpe RC : How to Put Anxiety Behind You. New York City, Stein and Day , 1978 Salmella JH: The World Spo rt Psycholog ist Sourcebook. Ithaca, NY, Mouvement Publications , 1981 Singer RN: Motor Learning and Human Pe rformance, ed 3. New York City, Macmillan Co, 1980 Straub WF (ed): Sport Psyc hology. Ithaca, NY, Mouvement Publications , 1978

9


15. Stuart RB (ed): Behaviora l Se lf-Management. New York City , Brunner/ Maze!, 1977 16. Su inn RM: Psychology for Olympic champs. Psychology Today 10:30-43, July 1976 17. Suinn RM (ed): Psychology in Sports. Min neapolis, Burgess, 1980

Once the athletes are committed and feel a persona l responsibility to the team , they are eager to learn and improve their skil ls. There is li ttle need fo r outs ide intervention by you-the ath letes will motivate themse lves. This permits you to devote more time to teac hing skills and strategies and not pulling strings . Personal Responsibility

Dr. Si nge r is a professor and director of the Motor Behavior Resource Center in the College of Education at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Address correspondence to Robert N. Singer, PhD , Director, Motor Beha vior Resource Center, Florida State University, College of Education , Tallahassee 32306.

On Motivation, Puppets, and Personal Responsibility Kevin S. Spink Reprinted with permission from Sports Line, published by the Office of Youth Sports-Department of Physical Edu cation , Uni vers ity of Illin ois, Urb ana Champaign, Nov. -Dec . 1980. Motivation is the key to success-rig ht? Of course! But what do you do when the motivation is sagg ing o r missing? Rece ntly I was a spectator at a hockey game where the home team was play ing with little motivati on, whic h was clea rl y ref lected by the score. At th e end of the second perio d the team went into th e dressing room trailing by five goals. Whe n they returned for the third period, however, it was obvious to everyone that th ey were a different team-at least in terms of mot ivation . Their rejuvenation resulted in scoring six goals and win ning the game. What transpired in the dressing room to eli cit such a change? Later it was learned that the coac h had threatened each player on the team wi th a $25 fine if performance did not imp rove. Is threat a good method to motivate athl etes? It worked in this situ ation! But the n what happened? The threat of a fine was not imposed in the next two games and the team played w ith littl e motivat ion , losing both games. Th e same hockey coach tried anothe r meth od of mot ivat ing athletes ; he rewarded deserving players w ith free mea ls following the ga mes. Early in the season this stra tegy appeared to be effect ive-t he team played with treme ndous enthusiasm and enjoyed great success. Aft er severa l games, however, motivati o n bega n to wa ne. No longer was the "free mea l deal " eno ugh of an incentive to the ath letes.

But how do you achieve this? How can you increase the athletes' motivation through personal responsibi li ty? Here are a few procedures you should try. o Freedom in Goa l Setting. First , allow the athletes some freedom in determ in ing personal and team goals-both short- and long-term goals. Although this sounds simple enough , it requ ires a great deal of skil l and insight on your part. Give the ath letes freedom , but don 't abandon your responsibi li ties as an adu lt or coach. You shou ld not be a laissez-faire leader who allows the ath letes unrestricted freedom of cho ice. In stead , be an accept ing , supportive in dividual who strikes a deli cate balance between in ternal and externa l con tro l. Know when to encourage the athletes to ass um e responsibility for their outcomes , but rea li ze when external structure is needed. A team without structure is a team in chaos. Remember, provide enough stru cture to allow the ath letes the freedom to develop perso nal responsibility as well as team responsibility. Long-term goals. One approac h to determining long-term goals is to ask the ath letes what they want to accomplis h durin g the season and what suggestions they have for reaching the goa ls. Incorporating these suggestions into your plans goes a long way toward in creas in g persona l comm itment and motivation. Short- term goa ls. There are many ways to involve your team in determining short-term goa ls. For e;><amp le, have the ath letes create a drill incorporating a particu lar sk ill you want to emphasize during a practice. Young3ters can be very innovative and wi ll probably work harder in "their" dri ll s than in "you r" drills. All ow in g ath letes the opportunity to set personal and team goa ls will ultimate ly benefit both the team and the indi vidua l. Ath letes soon learn that sett ing and attai nin g realist ic goals posit ive ly affects their self-image, and in turn , serves to enh ance future motivation.

Long Term Deficiencies Both tec hniqu es used by the coach-threaten in g athletes in to action and providing performance inc enti ves, may have some immediate payoff, but are unsuccessful in providing long-term mot ivati on. In the first instance, motivation depends on th e presence of threat. If th e threat is absent , th en moti vation is not enhan ced. In the case of th e reward approach, ath letes must not on ly be rewarded daily, but as time passes, be enti ced by bigger and mo re impressive rewards. How does all of thi s re late to you , coaches or parents of yo un g ath letes? It's not likely th at you w ill fine a 10-yea r-o ld $25 for lackadaisical play, but we do know that ad ults use a variety of mot ivation al techn iqu es w ith you ngsters , and many of these approaches suffer from long-term deficiencies. Und oubtedly , the biggest drawback in using motivational tec hniques is that you, rather than the athl etes , are provid ing the motivation. When athletes' motivation is dependent on you, psycho logists ca ll it external contro l. Think of a puppet-an o bj ect incapable of initi ating its own activi ty, moving on ly when its strings are manipul ated. It is comp letely under exte rnal con trol. Simil arl y, ath letes w ho are promised rewards or threatened with punishment are being manipulated by an exte rnal so urce . You are "p ullin g their string s" to make them perform , and when yo u quit pulling their stri ngs, their motivatio n declines. In this puppet-like state, athletes beg in to fee l that they are not responsible for w hat hap pens o n the playing field. Th ey depend on being motivated by you. Wou ldn't it be more desirab le if th e athletes did not need you to motivate them? Wouldn 't it be better if athletes were se lfmotivated? Self-motivation Lu ckil y, many athl etes already are se lf-mot ivated-and that makes coach in g a lot easie r. But w hat abou t the oth ers w ho need to develop self-m ot ivation? Se lf-motivati o n depends on a feeling of personal responsibility. Athletes must feel that they ca n " pu ll their own stri ngs"-that they are masters of their own fate. While yo ungsters may not have comp lete contro l over their athletic enviro nment, they should realize that much of what occurs in sports is under th eir contro l-what is te rm ed internal control. When youngste rs understand that th ey can affect th eri" environment, they wi ll fin d purpose and meaning in what they do beca use they have a personal stake in it. 10

You are pulling athletes ' strings when you promise them rewards or threaten them with punishment. o Supportiveness-Regard less of Outcome. Ath letes must fee l supported in th eir endeavors. It's easy to be supportive of a successful team or ind ividual, but it's much more difficu lt to support a los in g team o r individual. But that's you r respons ibili ty too. After permitt in g the youngsters th e misery or grief of their failu res, try focusing on the pos itive aspects of their performance wh ich fulf ill ed any of your sho rt-term goals . If you are a soccer coach, for exa mple, you may pra ise positional play , lack of offs id es, or heading technique. The posi ti ve enviro nment not on ly shows the ath letes that they are supported in the ir act ions, but also establ ishes a path of commun icat ion between you and your ath letes. o When to Assume Full Responsib ility. Realize that the democrati c approach does not app ly in eve ry situation. You must dec ide wh ich issues warrant team input and whic h are strict ly in your domain . You wi ll find that there are occasions when you must ass ume total responsibility-like decid in g to cut a player from the team. This decision is made on the basis of you r knowledge and experience as a coach. Young ath letes are not ready or capab le of mak in g such decisions. As ath letes get older and more mature th ey should be al lowed more input into team decisions. USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82


o Additional Points lo Remember. Three other points related to building motivation through increased persona l responsibility deserve mention. Note the individual differences among your athletes. Certain techniques used to increase an athlete's feeling of responsibility may be good for one athlete but not for another. Some individuals require explicit direction and structure whereas others do not. Get to know your ath letes ; decide how much structure is necessary for each one. Remember-pat ience is a virtu e. Transfer responsibility to the athletes gradually, o n a day-to-day basis. Only after the indi viduals learn to accept responsibility w ill the payoff of increased motivation be rea lized. Finally , believe in you r kids . Before you transfer responsibility to them you must feel that they can be respons ibl e. If you do not adhere to this belief , your chances of implementing this transfer of responsibility wil l not be very good . So next time you are wondering how to motivate your team , try letting the kids pull their own strings. It will provide long-term benefits for the team as well as for the kids. o

In a study on th e effects of various weight training programs o n st rength , Berger (1962) found th at the maximum rate of strength development resulted with six repe ti tions for three sets. If less repetitions were used, strength tended to stay the same. The training session should be limited to five or six of the most important exercises relating to the ski ll to be acqu ired. More exercises can be added later if necessary. The amount of weight lifted with each repetition will depend on th e type of exercises and the beg inning st rengt h of the athlete. It is better to give the athlete a weight that is too light rather than too heavy to begin with. The weight and the number of repetitions can be increased as the weight training program advances w ith time. (Hatf ield , 1980) Many teachers and paren ts fea r that weight training wil l hurt a young child. Two principles must be fo llowed to prevent a child being hurt using weights: (1) th e muscle must lift more than normal if it is to become stronger; and , (2) gradually overloading the muscle to get the best improvement in muscle strength. Lift more each time but not too much too soon . (Corben , 1979) Mental Practice

Kevin Spink is a lecturer in sport psychology at Footscray Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. As a youngster growing up in Canada he participated in many organized sports-at the school, city, district, and provincial levels. At the University of Western Ontario he served as captain of the football team which won the National Canadian Championship. Kevin recently completed his doctorate at the University of Illinois , UrbanaChampaign. You are pulling athletes' strings when you promise them rewards or threaten them with punishment.

Considerable research has been done recently on the effect of mental practice on motor skill learning . While still inco nclusive, it points to the proposition that improvement does take place as a result of menta l practice. One of the earliest studies on the subject was by Twining (1949 ). He co mbined mental practice and physical practice in learning a motor skill and conc lu ded that both mental and physical practice were effe ctive in learning a simple motor skill. Jones (1965) a gymnastic skil l was used w ith col lege men called a hoch swing. He conc lu ded that a vita l part of learning li es in the formation o f the image during the mental practice process. The promotion of motor learning by using mental practice shou ld be concerned with the formation of the kinesthetic image. Intelligence is not a significant fact or in the mental practice effect. (Start , 1960) Glide Kip

Influence of Weight Training and Mental Practice On the Acquisition of the Glide Kip by C. Wilcox, M. Kneer, H. Heitmann , R. Ramell a University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Training for gymnastics has not yet become a science. Research has identified weight training (Berger. 1962) and mental practice (Cratty, 1973) as two treatments or procedures which hold promise for improving performance of gymnasts. For years, it was thought that gymnasts needed balance and timing but not stre ngth . Strength was considered as a by-product of the act ivity. The sport of gymnastics, more than most sport activities , encom passes a seeming ly endless quantity of movement skil ls. The mechanics involved to execute even the most basic ski ll s are the same as those used in advanced sk ills. In order for the correct tech nical execut ion of any movement there mu st be an ideal model. Th e mind 's eye attempts to create the best mode l and then utilize that model as the bas is in formulating correct technique . Researchers are now finding that there is grow ing evidence that mental practice under controlled conditions can. and has. improved performance. (Jones, 1965; Start, 1960) Weight Training

Whitehead (1975) suggests there are three factors to be considered when setting up a weight training program . These three factors include: Intensity. Moving the heaviest weight possible for the required number of tim es. Frequency. The number of times a week that the program is used . The most effective training is done two or three times a week for not more than an hour eac h time. Duration . A designated number of repetitions , or set, for each exerc ise used. Each set shou ld be repeated two or three times with a one minute rest between each set. (Twining , 1949) USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82

One of the basic ski ll s needed whe n working on the uneven bars is a gl ide kip. This skil l according to Hunn, (1979) a sports reporter and former gymnast, is a " common means of raising the body from any kind of hang position to any kind of support position. " This skill is essent ial to a routine as it moves the gymnast from one bar to the other and is also used as a con nection betwee n other skil ls. It can also be used as a commo n mount to beg.in a "ba r" routine. The normal gymnastic teaching approach relies on mostly physical practice with no weight training or mental practice. Consequently , many students are unable to perform the glide kip for long periods of time. This could mean a period of time up to a year or more of practi ce. This failure is often the result of in adeq uate total body strength and the failure of the student to remember the proper sequence and timing required during actual practice. The purpose of this study is to investi gate the influence of weight training and mental practice procedures on the acquisit ion of skill in performing the glide kip on the uneven paral lel bars. It is hypothesized that the treatment g路roup receiving the comb ination of weight training and mental practice will show significantly more improvement than either of the other two treatment groups or th e control group. Two add iti onal sub-hypotheses will be co nsidered: (1) mental practice alone wi ll improve physical performance over no mental practice at all, and (2) weight training alone will improve physical performance over no weight training . If weight training and mental practice does increase the learning of the glide kip and possibly other uneven bar skills , gymnasts will be ab le to improve their overa ll gymnastic ability and increase their enjoyment while possibly learning more difficult advanced sk ill s. The subjects se lected had basic gymnastic experience so that th e g lid e kip was the next skill to be learned . It was assumed that all subjects would be motivated to participate in this study and to learn the glide kip. Two limitations sho uld be mentioned. First , subjects could not be controlled to verify they have physical practice and second ly, no proof can be offered to veri fy th at mental pract ice was executed or prescribed. Method Subjects

Subjects were girl gymn asts between th e ages of 8-11 years o ld selected at random from a list of fifty-six gymnasts that were enrolled in a summer gymnastic program. Forty-eight subjects were selected . There we re 4 eig ht year olds, 7 nine year olds , 21 ten year olds, and 16 eleven year olds. Each individua l was randomly assigned to o ne of four groups with the stipulation that 12 be assigned to each . One group was the control group and wou Id receive only the normal physical practice and coaching they were familiar with in the park district program. The seco nd group was assigned the variable of weight training in addition to normal physical practice and coaching. The third group was assigned the variab le of mental practice in addition to normal physical practice and coach ing . Th e fourth group was assigned both weight training and mental practice in add ition to the norma l physical pract ice and coach ing . Al l groups were given instruction and practice for the g li de kip . 11


Table 1 Mean Age of Gymnasts in Each Group

Procedures On the first day of the study the subjects were all given an explanation of the glide kip ski ll and the correct technical execut ion. Th ey were also given a demonstration of the sk ill so they cou ld see how the skill should be performed. (There was no pretest given since none of the subjects could do the glide kip and random assignment equated groups.) The subjects were in the gymnasium for a three hour block of time , three times a week for six weeks. All groups rece ived thirty minutes of physical practice and coach ing per session. All groups rotated to other instructional areas during the three hour time block . The cont ro l group received t hirty minutes of regu lar physica l practice and coaching that is normally given a gymnastic c lass working on the glide kip . Th ey also received another twenty minutes to practice any sk ill on which they wo uld li ke to wo rk. The weight training group worked in the weight room on the Universal weight machines. They used selected exercises that wou ld help in the skill acqu isition of the kip. Th ey did the fol lowi ng exercises: 1. The straight-arm pull down or lat pull. Thi s exercise is for the muscles of the trapezious in the shoulder area and the latiss im us area under the arms. Thi s exe rcise is also sim il ar to the fina l arm mot ion of the kip. 2. The benc h press . This exercise helps develop strong pectoral muscles. It will help the body to " pu ll " during the final phase of the kip. 3. The leg press. This is for the musc les in th e hips and legs. It will also help the legs as th ey li ft toward the bar during the beg inni ng of the kip phase. 4. Th e leg extension. Thi s is for the musc les in the front of the leg . It helps st rengthen the knees. This is necessary so the legs can be lifted to the bar during the kip . 5. The sit up. This exercise is for the abdominal muscles. It is done on the inclined board. It he lps the abdominals during the entire skill. 6. Th e straight leg lift. Th is is for the abdom inal muscles and the muscles in the front of the leg. It is done on the inclined board . T he action is similar to that of the legs lifting straight up toward the bar.

GROUP

MEAN AGE

Control

9.36

II

Mental Practice

10.08

Ill

Weight Training

9.75

IV

Weight & Menta l

9.27

• F (3,42) = 2.83, P

.05

Source

di

SS

Total

45

119.82

3

7.68

2 56

42

112.14

2.67

Between Within

F = 0.96

ms

0.96

NS

A fo ll ow-up Duncan New Multiple Rang e Test was used to determine where the difference occurred. It was found that the combination weight training and mental practice group were statistically significant from all other groups at the < .0 1 level. No other differences were found although th e group receiving the we ight training approached statistical significance. Discussion

As suggested by Hatfi eld , (1980) all the exerc ises were done w ith three sets of ten repetitions each. Each girl was tested to find a beginning weight for each exercise. The weight was increased as strengt h was gained according to the ove rl oad principle. Thi s group also rece ived thirty minutes of phys ica l practi ce and coaching. The mental practice group was taken to a quiet room and instructed to lie down, close their eyes and picture themse lves performin g the g li de k ip as it was demonstrated on the first day. The mental practice period was for fiv e minutes each day they were in the gym. They were also given key words to think about to help th em organ ize their thoughts . The key words were: glide , ex tend , lift, rid e, push , heels, and tight. After the menta l practice th ey returned to the gym and had thirty minutes of physical practice and coaching. The weight training and mental practice group rece ived the same exercises and instructions as the subj ects in Gro up II for the weight room . Th ey also received the same instructions as Group 11 1for mental practice. They received thirty minutes of physical practice and coaching, too . All four grou ps were given three exercises to do at home on the days th ey we re not in the gym . The at home exercises were as follow s: (1) 30 V sit ups , (2) 20 full length push ups, (3) 30 leg lifts and lowers. These exercises cou ld be done in sets of five if necessary. Two girls dropped out of the st udy due to lack of interest in the summer gymnastic program . One from the control group and one from the comb ination weight trai ning and mental practice group. Table 1 shows the mean ages of the girls in conju ncti on with the treatment groups. No d ifferences in ages accordi ng to groups were fou nd (F (3,42) = 0.96 , P > .1). At the end of the six weeks the subjects were tested on the glide kip skill by a panel of two judges who were gymnastic coaches and had experience in judg ing gymnastic meets. Th e judg ing took place on the last day of the study and neither judge was aware of the treatment group in which each girl had participated. Each girl was allowed three attempts of the skill and each atte mpt was scored accordi ng to the rating scale rang in g from a high of ten points to a low of one poi nt. The three kip scores were al l averaged and co mbined to g ive a kip average for each girl. These scores were then computed to find the group mea n. In order to dete rmin e if the two ju dges were cons isten t in their eva luation of the performances, the Kenda ll Coefficient of Concordance (W) was app lied to the judge's average scores for each girl. The Kendal l Coefficient of judg e's scores yield a W = .97, wh ich is considered to be high. Results The mean sco res for each group were as follows : (1) Control 4.07 , (2) Mental Practice 4.91, (3) Weight Training 5.56, and (4) Weight Train ing and Mental Pract ice 7.07. It was hypothesized that the combination weight training and menta l practice group wou ld show the highest leve l of skill attainment . It was also predicted that the mental practice group wou ld improve performance better than the co ntro l and weight training groups. A one-way AN OVA y ielded a significant effect (F (3,42) = 8.68 , P < .01 ). Table 11 presents this data.

12

It should be noted that during the time the subjects were being tested they were also being observed to see how they were performing the skill and implementing what they learned during the experiment. Members of the three treatment groups appeared to express confidence in their performance of the task . The contro l group did not seem fully prepared for the post-test. Since this group had only used the normal physical practice and coaching, it is not unusual to find that many of them were not o rg anized mentally to perform the kip in the desired manner. Th e following finding s are the results of these ana lyses. 1. The control group remained at a lower level of skill acquisition with just physica l practice and normal coaching at the end of the six week study. 2. Th e weight tra ining group, whi le approac hing signifi cance, st ill did not who lly achieve the g li de kip. 3. The combinat ion weight training and mental practice group achieved performance improvement that was statistica ll y significant at the P < .01 level. Thi s gro u ~ ex hibited st rength and know ledge of the co rrect tech nical executio n to perform the kip.

Table 2 Results of the One Way ANOVA for Treatment Groups

ms

Source

di

SS

Total

45

139.79

3

53.40

17.80

42

86.38

2.05

Between Within

p

8.68

.01 ·

• F (3,42) = 4.29 , P < .01

These findings seem to justify the conclus ion that mental practice when co mbined with weight training and physical practice is an effecti ve method for learning and improving the g li de kip. Wh il e the separate treatments of mental practice and we ight training may be helpful and essential for skil l improvement of a high level , the catalytic interaction created between these two treatments when used together wi ll increase the acqu isition of the g li de kip better than any single treatment or the now customary physical practice and coac hing method of teac hing gymnastic skills . The results of this study should encourage further research using weight tra ining and mental practice treatment with other gymnastic skil ls and with older participants.

USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82


References

1. Berger, R. "Effects of Varied Weight Training Programs on Strength ," Research Quarterly , Vol 33 , No. 2, 1962, 33. C. USA vs China, March 26 and 27 , U.C.L.A. Nebraska gymnasts Hartung , Johnson and Cahoy decline because of N.C.A.A. Championships the fo llowing week. Team will be: Peter Vidmar, Mitch Gaylord, Wa ll ace Miller, Roy Palassou, Mario Mccutcheon , Tim Daggett and Chris Ri ege l alternate. National Coach , Grossfeld and assistant Sakamoto.

2. Corbin , C. & Lindsay , R. Fitness for Life , Chicago: Scott Foresman and Company , 1979. 3. Hatfield , F.C. Weight Train ing for the Young Athlete , New York: Atheneum , 1980. 4. Hunn , D. The Complete Book of Gymnastics, New Jersey: Chartwel l Books Inc. , 1979.

D. Moscow Riga , March 26-April 2 Mitch Gaylord is first se lection; Tom Beach is second if Mitch declines. Mitch , if he accepts, will be accompanied by Kurt Thomas if Kurt is availab le or Dan Connelly if Kurt is unavailable. Tom Beach , if he goes, would be accompanied by Dan Connelly.

5. Jones, J.G. "Moto r Learning Without Demonstration or Physica l Rehearsal Under Two Conditions of Mental Practice ," Research Quarterly, 36, 270276, 1965.

E. Hungarian Invitationa l, April 7-11. Brian Babcock is out because of injury. Chris Riegel will be asked to rep lace Babcock. Jim Howard w ill be asked to accompany Chris and Matt Biespiel as their coach.

6. Start, K.B. "Re lationship between Intel lig ence and the Effect of Mental Practice on the Performance of a Motor Skill ," Research Quarterly, 31, 644649 , 1960. 7. Twining , W.E. "Mental Practice and Physical Practice in Learning a Motor Skill," Research Quarterly, 20, 432-435 , 1949.

F. East German Invite, Apri l 16-17. No change from January 8 minutes. Mark Caso and personal coach Art Shurlock.

8. Whitehead , N. Conditioning for Sport, West Yorkshire: E.P. Pub li shing ltd ., 1975.

g

G. Champions All, April 3, London. No change from January 8 minutes. Jon Omori and personal coach Yoichi Tomita. 2.

Regional qualifying meets are changed from May 14-15 to April 30-May 1. These four regional qualifying meets wi ll place gymnasts into the National Champ ionships up to the 24th position. All those who score 112 in these meets or have scored 112 previously will automatically qualify. The remaining slots up to the 24th position will be assigned from these four qualifying meets, based upon the high scores from these meets of those individuals who do not reach the 112 mark. If more than 24 score 112, they will all qualify.

3.

Corporate Champ ionships are changed from April 30-May 1 to May 14-15. This is a meet for post-graduate or non- N.C.A.A. gymnasts or redshirted N.C.A.A. gymnasts. It is to be sponsored by Playboy and will take place in Atlantic City and is an opportunity for gymnasts to extend their career after college. It is recognized as a qualifying meet for those who score 112 or better. These qualifiers wi ll be in add iti on to the 24 who have been qualified through the regionals the weekend of April 30. For specific information contact Mas Watanabe.

4.

In the future, it is recommended that regional qualifying meets be the last qualifyin!=j opportunity of the year.

5.

Committee discussed Wayne Young's proposal for more persons to be allowed into the National Championships. It was decided to stay with twenty-four this year although there is a possibility of more because of the Corporate Champ ionships.

6.

Discussion was held regarding the pros and cons of va rious methods of se lection of gymnasts for U.S.G.F. National and International competitions. Primarily the idea of allowing the National Coach , Program Director, and their staff select gymnasts for competitions based upon their perceived needs of the men's program and its individual gymnasts versus the present method of assigning gymnasts based upon rank from the last major competit ion with an intent of giving everyone on the National Team an opportunity to compete was again debated.

7.

Di scuss ion was held regarding an extended Junior Elite program to identify and educate gymnasts between the Junior Elite and Elite Programs who may contribute to future U.S.A. teams. Mas Watanabe was directed to present a specific written proposal for the committee's consideration .

MEN 'S PROGRAM COMM ITTEE MINUTES Conference Ca ll , February 25 , 1982 Present:

Les Sasvary (Chairman) Fred Roethlisberger (Secretary) Bill Roetzheim Abie Grossfeld Ed Burch Mas Watanabe (Men 's Program Director)

Not Participating : Jay Whe lan Don Gutzler Meeting was called to order by Les Sasvary at 3:00 P.M. 1. Gymnasts assignments for meets: All the committee members present wanted to express their strong opinion that the schedu lin g of important team meets during the collegiate season is not appropriate. There are many problems involved with insuring a strong USA representation when meets such as the Japan vs USA, Hungary vs USA and China vs USA dual meets are schedu led during the collegiate season. Although as explained to the M.P.C. by U.S.G. F. office personnel these meets were necessary to raise revenues for U.S.G. F. Programs , every effort must be made to avoid schedu lin g such meets as these during a November-April time period . The academic and physical we ll -being of our athletes must be our prime consideration. A. American Cup , March 6 and 7 and Mixed Pairs. No change from January 8 assignments: Hartung , Vidmar, Conner and personal coaches. B. Hungary vs USA, March 13, Atlantic City. Substitute Phil Cahoy because of te levision request for known gymnasts. Team is: Scott Johnson, Mario Mccutcheon , Mitch Gay lord, Wally Mi ll er, Roy Pa lassou and Phil Cahoy. Tom Beach and Chris Riegel are alternates. National Coach suggested Frances Allen as coach and Fred Roeth li sberger as assistant since he and his assistant cannot attend. Accepted unanimously.

USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82

•

Meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m. Submitted by Fred Roethlisberger, Secretary. Corrected by Chairman Sasvary 3-13-82.

g 13


Monday May 3, 1982 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Meeting of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS U.S.0.C. Olymp ic House Colorado Springs. CO BOARD MINUTES

Cheryl Raymond Tric ia Bork Guests Present: Andrea B. Schmid

Atty. Charles Curry Jackie Fie

- Athlete Representative replacing L. Mulvihill - Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women - Nationa l Co llegiate Athlet ic Association - National Collegiate Ath letic Association

USGF Representative to the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Assembly. Chair of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Comm ittee - Legal Co unsil of the Law Firm Shannon. Gracey, Ratliff and Miller FIG Women 's Technical Committee Member

Delegates Present: Ms. Lisa Cawthorn - Athlete Representative Mr. Bart Conner - Athlete Representative Ms. Kathy Johnson - Athlete Represe ntative Mrs. Nancy T. Marshall - Athlete Representative Mr. Brent Simmons - Athlete Represe ntative (rep lac ing Peter Kormann ) Mrs. Debbie F. Snyder - Athlete Representative (replacing Linda Mulvihill) Mr. Wayne Young - Ath lete Representative (arrived at 9:51 AM) Mr. Jerry Hardy - Amateur Athletic Union Mrs. Norma Zabka - American Soko l Organization Mr. Har ry Warnken - American Turners Organ izati on Ms. Terry Bryson - Assoc iation fo r Interco llegiate Athletics for Women Mr. Dan Garcia - Association for Intercollegiate Athlet ics for Women Mrs. Jymme Lowrance - Assoc iation for Intercollegi ate Athletics for Women Mr. Courtney Shanken - Jewish Welfare Board Ms . Mimi Murray - National Association for Girls and Women in Sports Mr. Rusty Mitchel l - National Association for Collegiate Gymnastics CoachesMen Mr. Vannie Edwards - National Association for Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches - Women Mr. Marc Rabinoff - National Association of Intercollegiate Athl et ics Ms. Joanne Aschenbrenner - National Association of Women Gymnastics Judges Mr. Jim Gault - National Elite Coaches Associat ion, Women (arrived at 2:28 PM) Ms. Roe Kreutzer - National Elite Coaches Association , Women Ms. Tricia Bork - National Col legiate At hleti c Association Mr. Jerry Miles - National Col leg iate Ath letic Association Ms. Cheryl Raymond - National Collegiate Athletic Association Mr. Bill Roetzheim - National Collegiate Athletic Association Ms. Kristy Rowland - National Federation of State High School Associations Ms. Sharon Wilch - National Fede ration of State High School Associations Mr. Les Sasvary - Vice President for Men, National Gymnastics Judg es Association Mr. John Brinkworth - National High Schoo l Gymnastics Coaches Association Ms. Arlene Crosman - National Junior College Athletic Association Mr. Dave Rowlands - National Junior College Athletic Association Mr. Bob Finch - United States Association of In dependent Gymnastics Clubs Mr. Mike Milidonis - Sec reta ry to the USGF Executive Committee USGF Office Staff Present: Mr. Roger Couns il - Executive Director Ms. Kay Miller - Secretary to the Executive Director Mr. Sasvary announced the necessary vot ing stat istics for the Board meeting procedures.

Agenda Item Ill The minutes of the November 2-3, 1981 meeting of the Board of Directors were submitted for approval. Corrections to the minutes included: Page# 1 Correct the spe lling of "Mr. Marc Rabinoff." 14

Correct the last paragraph to read "Women 's International Program Committee." Page # 18: Correct paragraph b. in the middle of the page by striki ng the words " and abroad." Mr. B. Roetzheim moved that the minutes be approved as co rrected . Second by Ms. R. Kreutzer Motion Passed. Agenda Item IV Executive Director's Report

The meeting was called to order by Senio r Vice President for Men Les Sasvary at 9:01 AM. Mr. L. Sas va ry exp lained the absence of President B. Wilkinson and introduced the new delegates and guests to the Board of Directors Meeting. New Delegates Present: Debbie F. Snyder Dan Garcia

Page # 4:

Mr. R. Counsil presented the State of the Federation Address. The budget situation is as projected, however, the cash flow of the USGF is not as healthy presently as perhaps it should be. The dilemma is due to the difficu lty in some of the recent events and difficulty raising funds for some upcoming events. Th e receipt of the Tax Letter is expected to provide a new prospectus of additional financial support. An unaudited report and consu ltati on by Mr. B. Wa lker suggested that the upcoming events of the fed erat ion receive critical analysis and possible cut in events and costs associated with events. The magazi ne USGF GYMNASTICS has provided excellent communication with the sports community. Circu lation is thriving and has exceeded 50,000 to ath letes and professionals. Th e TECHNICAL JOURNAL has also developed into an exce llent means of communicat ion to the gymnastics professionals . The area of marketing and sponsorships is still developing . Th e McDonalds organizat ion will underwrite the salary and support of an administrator for the LUV Program. The refo re, the USGF has contracted with Mr. Doug Fitzgerald for this position. Tiger/ Asics has provided all of the uniforms for USGF National Team Members and Coaches. During the next three years their co ntribution will exceed $190,000 as wel l as $150,000 in apparel donations. The USGF is presently waiting for an answer to a proposa l submitted to the Sanyo Corporat ion . A major computer company has also been contacted and arrangements for sponsorship in the computerization of the USGF Office and membership program are being proposed. Mr. R. Counsil explained the current status of the New Jersey Litigation concerning the revoked sanction of gymnastics compet ition which invo lved the vio lat ion of the USGF Operating Code . The Board was also apprised of the continu ing litigation involving a gymnastics acciden t in California. The relationship with the Insurance Membership program is continuing on target Bayly, Martin and Faye have expressed an interest in purchasing the awards for various USGF Competitions and the associated costs with possible regional Coaching Clinics. The USGF events calendar is being revised on a monthly basis . Mr. B. Ballester has been hired as meet director for two events coming up in order to alleviate work load for Mr. E. Zimmer w ho must conduct other major events occurring at similar times. Mr. B. Roetzheim commented on the need for the USGF to deve lop a contingency fund to protect our events calendar. Proposed by Mr. B. Roetzheim that the USGF not attend the Rhythmic Four Continents Competition and the Artistic Pacific Alliance Competition due to budgetary concern. Second by Ms. S. Wi lch Discussion Followed. Moved by Ms. A. Crosman to table the motion until the New Business portion of the agenda. Second by Mrs. N. Zabka Motion to Table , passed. Mr. R. Counsil continued with his report concerning the projected losses of income expected from some of the recent events. The concerns discussed included attendance , promotion, conflict with other events , saturation with other communi ty events , television saturation , etc.

The upcoming Ft. Worth International Invitational should be a good event for the USG F. Additional planning has provided good promot ion and community support for attendance. However, we are still lacking a major network television contract as of this date. The summer tour of China and Korea could also provide a fund raising possibility for the USGF. Questions from the Board concerned the promotion of events by the USGF and the negotiating agents for the USGF. Mr. R. Counsi l exp lained th e current status of the arrangements with the USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82


Internat iona l Management Group concern ing the solicitation of sponsorships and event negotiation for television contracts. There cou ld be future litigation regarding the rights of negotiation for event or program sponso rship. The Board commended th e recent te lev ision promotion of gymnastics. Specifically the USA vs. The World series. Ms. R. Kreutzer commented of the closeness that these competitions have created among the USA team members and the support of each of the teams for each other. Mr. J. Brinkwo rth requested a five minute recess , 10:30 AM. Second by Ms. R. Kre utzer. Motion Passed The meeting was reconvened at 10:38 AM with a continuation of th e Executive Director's Report. Mr. R. Couns il an nounced that the USGF CONGRESS will be conducted on Sep tember 23 through 26 , 1982 at the Americana Hotel in Ft. Worth, Texas. The emp has is shall be on the se rvices wh ich may be provided for the grass roots programs in the USA. Agenda Item V Committee Reports Execu tive Committee - Mr. M. Milidonis presented a synopsis of the discussion and actions of the USGF Execut ive Committee during its recent meetings, March 5 and April 19, 1982. The Executive Comm ittee has been very active and efficient in th e affairs of the USGF in the recent month s. A brief report of the actions includes: The eval uation of comm ittee minutes, form , content and procedures for publ icat ion . Evaluation of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Prog ram and its organizat ion. Establishment of an ad hoc adv iso ry comm ittee of Athlete Eligibility. Estab li shment of an ad hoc advisory committee to study the need for and organization of an Athletes Foundation . Discussion of the current Sanctio ning procedures and assignment to committee the task of revi sing the Sanctioning Policies of the USGF. Discussion of International Affairs of the USG F and the Establi shment of a USGF International Planning Committee advisory status. The Executive Committee also discussed the need for the USGF FIG representative to be present as guests of the Executive Committee at meetings of th e Committee and the Board . Numerou s item s we re included in the report and are presented in the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee. Nominating Committee - Mr. M. Milidonis explained the tasks of the committee to be completed for the next Board Meeting to include the nominati ons for positions on the Exec uti ve Comm ittee and va riou s Board comm ittees. Contract Committee - Mr. R. Co un sil commented that the committee has not needed to be too act ive in the negotiation of con tracts recently. Accou nting and Finance Committee - The committee will submi t a comp lete report of activities at the next meeting . Ms. S. Wilch shall act as Chair for the comm ittee. Membership Committee - Mr. B. Roetzheim presented the information and reco mmendation of the committee to the Board. The Association for Blind Athletes has submitted application for membership to the Board. The recommendation of the co mmittee was to co nsider the grouping of a Handicapped Athletes Association as an Assoc iate Member. The National Associatio n of College Gymnastics Coaches for Women have submitted a change of status app lication to Active Membership. The committee has asked for additional information to be presented at a later time. Credenti als Comm ittee - Mr. J. Brinkworth presented a detailed report of the credentia ls committee and the difficulti es encountered in obtain ing information from the constituent members. The tasks of the committee in cluded the determination of voting delegates and the select ion of the delegates to th e Board , their term of delegate office , the power of vote and rep rese ntat ion. The recommendat ion proposed by the committee shall be presented as procedures of the comm ittee under new business. BYLAWS Comm ittee - Mr. M. Milidonis presented the proposed BYLAWS amendme nts received and a brief explanation of their impact on th e current BYLAWS. A proposals sha ll be brought forward during the New Business po rti on of the age nd a. Men 's Program Committee - Mr. L. Sasvary commented on the activ ities of the comm ittee during the recent months. The use of conference calls has enab led the committee to provide more current and effective service to the men 's program . USGF Technical Journal/O ct. 82

A brief presentation of th e recent compet iti ons and their results demonstrated the growing st rength of the men 's team. The qualification system for the Championships of the USA was explained to the Board. The selection of the National Teams for Juniors , Juni or Elite and Se ni or was detailed in cluding th e upcoming co mpetition s, train ing camps and preparation for the 1983 World Champio nships. The post graduate program has begun and th e future of the entire program looks very promising. Women's Committee - Mrs. R. Kreutzer presented a rep o rt of the activities o f the Women 's Committee during the recent months. Through competition each of the eight regions w ill select two teams. (Jr. 12-14) (Sr. 15-up) . Six girls per team. Any Class 1 gymnast who did not make a Regional Team and scored 68 .80 at their regional meet may enter the Eastern or the Western Championsh ips. The top six Jrs. and the top six Srs. from these two meets will qualify along w ith the Region al Teams to the Junior Olympic National Championsh ips. Women's Internation al Program Committee - Mrs. J. Fie commented on the recent iss ues co nce rning the vault board for women. The Olympic Games Preparation Committee has been dissolved and the respo nsibility re ve rts back to the WIPC. The results of recent competitions has shown great strength in the women 's program and good depth of competitors. Ms. R. Kreutzer commented on the great rapport among the team members, coac hes, and staff during all of the recent eve nts. Mrs. J. Fi e continued that the committee must resubmit the se lection process materials to the USOC for the eligibility for development and project gold funds. Rhythmic Gymnastics Committee - Ms. A. Schmid presented the reports from the national program committee and the intern at ional program committee. The report was detailed w ith the organization of the co mmittees of all levels , their responsibilities and functions . The depth of the rhythmic program was described in the state and regional structures. Diffi culties have been encou ntered in the registration of athletes and the communication from the USGF office. The assignment of Mrs. S. Ammerman to the committees as liaison shou ld increase the efficiency of operation and communication with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors related to matters concerning the Rhythmic Gymnastics portion of the USGF program. Mr. M. Rabinoff moved that the meeting of the Board recess for lunch (12:05 PM) and reco nvene at 1:30. Seco nd by Mr. B. Roetzheim. Motion Passed. The meeting of the USGF Board of Directors reconvened at 1:31 PM. Advisory Committee on Equipment and Legal Liability - Mr. M. Rabinoff presented th e minutes of January 29 , 1982 and a report of the recommendations of the committee. The tasks of the committee were to evaluate the protection needed and possibility of litigation regarding the use of eq uipment w hi ch meets and does not meet the specifications for American and fo reig n equipment companies. There must be an awareness for the difference in equ ipm ent specifications , FIG or USGF, differing adjustments for age groups, and potential for lawsuits resulting from equipment usage. The commi ttee was concerned with the teaching of coaches in proper equipment use, teaching methods, and concerns for safety. The USGF should be more invo lved in the safety aspects of the developmental programs. Ms. K. Rowland asked if the USG F has input in the equipment companies specifications of equipmen t and the use of disclaimer clauses, failure to warn protection. Lengthy discussion followed concerning the possibilities and protection needed for legal d1tt1cult1es an d liability. Th e recommendations of the committee w ill be considered under New Business. Ad Hoc Advisory Sanct ioni ng and Television Negotiati o ns Committee- Ms. M. Murray presented a report concerning the revision of the USGF Sanctioning Policies . The document should be completed within the next month and prepared for Board action . Agenda Item VI USOC Report Mr. M. Milidonis presented a description of the Development and Project Gold prog ra ms offered to all National Governing Bodies by the USOC. The gym nast ics teams and indi vidual s will qualify for USOC funds for training and development toward the 1984 Games. The evaluation procedures consider th e team selections, NGB management and budget , qualifying athletes among the top eight in the wo rld ranking s, prioritized goals for training , etc. Mr. R. Couns il reported on the status of organization of the 1984 Olympic Games by the LAOC . The gym nastics events shall be co nducted at the UCLA Pauley Pavilion. Our greatest concerns at th e moment are the housing of ath letes and the means of tran spo rtati on to the training and competition sites. The USGF is also concerned with arrangements for the FIG Congress to be 15


held prior to the Games. The USGF assumes the costs and organization of the FIG Congress . This is an election cong ress, so we must be th oroughly prepared for all facets. Discussion from th e Board co nce rn ed the poli tical implications of th e FIG Cong ress related to the nominati ons for positions representing the USGF. Concern was also expressed ove r the o rganization of the Games in regard to the se lection of Meet Director and Technical Persons. The Board asked that Mr. R. Co un sil correspond wit h the FI G concerning these matters. Mr. R. Counsil co ntinued with a report on th e proposed use of the Olympic Training Cen ter for th e coming summe r. Mr. M. Watanabe shal l be stay in g at the Trai ni ng Center fo r two and one half months to conduct trai ning camps and related program fun ctions with the USOC. Mr. M. Mil idonis reported on the recent USOC House of Delegates meeting. Th e Olympic Coin Bill has ru n into difficu lti es while still in committee . Two different proposals relate not on ly to the number of coins to be produ ced but also to th e questions as to: Who will finance the co in s? Who will mint the coins? Who w ill di stribute the coins? How will the revenues of th e coins be distributed? The USOC desperately needs the projected funds and the passage of the coin bill by June 1. Th e fund s are needed for the stag ing and development programs for the 1984 Games. Legislation was approved that ath letes who are eli g ibl e for the Nation al Sports Festival must also be eligible fo r parti c ipation in the Olympic Games. Th e original proposa l was aimed at the reinstated professionals and could have affected our yo ung er athletes. The progress on the new 501 (C) (3) is coming as expected w ith passage , hopefu ll y by early June. The USOC has estab li shed an International Relation s Committee to aid the NGB 's with co mmunication , planning, and assoc iation with their respec tive International Governing Bodi es. The National Spo rts Fest iva l is sc hedul ed for Jul y 23 to 31 in Indi anapolis.

Mr. Counsil reported that the 501 (c) (3) should be received by early June. Through the aid of the USOC and various presentat ions the efforts seem successfu l. This shou ld great ly increase the abi lity of the USGF to raise funds for events, progra ms, and operatio n. Agenda Item IX New Business Membership App li cations. Mr. B. Roetzheim presented the proposals of the membersh ip committee. Moved that the USGF Office co ntact the Blin d At hletes Assoc iati o n and request that they structure an umbrell a orga nization fo r other handicapped athletes o rgan izati ons , and further that they re-apply for Associate membership to the USGF Board of Directors . Second by Ms. J. Aschenbrenner. Motion Passed. The re-app li cat ion letter shou ld contai n the structure of the Handicapped Athletes Assoc iati on and cri teria for delegate se lection. Mr. V. Edwards presented a detailed repo rt of the National Association of Col lege Gym nasti cs coaches for Women. He requested the Board to co nsider affi rm ative action to move the association to active voting status on cons iderat ion of the merit and cont ributi o ns of the assoc iatio n. Moved by Ms. M. Murray that the NACG CW be adopted as an Active Member of the Board of Directors with one vote. Second by Ms. A. Crosman . Motion Passed. The question was raised co ncerning the statu s of the Assoc iat ion for Intercollegiate Athl eti cs for Women. Matters co ncerning this organizatio n sha ll be discussed at the next Board meeting.

Mr. J. Gault arri ved at 2:28 PM .

BYLAWS Amendment Proposals.

Agend a Item VI I Review of th e Exec utive Directors Contract

Mr. M. Milidonis presented the BYLAWS amendments as approved by th e com mittee. It was recommende d that eac h of the proposals be co nsidered separate ly and reported to th e floor by mot ion.

Mr. Mil idonis directed comments conce rning the performance of duti es of the USGF Exec utive Director to the Board. The Board was reminded to review BYLAWS Artic le 7.09 related to the responsibilities and duties of the Execut ive Director. The Board requ ested that th e Executive Committee develop an evalu ative tool to access the performance of th e Execu ti ve Director.

Moved by Ms. A. Crosman to amend Artic le 4. 11 Regular meetings of the Boa rd of Directors shall be held "once" each year. Secon d by Ms. S. Wilch .

Proposed by Mr. B. Roetzheim , That the USG F Board of Directors commend Mr. Roge r Counsil , Exec uti ve Director, for the effo rts and accomplishments produ ced on behalf of the USGF during his recen t tenure. And further that th e Board of Directors approve a continuatio n of the USG F Employment Contract w ith Mr. Roger Counsil as USG F Exec uti ve Directo r for a three yea r term , effective at th e co nclusion of the present co ntractual terms. And furth er that the contract be drawn by the USGF Contract Committee to in clude an eight percent increase in the present salary for the first yea r. And for the subseq uent two yea rs , th e an nu al in crem ent shall not exceed th e cost of livi ng index for th e particular term of th e contract. The con tract may be re-negotiated if and when the fin ancial environm ent alte rs w ithin the Federation . Seco nd by Mr. M. Rabinoff. Mot ion Passed.

Disc uss ion of the moti o n concerned th e inc reased act ivity of the Executive Co mmittee and the need for the Board to remain acti ve ly involved.

Vice President for Men Mr. L. Sasvary asked for a ten minute recess at 3:20 PM .

A Substit ute motion was moved by Ms. K. Rowland to amend Artic le 7.01 d to strike the word "two (2) " and insert the word "t hree (3). " Seco nd by Mr. W. Young. Moti on Passed.

Agenda Item VIII Unfinished Business Mr. B. Roetzheim ex pl ained the need for long range planning in preparatio n for the FIG elections and the future competition s of our USA team s. The enviro nm ent is we ll prepared fo r the US to take a more act ive ro ll in the leadersh ip of the FIG an d th e FI G Tec hni ca l Committee. Mrs. J . Fi e rel ated the aspects of the voting streng th and influen ces on the vote of FIG membership. The cam paigning, po liti cs, proced ures, and plans used shot.lid be und erstood and planned for in advance. Di scuss ion of th e Board centered around the 1984 Game Plan as presented in the March 5, 1982 Minutes of the Executive Committee. Our preparation and implementation of a game plan shou ld begin as soon as possible to enha nce all facets of the USGF program .

The Quest ion was called by Mr. D. Rowlands . The motion was defeated . Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to amend Arti cle 7.01 d. St ri ke the last se nten ce "No offi cer may serve more than two co nsecuti ve terms. " Second by Ms. K. Rowland . Discussion of the motion concern ed the relationship of the length of the term in office and effecti ve ness of performance of office duties. The discussion con tinu ed w ith the .cons ideration of lengthened terms as opposed to unlimited terms.

Mr. L. Sasva ry asked for a five minute recess at 5:02 PM. The Board meeting reconve ned at 5:08 PM . Mr. Milidonis continu ed the BYLAWS presentation wi th further proposals related to the most recen t motion. Moved by Mr. D. Rowlands to amend Articl e 7.01 d so th at the last sentence reads , "The President and Vice President for Women shall be elected fo r concurrent terms and the Vice Pres id ent fo r Men and Secretary shall be elected for concurrent terms." Secon d by Ms. K. Rowland . Motion Passed.

Mr. R. Couns il co mm ented th at th e adv iso ry Intern ati ona l Planning Comm ittee will be having th eir first co nference ca ll short ly.

18

USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82


Moved by Mr. D. Row lands to amend Artic les 8.03 and 8.04 to strike the words " two (2) " and insert the words " three (3)" related to term of office. Sec ond by Ms. A. Crosman . Motion Passed . Moved by Mr. D. Rowlands that a Pro viso be adopted providing that the terms for the present Executive Committee Off icers and At Large Members shall be ex tended consistent w ith the ame nded BYLAWS to incl ude the three year term of office. Second by Mr. B. Roetz heim . Prov iso Passed . Moved by Ms. S. Wilch to amend Article 9.14 striking the words " Fo reign Relations Committee" and insert the words " Program Co mmittee ." Seco nd by Mr. B. Roetzheim . Motion Passed . Moved by Mr. D. Rowlands to amend Article 7.09 ii to insert th e words "hire , supervise and dismiss" prior to the word "em pl oyees" and to strike the words "employ indi viduals to. " Second by Mr. B . Roetzheim . Motion Passed. App roval of Committee Minutes and Actions. Executive Committee Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to acce pt the minu tes of th e March 5 and April 19 Executive Committee meetings, as corrected. Second by Ms. R. Kreutzer. Motion passed . Nominating Committee No action is necessary at this time. Contract Committee Action necessary shal l include the construction of the Executive Directors Contract . Accounting and Finance Comm ittee Mr. W. Young resigns as a member of the committee . Mr. R. Counsil appoints Mr. L. Gerrard as a committee member and will notify Mr. Gerrard of his appointment. Credentials Committee Ms. A. Crosman moved the acceptance of the committees recommendations. Second by Ms. S. Wi lch. Recommendations of the Credentials Committee . 1. The chair follow-up on all incomplete information or unclear information submitted . 2. Once completed, the originals be kept on file with the USGF with copies in the hands of the committee members. 3. After the USGF receives notification of a change of a representative , the USGF send a copy of such letter(s) to the committees chair where proper val idatin g of such letter(s) will be established . a) Where no problems exist, nothing further will transpire. b) If incorrect procedure or validation is beli eved , the chai r will notify the individual organization affected , the USGF Executive director, and credentia ls committee members. c) If the problem(s) have not been corrected by the USGF Board of Directors meeting openi ng day roll call , sa id organ ization(s) wi ll not be included in th e roll call and the first item of business for the full Boa rd of the USGF will be to determine correct representation . 4. The cha ir will annually (befo re the fall USGF Board of Directors meeting) recontact all constituent organizations of the USGF to determ ine if their chief officer has changed and notify the other credent ial s committee members of any such change.

Women 's Committee No actio n necessary. Women's International Program Committee Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to accept the minutes of theW IPC for meetings on January 7 and 20, 1982, as cor rected. Seco nd by Mr. D. Rowlands. Minutes Accepted . Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to accept the minutes of the WIPC/ OGPC for meetings on January 8- 10 and 19, 1982, as corrected. Second by Mr. D. Rowlands. Minutes Accepted. Rhythmic Gymnastics Commi ttee No act ion necessary. Rhythmic Gymnastics International Program Committee No actio n necessary. Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Equipment and Legal Liability Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to accept the minutes of the committee meeting and the recommendations of the committee as proposed in the January 29 , 1982 report . Seco nd by Mr. D. Rowlands Motion Passed . Ad Hoc Advisory Sanctioning and Television Negotiations Committee No act ion necessary. The proposal drawn by the Eligibility committee will be sent to each of the co nstitu ent members for their critical ana lysis. Reactions to the Eligibility code should not be in conflict with the member organizations. The USGF must act in this matter with expediency due to the pressure of sanctions and upcoming events and sponsorships . The mot ion tabled in th e earlier portion of the meeting concerning participation in events was removed from tabled for discussion and act ion . The mot ion by Mr. B. Roetzheim was that the USGF not attend the Rhythmic Four Continents competit ion and the Artistic Pacific Alliance Competition due to budgetary concern. The second was by Ms. S. Wilch. The discussion of the board members included the importance of the compet itions to th e development o1 the rhythmic gymnasts, the costs invo lved, ways in which the costs could be cut , other events which may be cut to provide the necessary funds , the television negotiation rights to the Pacific Alliance Competition , the political standpoint of the Pacific Alliance in relation to the FIG, the actual monies involved in sending delegations to both competitions. Mr. R. Couns il commented that the auditor recommended that we not attend because th e funds are not ava il able. The USGF may be in better financial climate later in th e yea r due to projected revenues from other events. Lengthy discussion continued related to the participation in the Pacific Alliance com petition . Ms. M. Murray moved for a division of the question into separate Rhythmic and Arti stic Compet iti on. Secon d by Ms. A. Crosman. Th e question was called by Ms. S. Wilch . The division on the motion passed. The question was ca ll ed by Ms. S. Wilch.

5. The chair will contact any new constituent organ ization (achieving USGF Board membership) and establish the information needed by the credentials comm ittee for va lid ation. 6. All constituent organizations that have not responded completely prior to the fall meeting of the USGF Board of Directors shal l be censored at such Board meeting and future Board meetings until rectified . Brief d iscussion follow ed concerning exp lanati on. Motion Passed. Men's Program Committee. Mr. B. Roetzheim moved for the accepta nce of th e minutes of the April 13, 1982 conference ca ll of the MPG . Second by Ms. K. Rowland . Minutes Accepted.

USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82

The motion to not attend the Pacific Alliance Competition due to budgetary consid erati ons failed. Discussion continued on th e negotiation of te levision rights and raising of funds necessary to attend . Mr. J . Miles proposed that the USGF attend the Pacific Al li ance Competition provided that the USGF Executive Director has procured the finances to attend . Seco nd by Mr. D. Rowlands. Motion Passed .

17


Discussion of the participation in the Rhythmic Four Continents Competition concerned the budget proposed , the number of delegation members , other budget sources , the previous prioritization of rhythmic gymnastics committee requests , and the arrangements of the competition itself. Lengthy discussion continued . The action on the main motion to not attend the Rh ythmic Gymnastics Four Continents Competition due to USGF budgetary conside rations .

To:

USGF Board of Directors

From : Mike Milidonis, Secretary to the Board Subj:

Board Minutes and Tasks to be Completed

Discussion continued. Motion Passed.

Date: May 16, 1982

Discussion continued on the possibilities of sending some rhythmic gymnasts to the competition. Mr. R. Counsil stated that he would try to provide the possibility of funding for the discussed competitions .

I wou ld like to take this opportunity to thank you for your excellent participation at the recent Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs. Your preparation and concern for the affairs of the USGF have contributed to the excellent conduct of the proceedings of the Board and its committees .

The decisions concerning the attendance at these eve nts shall be directed to the Executive Director. The next item of new business was a proposal by Mr. J. Miles that: The USGF Board of Directors requests its Executive Director to formally contact the FIG , USOC and the Los Angeles Organizing committee for the 1984 Olympics to formulate arrangements for the conduct of the gymnastics competition in the 1984 games. These arrangements wou ld include but not be limited to coordinator of the competition, travel, housing, selection of participants , etc. The intent of this request is to re-emphasize the need for the USGF, as the national governing body for amateur gymnastics in the U.S., to be actively involved in the conduct of the olympics gymnastics program . The Executive Director is to report back to the Board as soon as possible with the results of his contact with the aforementioned organizations. Second by Mr. D. Rowlands. Motion Passed. Moved by Mr. B. Roetzheim to appoint Mr. B. Wilkinson as the USGF voti ng delegate to the USOC Executive Committee . Second by Ms. A. Crosman. Motion Passed . Moved by Ms. K. Rowland to remove Dick Kaziny as USOC Liaison and therefore the USGF liaison to the USOC remain Mr. Ed Zimmer. Second by Mr. B. Roetzheim. Motion Passed . Moved by Ms. K. Rowland that the next meeting of the Board of Directors be held on October 10 beginn ing at 6:00 PM and continuing on October 11 to be concluded by 5:30 PM in Indianapolis, Indiana. Second by Ms. A. Crosman. Motion Passed . Mrs. N. Zabka was requested to re-submit the app li cation of Md. M. Provosnik for recognition as an Honorary Member of the FIG . Ms. S. Wilch moved that the meeting of the Board of Directors be adjourned . Second by Mr. D. Rowlands . Motion Passed . The meeting was adjourned at 7:04 PM. Submitted for consideration by: Michael J. Milidonis Secretary to the USGF Board of Directors

USGF Men's Program Guidelines and Coaching Manual Now Available

Thru USGF Bookstore

Enclosed are the Minutes of the recent Board meeting. Would you please read them thoroughly and communicate any corrections or additions as soon as possible. The following is a list of tasks to be co mpleted by the Board, the committees of the Board , and the USGF Office. a. Preparation of an updated information li st of members of the USGF Board of Directors. b. The USGF shal l continually advise the Board of the pending legal si tuations . c. The USGF shall communicate event calendar updates and specifics to the Board , including event sponsorships, TV contracts and event results . d. All committee minutes shall follow adopted procedures. The policies are described in the minutes of the March 5, 1982 Executive Committee meeting . e. The Contract Committee shall perform their normal tasks as well as construct the new Contract of the Executi ve Director. f. The Accounting and Finance Committee shall evaluate the events budgets as proposed. Mr. Larry Gerrard has been appointed to the committee and should be notified of his appointment by the USGF Office. g. The Membership Committee, through the USGF, should notify the Blind Athletes Association of their status and need for re-application as a Handicapped Ath letes Association. h. The Credentials Committee shall continue to comp lete the credentialing of the Board members according to the new policies of the committee . The Bylaws Committee shall insert the recent amendments to the USGF BYLAWS and prepare them for distribution to the Board members. j. The Program Committees for Men , Women and Rhythmic gymnastics are to submit the appropriate proposals to the USOC for qualification for Project Gold and Development programs. The forms are available from the USGF Office. The committees are to prepare a Game Plan and plan for the implementation of such plan for the 1984 Olympic Games. k. The Advisory committee on Equipment and Legal Liability shall continue to investigate the safety procedures necessary for protection against legal liability. The committee should consider the following items: 1. How should meet directors be insured? 2. What type of insurance should be carried by the USGF? 3. How and who performs the equipment certification prior to a USGF competition? 4. Do equipment companies share a disclaimer with the USGF? Does the USGF have a Disclaimer clause in event sanctions? 5. Do the USGF sanction forms contain limits on liab ility or other eq uipment restrictions? The Sanctioning Committee shall co mplete the revision of the USGF Sanction Policies for distribution to the Board not later than June 20, 1982. m. Th e advisory committee on Eligibility shall continue to draft an Eligibility Code for the USGF. n. The International Planning Committee shall conduct their first meeting and report to the Executive committee not later than June 20, 1982. o. The USGF Office sha ll notify the USOC of the status of representatives to the USOC: President Bud Wilkinson as voting delegate to the USOC Execu tive Committee. Mr. Ed Zimmer as Liaison to the USOC. p . Mr. R. Counsil should contact the USOC, LAOC and FIG concerning the org anizatio n of gymnastics compet ition and the FIG Congress for 1984. If I can be of any service to you concerning these or related items, please advise. Best wishes for an enjoyable summer. Respectfully , Mike Milidonis United States Gymnastics Federation

18

USGF Technical Journ•l/Oct. 82

.


1 2. 3. 4. 5.

WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE JUNE 1, 1982

Tne former FRC was reconstructed into the present Women 's Internationa l Program Committee in the fall of 1981. It basica ll y is the same as the FRC but the name was changed to maintain consistency with the men and women 's programs. The W IPC consists of elected representatives from the Women 's Committee. fhe elected positions are as follows : Women's Committee Chairman Wome n 's Technical Committee Chairman Elite Development Committee Cha irman Two Senior Coaches elected from the Champ ionsh ips of the USA 路 One Junior Coach elected from the Championships of the USA .. WT C-F IG when it applies Elected Chairman - non-voting Athletes Representative (non-competing)

11 .

Championships of the USA - May 82 thru to Se lection Meet January 83 Selection Meet - January 83 thru to Championships USA July 83 Championships 83 to World Championships Trials 83 (6 months) World Championships Trials 83 thru to Championships 84 (6 months ) Championsh ips 84 thru O lympic Trials 84 (6 months)

In vitations and Obligations

Following the se lect ion meet the coach and parents of each gymnast selected wi ll rece ive a written letter of invitation to the international meet for which they have been selected to attend. This officia l in vitation wi ll be sent from the USGF Office by Women 's Program Secretary (Becky Riti) . Gymnasts after atte ndin g a se lection meet, if they place high in rank in g, will be assigned an internat ional meet. Anyone declining a meet must notify the WIPC in w riting . The report shou ld be documented and sent to the W IPC Chairman. The WIPC wi ll eva luate th e reasons to determine if they are acceptab le. Acceptable reasons for declining an international meet o r mandatory competition are: illness , injury, educati onal and fatigue.

Each year at the Championships of the USA one coach wi ll be elected from coaches that have Senior Gymnasts in the Championships of the USA. (Two yea r term )

If WIPC feels the reason is not acceptable th e gymnast w ill not be used in rotation for internationa l competition until after the next selection meet. Also the gymnast w ill not have her expenses paid io the next USGF sponsored competition.

Each year at the Championships of the USA one coach wi ll be elected from coaches that have Junior Gymnasts in the Championships of the USA. (One year term)

Officia l injury petition forms may be ob tain ed from the USGF Office.

To comp ly with the By- Laws of the USGF Board of Directors , each standing com mittee must have a USGF Voting Delegate as a member of the comm ittee. The WIP C presently has three people that hold a vote on the board. The Wome n's Internat ional Program Committee will have one scheduled meeting per year with all expenses covered by the USGF. If more meetings are necessary they will be at the members expense. See appendix for how the representative is elected from the Championships and a samp le ballot.

PH ILOSOPHY OF THE WOM EN 'S INTERNATION AL PROGRAM COMM ITTEE

The general phi losophy of the Women's Interna tional Program Committee is to conduct research , deve lop and pla n a program to improve th e eli te level o f gymnastics for Women. This includes:

CRITERIA FOR INTERN ATIONA L SELE CT ION The fo ll ow in g people wi ll select the gymnasts for interna tion al meets based on their placement in th e selection meet. National Coach - Don Peters , Assistant National Coach - Roe Kreutzer , WTC-FIG - Jackie Fie or in her absence WTCDelene Darst. This selection is on ly valid with W IPC approval. CRITER IA FOR SELECTION BASED ON : 1. Placement in the se lection meet 2. Sen iors 3. Juniors that wil l be of age for the 83 World Championships , competed wel l internationally in 82 , had not received a meet before 4. Avai labi li ty of Seniors (Don cal lin g coaches)

Ill. Competition and Judging Analysis - Report to include the fo ll owing information subm itted on separate typewritten sheets. A. Eva lu ation of Exercises for each compet iti on: 1 Frequency of elements of difficulty. 2. Vau ltin g statistics: Names, numbers, new vaul ts.

Developing methods of selecting the most qualified gymnasts and coac hes for international competition. 2. To provide training for these gymnasts to enha nce their performance. (W ithin their own gyms and training camps) 3. To oversee the behavior of the gymnasts, coaches and judges selected to represent the USGF Internationally.

3. Original combinations and orig in al difficulties for each event.

t.

4.

Direction of composition of exercises.

5.

Frequency of medium and serious errors (coaching fau lts, touches on apparatus , falls , etc.).

M EET FORMAT FOR SELE CT ION MEETS

6.

Evaluation o f execution technique.

fhe meet ru les and regulations will be decided at least four months in advance of the se lection competition by WTC and W IP C. A detailed outline of all rules and regulat ions wil l be sent to all partic ipating coaches at least four months prior to the se lection competition. No changes wil l be made at the competit ion concerning meet format (rules or regulatio ns). Special technical information for the selection compet iti on wi ll also be sent to the coaches at least one month prior to the competition.

7. Eva lu at ion of virtuosity in execut ion.

The WIPC conducts the International Program begin ning after team se lection at Championsh ips of the USA.

B. Eva lu ation of Organization of Compet iti on: Appara tus . 2.

Lights , temperature , building complex and facilities.

3.

Electronic equipme nt for judging and scor in g.

4. Scoring personnel. SE LECTION PROC ESS FOR GYMNASTS FOR INTERN AT IONA L COMPETIT ION

5. Public . 6.

Se lection Meets Each year the W IPC wil l designate two meets to be used as Selec tion Meets for ranking elite gymnasts for international competition. This ranking will last from the select ion meet to the date specified as listed below: USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82

Specia l events , receptions , etc.

C . Evaluation of Judging: 1. Level of Judg ing (high , normal , low for each apparatus) as compared to USA Elite level and in relation to most recent World or Olympic Games.

19


For each competition IA, IB, II , Ill (whichever applies) : For all events - percentage of scores between: 9.5 - 10.0 9.0 - 9.45 8.5 - 8.95 8.0 - 8.45 Below 2.

hent--------------------------

Level of knowledge , objectivity , and discipline of judges (general comments).

3. Course for Judges (organization and content) .

~ ~ :===:===:I====II l==:=l 11 ====I I RESPONSIBILITIES OF GYMNASTS

4. Protests: Number, name of gymnast, judges involved , how resolved for each event. 5. Friendly atmosphere and contacts between judges (Confidential). D. Proposals Concerning Changes in FIG Documents (Confidential) 1. Scoring sheets.

2. Resu It sheets.

3.

Technical Rules .

4. Code of Points. E. Specia l Problems and/ or Observations (Confidential) IV. Specified Judging Ana lysis (Confidential) (to be completed by Head Judges on each Panel Judge, using chart attached). A. Competence and/ o r Attention 1. Obvious faulty scores for exercises with bad errors (lack of difficulty, modification of compulsories , falls , etc.) . 2. Shows too high or too low scores for weak exercises. (State H or L.) 3. Shows too high or too low scores for excellent exercises. (State Hor L) 4. Is frequent ly higher or lower than the average and score rarely counts toward the average. (State H or L.) B. Objectivity 1. Enters the average lower for her immediate oppone nts and higher for her own gymnasts. C. General Behavior: 1. Courtesy. 4.

3. Speed in Judging.

2. Discipline

Records / Notes on Exercise Performance. (See chart)

Signature of Person(s) Compiling Report - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - Date CHART S;>ec.i fic Ju:!; in ; A.ra l y!o i !> t; ·1 Head Judge P.att i1 cc.o rd i"I ~ to ; Yes, No, E.it, \l . C. , G. (whiche vt:r •pp ! i ed )

Si9'.oture of Pe•!tor.

Com;>le:. : n~

(good ) ,

r.

(fa i r ). P .

(poor )

Report _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ __

~ Eve n t

Any gymnast, having been se lected for participation on a nati onal team to tour the United States for competitive or exhibition purposes, or has been selected to travel outside the continenta l USA for similar purposes sha ll have the following responsibilities: 1. To be prepared to participate in required tra inin g camps, meet prescribed departure dates, training schedules, uniform requirements and other details as determined by the USGF National Office, the Team Coach and/ or manager. When training camps are held gymnast must participate from beginning to end of camp . 2. Gymnasts, having been selected for a particular trip , wil l meet prescribed guide lin es of appearance, to in clu de travel appare l, pe rsona l appea rance including appearance of clothing and hair, the wearing of emble ms and the carry ing of gymnasium type bags. 3. Travel uniforms, when provided, will be the official travel uniform and all team members will dress in a simi lar fashion, as prescribed , when cal led upon to do so by the coach and/ or manager. Variations in tra inin g appare l, warm-up suits, and shirts, or emblems, w ill not be al lowed. Team members should not bring along non-uniform items unless instructed to do so by the coach or manager. Violat ion of team uniform or travel dress code will be cause for dismissal from such a team . 4. Only specified emblems will be worn on uniforms, travel dress, bags , etc. , and such emb lems shal l be prov id ed, in ample number, to the coach and/or manager by the USGF National Office. Manager of selected team sho uld request such emblems, pins , decals, etc. as he deems necessa ry from the USGF Office well in advance of the departure date. 5. Gymnas ts of national leve l shall be expected to have in their possession a valid passport and be prepared to notify team coach, manager, or the USGF Office of the ir passport number, place of issue and issue date. Sim ilarly , such gymnasts are encouraged to have in thei r possession cu rrent passpo rt style photos , for use in application for visas, when required . 6. Time sched ules as they pertain to departure dates, times , flights , training times , and other req uiremen ts for team members shall be absolutely met, and further, ad herence to such schedules sha ll be the responsibility of each i(ldividua l gymnast; after having received such info rm ation from th'e Coach/ Manager involved . 7. Personal behavior of the gymnast: Including actions between team members, gymnasts, and team officials, internatio nal officials , foreigners , hosts involved, and other persons (i.e. hotel clerks, etc.) , shall be totally restrained in the best interest of the total USA program and image. Comp lain ts, of any type , must be mad e in iti all y to the Coach and/ or Manager, or if feeling is strong enoug h to warrant , to the Chef de Mission or USGF representative involved. In no case will a gymnast speak directly (other than socially) to a judge, officia l o r FIG official unless so requested by that individual.

Jvdge I

Judge 2 J1Jd9e 3 Judge Ji

I 111111 I I

[vent

Judge I Judge 2 Judge 3 Judge 4

20

I 111111 I I

8. The trading or other disposition of the official travel or competitive uniform for a USA team is proh ibited, unless permission has been granted to do so by the Coac h and Manager of sa id team. Naturally, if permission is granted the act of trading or giv ing of a uniform or part of a uniform must be don e in the characteristic friend ly manner we are accustomed to and not involve any funds. Further, such trading or giving of uniforms or parts sha ll not be permitted until the event has ended. National team uniform must be reta in ed for one year (Champio nship to Champi onsh ip). If any of the uniform is lost it must be replaced at the expense of the individual - not the USGF. USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82

;


COACH SELECTION FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

b) Choosing assistants with WIPC approval - assistant coach . c) Oversee uniform selection and fittings .

The WIPC feels that it is important to : 1. Send the tnost qualified coach to international competitions.

d) Maintain regular contact with athletes in order to establish rapport and all around knowledge of gymnasts needs.

2. As a general policy, if a single gymnast is selected for international competition her coach will be given first consideration.

e) Maintain regular contact with Assistant National Coach and gymnasts coaches.

3. If two or more gymnasts are selected, but not a team , the personal coaches of these gymnasts will be given first co nsideratio n before others are considered.

f)

4. The WIPC will select for team competition a National Coach and Assistant National Coach.

Make recommend ations to WIPC and USG F for training camps and team preparation.

g) At team competition if deemed necessary change members of team for just cause - assistant coach . DUTIES OF COACHES

5. The WIPC will conduct an annual required symposium for coaches , judges. gymnasts, team leaders, team managers, etc. To detail all aspects of responsibilities for individuals se lected for international trips at the USGF Congress. 6.

7.

The National Coach and Assistant will develop a core of coaches to work with the National team . Two coaches from the same club may serve on the core of coaches. However, two coaches from the same club cannot serve as team coaches simultaneously .

POLICIES FOR MEMBER OF NATIONAL (USA) GYMNASTICS TEAMS : 1. Gymnasts, one having been selected, or having qualified for a national team : A. Shall participate in only those teams and/ or in those events designated , sanctioned or approved by the USGF National Office. B. Sha ll be prepared to participate in designated events of a national or international nature when so assigned by the USGF, through the appropriate USGF Committee. C. Wear only the apparel provided by th e USGF National Office for the designated event, and at no time appear in public , whether in practice or competitive situations in att ire other than that provided by the USGF and designated by the Coach of that team or delegation.

The Coach for a United States team , to be sent to participate in any international match , tour, exhibition or world-class championship, shall be expected to perform the following duties to the very best of his abi liti es. 1. The performance, training habits, health and care of personal appearance , care of uniforms and appearance to include travel clothing, of all gymnasts , sha ll be the responsibility of the Head Coach. 2. The Coach, once selected for assignment to a team tour or event , must assume all responsibilities for the artistic performance of the gymnasts of his team, and may in no case recruit assistant coaches for the performance of any additional duties. In any case where the Coach se lected for a particu lar assignment feels the need for ass istance in th e coaching area , he shou ld request that assistance from the USGF office . Failure to comply with this regulation sha ll be suitab le cause for the removal of the coach for this event , and he may be replaced immediately. 3.

The personal ccr.duct of all team members shall be primarily the respons ibility of the coac h, and shall be rigidly enforced along the lin es specif ied in this plan under "Responsibilities of Gymnasts." Conduct in this sense shall be interpreted to include dress, personal appearance at all times , to include travel , training times, and attendance at formal or informal gatherings as well as competitive sessions.

4. Instructions to gymnasts as to the various requirements placed upon them , as it may regard appearance , behavior or adherence to time schedules , shall be the responsibility of the Head Coach ... and May Not be delegated to any other member of the officia l party .

2. Gymnast qualifying for national teams, be it at the USGF Championships of USA, a spec ified final trials for a given event (i.e. Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan-Ams) or being selected by the appropriate committee as a member of a national team for a specified international event, must adhere to these regulations , or be dropped from the team for which they were selected.

5. Any questions as to the need for disc iplin ary action as it may become necessary to include dismissal from the team , or sendi ng home of a gymnast for reasons prescribed herein, shal l be recommended to the Chef de Mission of the group , or in the absence of such a group leader, shall be done by the Coach.

3. Members of national teams , and those desiring to participate in specific events for their clubs , schools o r col leges, should clear all events prior to such participation, when they involved gymnasts from other than their specific area of program or international gymnasts of any level. (Closed events such as domestic events involv ing only College gymnasts, high schoo l events limited to high school athletes , or club events among clubs without involving members of national teams do not, of course, fall under this restriction.)

6. Following a compet iti on or tour the coach shall submit , in proper , typewritten form , the complete results of the events, to include aspects of travel, behavior , recommendations for future events, personal comments , problems , etc. , to the USGF National Office. Such report to the USGF Office to be submitted not later than ten days following the conclusions of the trip or event, or sooner if at all possible. (It is recommended that brief periodic reports be mailed to the USGF when tours are of an extended nature.) (See appendix for report form .)

4.

Members of such national teams must at all times keep the USGF National Office informed as to their whereabouts, providing current information as to train in g status, telephone and address, general hea lth, and other pertinent data w ith regard to uniform needs, and passport status . Such information may be transmitted through their coach or by the gymnast directly. (Method and time schedule should be noted.)

NATIONAL COACH The National Coach is an appointed position and receives a stipend of $5 ,000 for the time and energy spent. DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL COACH a) Main respo nsibilities would include serving as head coach at al l USA Team functions during the term of service (prior to and including World Championships). (Re-evaluated by the WIPC yearly.) USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82

DUTIES OF TEAM MANAGERS

The Team Manager, as selected for any team tour, competition or exhibition in this nation or abroad shall be called upon to perform the following duties: 1. Arrangements for all passports , visas (where necessary ), shot records (when needed) , and other necessary travel documents, shall be initiated by th e Team Manager, and follow-up and finalization of such documents shall also be his responsibility . 2. Travel arrangements with regard to tickets , departure dates, flights , etc. , shall be arranged by the USGF National Office alon e. The Team Manager shall , however, through c lose liaison with the USGF Office, be aware of a ll such information and assure himself that all gymnasts in volved are aware of the sc hedu les , have proper tickets in their possession, alon g with their passports, etc. , as in 1 above. 21


3. Financia l responsibi lity for per diem , mea ls, incidental costs and needs shall be that of the Team Manager, with direction received from the USGF National Office.

ELECT ION OF THE COACH TO THE WIPC - JUNIORS

4.

NOM INEES

5.

The Team Manager shall , in conjunction with the Coach , coordinate the preparation of uniforms for team members. Uniform procurement sha ll be supervised by the USGF Office and it sha ll be the Team Managers responsibili ty to clear the use o f emblems, suits, blazers , etc. , as determ ined by the USGF Office , for the spec ifi c trip in which he is in vo lved. Where qualified and so prescribed in advance, th e Team Manager shal l act as an Assistant Coach, serving to assist the Head Coach in any manner requested by th e Head Coach. Suc h arrangements w ill only be utilized when at the beginning of select io n process for the Team Manager position , such qualifications have been an integra l part of considerat ion , and with the approval of the Head Coach and the USGF Office.

CHAMP IONS HI PS OF THE USA 82

PLEASE VOTE FOR ONE PERSON ONLY THAT YOU W ISH TO REPRESENT YOU ON THE WIPC.

Dear Parents , Your daughter , has been selected by the USGFWomen 's Internat ional Program Committee to go to the following International Event: Dates:

6.

7.

The Team Manager shall , through contact with the USGF National Office , secure the necessary pins , deca ls, blazer or uniform emb lems as de termined to be necessary for the trip. He sha ll request such items we ll in advance of departure date . Final written report concerning the trip , and in particular aspects regard ing travel housing , cooperatio n in preparation by gymnasts, coach, USGF O ffi ce, etc. , need for per diem , general or personal observations ... sha ll be submitted to the USGF National Office not later than ten days following the conc lu sion of the tour or event.

JUDGES SELECTION FOR INTERNAT IONAL COMPETITION

It has been recommended by the W IPC for World Games , World Championsh ips, World Cup and Olympi c Games that a co nsistency in judges be used. This is to develop internati o nal recognition o f these judges and also give them the experience needed to be of benefit to our country. Assignments to all international meets will be made by the FIG-WTC Jackie Fie , W TC Delene Darst , and the wee Linda Chencinski w ith the approva l of the USGF Executive Director.

The coach for the trip wi ll be and the delegation leade r w ill be The group wi ll leave the USA on and return on The USGF or the host country w ill cover all expenses , however if expects to do extens ive shopping. then perhaps she shou ld brin g extra money. The se lectio n of a gymnast to the va riou s International Compet iti ons is a very diffi cult process. Th ere are a limited number of compet iti ons and we ha ve a relatively larg e group of deserving girls. Whenever a gymnast is se lected to go to an International Competition, often time is very limited and immediate process in g must take place: travel arrangements, passports , visas , etc. If a gymnast or a coach on her behalf declines an invitation th en it sometimes makes it very difficult o r im possib le on the next se lectee. Therefore at their meeting on Augus t 22 and 23, 1978, the Women 's Int ernatio nal Program Committee estab li shed the following Pol icy: If a gymnast or her coach on her beha lf elects not to compete in an Internationa l or other se lected meet once she has been se lected, then the W IPC wou ld need to cons ider the cont inuation of future financial aid . (Airfare to competitions, lodging , meals, etc.) Unless the gymnast declines for th e following legitimate reasons: Illness , injury, school obligations , or fatigue , all o f wh ich must have verification in writ ing by either medical or schoo l officials. It was also requested that parents as we l l as gymnast and coaches be info rm ed of the above po li cy.

DUTIES OF JUDGES The Judges as se lected for any team tour, competition or exh ibiti on in this nation or abroad sha ll be ca lled up on to perform the following duties: 1. Be prepared to act as manager with all the listed duties of team manager, in addition to her duties as Judge, if required for travel with small groups.

We at the USGF Office are very proud of our gymnasts and their accomp li shmen ts and wis h to be of service. If you have questions p lease feel free to contact me at the USGF Office. Sincere ly, UNITED STATES GYMNASTIC FEDERATION

2.

Where qualified and so prescribed in advance , the Judge may act as advisor to the Head Coach in any manner requested by the Head Coach. Such arrangeme nts wil l only be utilized when at the beginning of the selection process for the Judges position, such qualifications have been an integral part of consideration , and wi th the approva l o f the Head Coach and the USGF Office.

PETITIONING PROCEDURES FOR WOM EN 'S GYM NAST ICS General Guidelines 1.

The Petitioning Form is to be used only for " in j ury" petitions.

3.

Be present at all technical meetings required , take courses as required , and protect th e teams interest at all such meetings. Impart all decisions of these meetings to coach and team.

2.

The Pet iti onin g Form sha ll be comp leted in triplicate with official statements and signatu res of th e gym nasts , gymnast's paren ts, gymnast's coac h, and exa mining physicians .

4.

The Judg e wi ll not act independ ent o f the team , she must attend al l team meetings , brie fin gs, and work close ly w ith the Coach.

3.

Petitioning Forms may be secured at the United States Gymnastic Federation office.

5.

Submit to the USGF Nati onal Office no later than ten days follow in g the event a full report. This report should in c lude co mpl ete judging anal ysis as we ll as personal information . (See appendix for Judging A nalysis information and chart form .)

4.

Petitioning forms must be postmarked by the deadlines indicated in reference to the spec ifi c competition. The " or iginal " copy is mailed to the Cha irm an o f the W IPC, one copy to be retained by the coach , and the third by the gymnast.

6.

Act as the delegation leader.

5.

A ll injury petitions will be reviewed by the W IPC and eva luated for fina l decisioning . Th e voting members of the WIPC will determine the ··approval" or " rejection " of each petition.

6.

Pet iti ons will not be accep ted by the WI PC if they are not ful ly and officia lly documented as instructed.

7.

The dead line for receiving petitions will be no lat er than day of th e intend ed competit ion.

8.

The gymnast's coach will be notified by the Chairman of th e WIP C o f the decis ion of the committee. This decision wi ll be entered on the Pet iti o ning Form and then respectiv e copies will be sent to the specific individuals involved.

CHAMP ION SHIPS OF THE USA 82 ELECT ION OF THE COAC H TO THE W IPC - SEN IOR S (term 82-84) NOMINEES

PLEASE VOTE FOR ONE PERSON ONLY TH AT YOU WISH TO REPR ESENT YOU ON THE WIPC. 22

USGF Technica l Journal / Oct. 82


9.

10.

Injury petitions w ill be accepted by the W IP C with documented proof from a doctor. The petition will be evaluated by the members of the WIPC. Time dead li ne for injury petitions is at the end of the meet. Petition relating to non-injurious circumstances will have to be considered individually and with special requests . Such a request must be made to the Chairman of the W IP C. USGF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION REPORT

USGF Delegation: Gymnasts

Injury Petition Form Da te Form Received

Event You Are Petitioning

D irections (To be completed by gymnast , gymnast 's parents, gymnast's coach. and examini ng phys icians. The completed forms shall be sent to the Chairman o f the W IPC .) Name of Gymnast:

Coaches

Delegation Leader

UNITED STATES GYMNAST IC FEDERATION

Manager

Judge(s)

Name of College/ Club

Other(s)

Name of Competit ion Phone Number: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Type of Injury:

Place(s ) of Competition Date(s) of Competition

Parents' Signature

Gymnast's Signature Names of Countries Partic ipating Coach's Injury Petition Request: Date: _ _ _ _ _ _ Coach 's Signature: Age Span of Gymnasts _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Physician 's Statement: (1st opinion) Average Age of Gymnasts Date : ______ Physician 's Signature: Number of Gymnasts Physician's Statement: (2nd opinion) fype of Competition: Date : _ _ _ _ _ Physic ian 's Signature: ream

Individual To be comp leted by the W IPC Chairman :

(Circle what app li es)

IB

IA

II

Ill App roval has been _ _ _ Accep ted _ _ _ Rejected

Describe the competition format and / or scoring procedures used in calculation

Reasons:

of the resu lts: Date: _ _ _ _ _ W IP C Chairman: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Names and Nationalities of Participating Judges and Head Judges: Vault

Bars

Beam

Floor

United States Gymnastics Federation

Monday April 19, 1982 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Meeting of the Executive Committee

Ambassador Room TWA St. Louis Airport St. Louis, MO

HJ

1.

2.

Executive Committee Minutes

3.

The meeting was called to order by President B. Wilkinson at 12:15 F.'.M.

4.

Members Present:

Please attach a complete copy of results of all sessions of the competition preliminaries (compulsories and / or optionals) , finals (T eam , All Around , and / or Individual Event ). II. Please attach all the origina l team and / or individua l score report forms receive d from the Bureau of Scoring and Calcu lations (forms listing scores from all judges for each gymnast).

Mr. Bud Wilkinson - President Mr. Les Sasvary - Vice President for Men Ms. Roe Kreutzer - Vice President for Women Mr. Mike Milidonis - Secretary Mr. Peter Kormann - Member At Large Mrs. Sue Ammerman - Member At Large Mr. Bill Roetzheim - USGF Representative to the FIG Technical Assembly - Men and Mr. Roger Counsil - USGF Executive Director On motion duly made and seconded the minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting of March 5, 1982 were approved.

• USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82

Agenda Item II Committee Reports and Recommendations . Mrs. S. Ammerman presented a detailed report of the recent Conference Call meeting of the Women's International Program Committee. The report included information pertaining to the use of the wood vault board for women through the Championships of the USA for the national elite and above levels of competition. The discussion of the Executive Committee requested that the FIGIUSGF Representatives to the FIG General Assembly promote the acceptance of the composite vault board by the FIG. Mrs. S. Ammerman continued with a report on the tasks identified by the Women's International Prag. Committee. These tasks include the development of a 1984 Game Plan , Long Range Planning Calendar, Team Member Training Schedule, the establishment of a Coaches Advisory

23


Panel, all to be completed by the Championships of the USA. The Committee also recommended and supports the establishment of a position for a full time National Womens Coach.

The Executive Committee discussed the possible terms, budget, assignments, duties and other related matters concerning the possibility of the position of National Coach for Women .

Proposed by Mr. M. Milidonis that the application of the United States Association for Blind Athletes be accepted as a member of an Association of Handicapped Athletes and further recommended to the membership committee for approval as Associate Members (non·voting) . Motion Passed.

Proposed by Mr. M. Milidonis to approve the recommendation of the Olympic Games preparation Committee as approved by the Wo men's International Program Committee concerning the issue of use of the wooden vault boards for women.

Motion Passed. The committee discussed the recent application fo r development funds and team selection

process to the U.S.O.C. Proposed by Mrs. S. Ammerman that the Program committees for men, women and rhythmic gymnastics be instructed to submit thei r appropriate "Olympic Games Team Selection Process" in accordance with the U.S.0.C. "Guidelines for Games Preparation" to the Executive Committee not later than June 15, 1982. Motion Pass ed. Mrs. S. Ammerman next reported on the USGF Litigation in the state of New Jersey concerning a sanction violation and its repercussions of a specific gymnastics competition. Mrs. S. Ammerman repo rted on the matters of the U.S.0.C. Development Committee proceedings at the recent House of Delegates Meetings. A liaison shall be assigned to each of the national governing bodies to monitor the relation of calendar, budget and Board procedures as related to Games development. Mr. R. Counsil reported that the Advisory Sanction Committee has met and proposed a revised Sanctioning Policy for the USGF. Mr. Counsil appris ed the committee of the changes and announced that the document shall be prepared for Board approval at the next Board meeting. Proposed by Mr. L. Sasvary that the Sanctioning Committee prepare a complete proposed "USGF Sanctioning and Policies Guideline" to be submitted for approval at the next Board meeting. Motion Passed. Mr. R. Counsil reported on the establishment of an Ad Hoc Advisory Eligibility Committee composed of : Mr. P. Kormann, Mr. J. Miles, Mr. M. Milidonis, and Mr. R. Kinney of the USGF Office to discuss the concerns, situations and protection of our athletes and their amateur status. The committee shall prepare a prop osed Eligibility Code for the next Board meeting.

Discussion continued concerning a form sent out to the athletes releated to advertisement rights and conditions.

Mr. B. Wilkinson presented a detailed report of the recent USGF Office evaluation by Mr. S. Chalmers. A written report shall be submitted to the members of the Executive Committee upon completion of the report . Mr. Wilkinson expressed admiration for the efficiency of office manage· ment and procedures as demonstrated by the office staff. Recommendations shall be made to the Executive Committee and Board which may include: the need for long range planning, improve· ment of office communication, travel budget cuts, and the service of the Executive Committee and Board to the USGF Office. Proposed by Mr. M. Milidonis to entitle USGF Committees a one time face to face meeting, annually, except for the Executive Committee. The remainder of the meetings should be conducted by the use of mechanical device, telephone conference calls. Additional meetings shall be at the discretion of the USG F Executive Director. Motion Passed . Mr. B. Wilkinson reported that the progress on the Tax Bill is proceeding and should be approved by early June. Mr. R. Counsil has been extremely involved in the progress for the USGF and the U.S.0.C. with his testimony before the House. The Committee next discussed the L.A. Organization and the FIG plans for the 1984 Games. Mr. R. Counsil reported on the change of negotiating agents and the situations surrounding the dismissal of J . Odgen International Management Group. Agenda Item VI I Mat Specifications. Mr. R. Counsil updated the Executive Committee on the disparity between the USGF and the FIG mat specifications and possible legal ramifications. The committee suggested that the Equipment Committee look into the situation for a relationship and recommendation of the specifications and member organization specifications.

New Business Mrs. S. Ammerman addressed the Executive Committee concerning the Rhythmic Gymnastics Committees. A report was distributed (enclosed) to the Executive Committee. Mrs. Ammerman summarized the report for the committee and was directed to prepare recommendations for the development and organization of the Rhythmic Program Committees. The Executive Committee discussed concerns: a.

Management - a definite USGF staff person should be assigned to wo rk with the RGPC concerning travel, meetings, budget , etc.

b.

Development a great need exists for the training of more coaches withi n the USA. Th e USGF should bring in a specialist (European) to conduct several regional clinics for coaches.

c.

Growth- the USGF should provide for membership registration forms to indicate whether a person is a coach, judge, or athlete.

d.

The RGPC should insure that all individuals at the state level , members of the rhythmic gymnastics program receive an opportunity to nominate, as well as, vote for their state cl1airman (prior to July 1, 1982).

e. Mr. L. Sasvary announced that the next meeting of the Men's Program Committee shall be June 4 and 5 at the site of the Championships of the USA.

The election and selection of gymnasts and coaches should be an established, printed, circulated, procedure. All coaches should have the procedure in person prior to any selection meet and international competition .

Mr. R. Counsil and Mr. L. Sasvary announced the assignments of delegations to the upcoming competitions and Gymnastrada.

The communication to the membership has been poor due to the lack of documented membership statistics. Minutes should be printed in the USGF publications and distributed to members of the USGF Board of Directors.

Mr. L. Sasvary reported on the recent discussions of the Men's Program Committee and their preparation for the upcoming championships and meetings. Mr. Sasvary also presented an overview of the recent (Feb. 25) conference call of the committee.

Mrs. S. Ammerman moved that the minutes of the Men's Program Committee be accepted. Motion Passed.

g.

The Chairperson of the Rhythmic Gymnastic Program Committee should receive all proposed invitations for events and competitions to enable the development of a budget and schedule.

h.

The Chairperson of the Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics Program Committee should be a member of the USGF Executive Committee as a non voti ng member. The Chairperson should be th e FIG Delegate.

Agenda Item Ill Political Climate at the FIG Judges Symposium. Mr. L. Sasvary reported on the recent FIG Judges symposium held in Budapest during the second week in April. Mr. B. Roetzheim presented an excellent paper on the training and development of judges in the USA. The proposals and concepts presented were well received as was the hospitality and discussion of the possibilities for election to FIG positions in the near future for USA representatives. We should prepare, long range, for the coming years.

Mr. R. Counsil reported on the status and current involvement of the Pacific Alliance. A new election is coming up this summer. Mrs. S. Ammerman moved that the USGF Representative to the FIG Technical Assembly for Rhythmic Gymnastics be accepted as a non voting member of the USGF Executive Committee. Motion Passed. Mr. B. Roetzheim commented that the USGF should consider supporting the bid of Great Britian for the 1985 World Gymnastics Championships and the USA should bid for the 1987 Cham pionships.

Discussion continued. Proposed by Mr. M. Milidonis that the National Championship for Rhythmic Gymnastics be composed of the events concurrent with the USOC National Sports Festival with the inclusion of the Group Competition which leads to the Four Continents Competition. Motion Passed. Proposed by Mrs. S. Ammerman that the delegation to the Four Con tinents Competition be composed of 12 athletes, 2 coaches, 2 judges, and 1 pianist. The travel tickets shall be purchased by the USG F 21 days prior to the date which is scheduled for departing. Any person making changes in the USGF arrangements shall assume the additional expenses incurred . Motion Passed.

The Executive Committee concurred that the Ad Hoc International Planning Committee should schedule a meeting for Tuesday May 4, 1982 following the conclusion of the USGF Board of Directors Meeting. Agenda Item IV Application for Membership, U.S. Association for Blind Athletes. Discussion concerned th e application and the organization of associations in the U.S.O.C. structure.

24

Mr. M. Milidonis reported on the recent U.S.O.C. House of Delegates Meeting and those items which directly pertain to the USG F. Proposed by Mrs. S. Ammerman that the terminology " USGF Junior Olympics" be consistent throughout the program as requested by the U.S.O.C. Motion Passed .

USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82

'


After concerned discussion Mrs. S. Ammerman proposed that the USGF draft a Resolution concerning the U.S.0.C. Olympic Coin.Bill as proposed by the House Bill #6058.

Problems 1. Chairman not receiving invitations to international meets. Thus not able to plan ahead what events they wish to attend.

Motion Passed .

2. The need to be given a budget ahead of time of how much they may spend in the next year for meets and training.

The Executive committee requested that Mr. M. Milidonis prepare the Resolution.

The committee next discussed the qualification number of women to the USA Championships as reported by Mr. R. Counsil. Moved by Mr. M. Milidonis that the next meeting of the Executive Committee be held on Sunday June 20, 1982 in Ft. Worth Texas.

3. Question of getting their own sponsors - had spoken with Scott Crouse directly requesting uniforms for World Games and was told to find their own. They assumed that he had informed Mr. Counsil. 4. Entire budget of events was prepared by Scott Crouse and after going through it I find that it is totally inaccurate. I hope to have exact figures by the time of our next meeting. 5. On registration form MRG is not listed and thus they have no accurate records of who their members are for voting and communication.

The executive committee accepted the following dates as tentative scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee: To: Andrea Schmid From : Sue Ammerman Re: Executive Committee meeting and decisions related to MRG

August 2, 1g82 September 27, 1982 The Executive Committee excused Mr. R. Counsil from the meeting.

1. Andrea Schmid will be invited to Executive Committee Meetings of the USGF as a non-voting member. (FIG Delegate)

The Committee discussed the Contract of the USGF Executive Director and its evaluation for the coming term. The committee shall support and propose a renewal Contract at the next Board Meeting.

2. All minutes of MRG once approved by the committee will be sent to Mike Milidonis for Exec. Committee approval as well as the distribution to board members and print in USGF Journal.

Mr. P. Kormann moved for the adjournment of the Executive Committee Meeting. Motion Passed.

3. Four Continents Competition Delegation will consist of 12 athletes, 2 coaches, 2 judges and 1 pianist. Tickets wi ll be purchased by the USGF 21 days prior to departing from this country. Any person making changes in their tickets that cause added expense will have to assume that expense themselves. I highly recommend that you have National Team members as well as potential international coaches fill out a list of preferred airports nearest their homes in preference order.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 P.M.

4. The MRG -WIPC to fill out method of selection of Olympic Gymnasts and selection method for selection of Olympic Coach and given to the Exec. Committee of the USGF by June 15, 1982.

Submitted for Consideration by: Michael J. Milidonis Secretary, USGF Executive Committee.

5. MRG Nationals should consist of those events that take place in the Olympics. (AA - four different apparatus) as well as the National Sports Festival. Since your Nationals is the selection meet for Four Continents the Group will also be apart of your Nationals. AA should be based on the rank order placing rather than percentage (Duet and AA) . Please omit the Duet this year. April 9, 1982

To: Members of the Executive Committee of the USGF From: Sue Ammerman Re: Report on the Modern Rhythmic Gymnastic Committee

6. Please put in writing the definite methods used in selection of your coaches to go on future international trips. ExamplesCoaches of girls eligible for the National Sports Festival will each cast one vote for the coach of their choice.

Structure of the Committee

WIPC votes for the 4 coaches for the Sports Festival from the coaches having girls in the Champ. USA.

1.

Individual girl selected for trip her coach goes. Two girls going the WIPC selects from the two coaches. National Coach advertise and interview applicants and WIPC votes.

2.

Charter Members: These are the original members who started the program in this country. Once a member always a member unless they miss two consecutive meetings. They along with the regional chairman elect the chairman. The next election will take place at the USGF Congress following the Olympics. (6 people including the chairman) Regional Chairman: 8 regional chairman are to be elected by the State Chairman of their region. They serve for 4 years and are elected 1 year prior to the Olympic Games. There are presently 7 chairman and they were appointed not elected due to the structure just getting started in 1980 at the Congress.

3.

State Chairman: shall be elected by the members of the MRG Committee in their respective states. They serve for 2 years and shall be elected on even numbered years. So far to my knowledge they have state chairman in some states and again they were appointed. • Assume an election should take place this year.

4.

Sub Committees of MRG - Chairman appointed heads and they found interested people to serve on their committee . They wanted to have regional representation as much as possible. They started with sort of north , east, south and west representative. a. Age Group Development Committee b. Elite Development Committee c. Coaches Development Committee

d. Judges Training Committee e. Public Relations Committee Women 's International Program Committee Chairman Andrea Schmid Members - Elite Development Chairman Judges Representative Athletes Represent ative

RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING MINTING OF COMMEMORATIVE COINS FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES Whereas, United States Olympic Committee has supported legislation authorizing the minting of commemorative coins for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; and

Whereas, The revenues anticipated from the sale of commemorative coins are a vital part of the United States Olympic Committee budget through 1984 for the development and staging of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; now therefore be it

Resolved, By the United States Gymnastics Federation Board of Directors to support the efforts of the United States Olympic Committee and legislation approved by the United States Senate ; and be it further Resolved , That the United States Gymnastics Federation supports the proposed House Bill #6058, as presented by Senator F. St. Germain, D RI; and be it further Resolved, That the United States Gymnastics Federation urges the Congress to approve House Bill #6058, Olympic Coin Bill, not later than June of 1982, to allow for the implementation of the 1984 Olympic Coin Program not later than January 1982.

Adopted by United States Board of Directors Executive Committee on the 19th of April, 1982.

Four Continents Championships Auckland, New Zealand December 2-5, 1982 June 18, 1982 Training Camp #1 Colorado Springs, Colorado June 14-28, 1982 Training Camp #2 Olympic Training Center November 7-21 , 1982

USGF Technical Journal / Oct . 82

WOMEN 'S INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE Minutes of Meeting May 29, 1982 Salt Lake City, Utah Members in attendance: Sue Ammerman (Chm.), Linda Chencinski, Delene Darst, Jackie Fie, Bill Strauss, Jim Gault, Gary Anderson (new one year coaches' rep) . Tom McCarthy (new 2 year coaches ' rep), Becky Riti (USGF rep) , Roe Kreutzer, Nancy Marshall.

25


Review of minutes from conference call. Motion to approve -

PASSED

Three international dual meets to be scheduled for the spring of 1984 with junior meets in the May, June, July period.

Procedure for minutes: Committee members have 14 days to review minutes. If you have any comments regarding the minutes contact Sue within that time. After 14 days she will submit the minutes to the Executive Committee. International Meets Golden Sands -

(early June)

Gymnasts: Angie Denkins, Randy Campanga Judge: Sandy Thielz Coach: Mary Wright

Quallllcatlon Procedures Re; past zone competitions - there has been extreme pressure on judges to qualify gymnasts into the national elite qualifying meets. This will happen as long as we qualify by score. We need a lot of thought on best procedure for qualifying from the zone to the national meet.

Discussion on qualification of juniors who become seniors. MOTION : To maintain junior qualifying score of 68.80 for 82-83 season. PASSED, 5 yes, 1 abstention. Following are qualification procedures as outlined by Don. Each item is either accepted or tabled by the committee as indicated:

Ennia Gold Cup (June 3-6) Gymnasts: Julianne McNamara, Yumi Mordre Coach: Bob Levesque Delegation Leader: Yoichi Tomita Judge: no judge assigned. 2 rhythmic gymnasts also going (Yumi Mordre attending this meet in place ofTracee Tal avera. Yumi 's selection based on results of the 1st national elite meet in Atlanta. Julianne and Yumi are from the same club as is the coach, Bob Levesque) Antibes and Orleans (June 9-21) Gymnasts: Gina Stallone, Tammy Smith Coach: Parkette Coach Judge: Ernestine Weaver

Comments: Roe Kreutzer - When selections are made by the coaching staff (Peters, Kreutzer) and Jackie Fie they will be immediately sent to Mrs. Ammerman so she can relay the information.

Quallllcatlon Procedures 1982-83 1. All gymnasts, Jr. and Sr., who received The Respective Now Qualifying Score in the 1982 Championships of the USA are exempt from the Zone competitions. Juniors who become Seniors also qualify to the national trials. (Accepted) (Sr. 72.00- Jr. 68.80) 2. Seniors with a 9.00 (72.00) average in the zone meet may advance to any 1983 national elite qualifying trials. (Accepted) Juniors with an 8.6 (68.80) average in the zone meet may advance to any 1983 national elite qualifying trials. (Accepted) 3. Top 12 seniors and top 12 juniors from ranking meet (national elite trials) will qualify to 1983 Championships of the USA. (TABLED until competitive schedule is decided). "4. ESPN Single elimination tournament a. Top 1O seniors from 1982 USA Championships b. Top 6 1uniors from 1982 USA Champ1onsh1ps

(Acee ted) P

Inexperienced coaches who are selected for international trips- it may be helpful to send an experienced judge along to perhaps act as delegation leader.

5. Top 20 seniors and top 20 juniors from June national qualifying meet advance to Championships. (TABLED)

Absolute procedure for selection must be identified and followed.

6. Top 20 seniors from USA Championships advance to Trials. Championships will count 40%

Don Peters (National Team Coach) report on national program

Trials will count 60%

Championships 1st place 20 points 2nd place 19 3rd place 18 4th place 17 ETC.

Recent team experiences have highly motivated our top gymnasts.

Senior and Junior team program is largely competitive in nature. We must continue to provide team competitions for our juniors as most of them will be eligible for the World Championships and Olympic Games.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th

Pre-Team Program : May not get off the ground right now but will need to be established after Olympic Games in 1984. 7. Top 8 finishers will go to World Championships. Right now our top priority must be the Senior Te am and 1984. Schedu le Time line established to develop meet schedule working back from the Olympics.

Trials - 30 points - 28.5 - 27 - 25.5 - 24 - 22.5 - 21 ETC.

(ACCEPTED)

8. Pan Ams rank order of 40% + 60% from Championships and Trials #7- 13. •Gymnast who misses USA Championships (petition) but competes in Trials will get the rank value from Championships that corresponds to her place from the Trials, e.g. 4th place Trials = 25.5 plus 17 points (4th place point value from Championships) = 42.5 (ACCEPTED)

Pacific Alliance meet is very important for us politically. 1983-84 Proposed schedule would include the Pacific Alliance meet in September, World Cup in October, international dual meets in Nov/Dec, and ESPN in December. The first elite zone meet would be in December and the first national elite meet in January. The January meet would serve as a ranking meet. There would be a period of " down time " until the 2nd elite zone met in May and the 2nd national elite meet in June. This down time would coincide with the NCAA request for no

international meets during their season. There would also be the advantage of our gymnasts not having to miss so much school during this time. However there is the disadvantage of school ending at the same time as the zone and national meets and problems related with finals , graduation, etc.

1. 1983 World Championships squad (8) qualified to Championships of the USA 1984. (ACCEPTED) 2. All gymnasts who received respective qualifying scores in 1983 Championships or Trials are exempt from zone competition in 1984. (ACCEPTED) 3. Top 12 Seniors from each (2) national qualifying meet advance to Championships. Top 16 Juniors from each national qualifying meet advance to Championships. (ACCEPTED) 4. Top 20 seniors from Championships advance to Trials. 5. Same (40% - 60%) ranking procedure as 1983 Trials.

(ACCEPTED) (ACCEPTED)

6. Zone qualifying scores: Summer has traditionally been our "down time " but Pan-American and Olympic Games are summer competitions. Trials for Pan -Am and World Championships would take place in August of 1983. USA Championships would be in July. Pan-American Games- if conditions are good we should take our 1st team. After the Games gymnasts come home for rest and training in their individual gyms. Meet with team just prior to leaving for the World Championships. Go to Europe for practice meet in Frankfort or other suitable site. If Pan-Am conditions are poor or require a major adjustment in the compulsories we should send our 2nd team. We need to win every medal in the Pan-Am Games as publicity build-up for us is very important prior to the Olympic Games.

Te am selection for Pan-Am Games - must decide on a definite plan now as it must be presented to the Pan-Am Committee in July. Publically announced in Sept. '82. After the World Championships in October there would be down time until the first zone meet in February. The 1st national elite meet would be in late February and the 2nd set of qualifying meets would be in March. USA Championships in April, Olympic Trials in May. Olympic Games in July with an international practice meet prior to the Games.

26

Seniors Juniors

72 .00 70.40

(ACCEPTED)

Dick Mulvihill was invited into the meeting to present his plan for our national elite program leading up to the Olympic Games. His plan is as follows:

-Just providing competitions is not enough. Providing opportunities for coaches to improve is also important. - Using USOC and other funds to train coaches and gymnasts. - Establish a profile on each gymnast. What the girl can do and how she does it. Develop a program for educating and correcting. -Select our best gymnasts (20, 24, 30 or ?) Set goals for each gymnast and provide an educational forum for coaches to develop and progress toward established goals. - Establish Olympic coach and staff as soon as possible. Staff develops the procedure they want to follow. Procedure evaluated and approved by the WIPC and then hands off. -Establish individual and team goals as related to Russian and Chinese performance. Use outside resource people to assist in training, such as George Hery, Abe Grossfeld, Mas Watanabe, etc.

USGF Technical Journal / Oct. 82


-Provide financial assistance for potential medal winners and clubs and coaches that are producing. Money is available from the USOC but being held up.

Note:

-Training camps must be ultra functional and well planned with individual coache s and without.

China - June 28/July 10 Top 8 juniors in rank order Coaches: Peters, Kreutzer

If Talavera & McNamara do not attend this meet, Durham and Retton will take their places.

Durham Retton Quincy

-Core of coaches (Olympic staff) would determine selection process for Olympic team and present to WIPC. Canada - June 21-25 Juniors # 9 through # 16

-Every effort must be made to treat all coaches 1st class. -Olympic staff should have control over:

Kushner Holt

1I all elite events 2) all elite judging assignments

National Sports Festival -

Rosenberry Dus sere Bileck

Brum bough Appler

Kinkle Cole

Denkins Campagna

Sey Zosa

July 21-30 (Gymnastics competition 28-30)

3) all elite exhibitions Rank order of gymnasts from USA Championships. Top 24 who are not participating in an international meet. If 24 not available go back to next highest places from Atlanta and Philadelphia meets. Coaches: McCarthy, Buckmann , Roach, D. Strauss, Service Down

4) all elite equipment 5) all competition sites 6) travel arrangements

White House -

7) competition and exhibition tour (men & women) 8) series of closed compulsory competitions and workshops with critique and evaluation -USG F should push for weekly national exposure and especially in Southern California. -Proposed schedule: + Gradual process to the Olympic Games emphasizing correct peaking times for individuals and teams. + Need for training time (down time). We need our top kids to learn skills that are medal producing. + This year - June, July, August, September - training time. Individual gymnasts must adapt to scheduled competitions such as the World Cup, etc. + October through February- series of international meets, national invitationals, ESPN , etc. Psychological as well as physical conditioning are necessary wh ich means lots of competitions. + March-April-May - zone meet, national meet, zone meet, national meet, USA Championships, Pan-Am/WC Trials. + June-July-August-Sept (1983)- training time. 1st team does not go to Pan-Am Games. Top team of 10-12 go to training camp to begin preparation for World Championships . Rest of the country still in training. + Atter World Championships team has Nov/Dec/Jan to rest , train , or compete as coaching staff dictates. + March-April-May (1984)- zone meet, national meet, etc. Team picked in May. + Team brought to training camp for a period of six weeks schedule pre-meets and exhibitions.

gradual fine tuning. May

Discussion Selection of team, early or late. In the past there has been good and bad results in selecting the team early. Success depended on coaches involved and organization. Failures have been enlarged by head coaches and coaches were otten saddled with impractical rules to follow. Much discussion followed regarding both plans presented. It was decided to table any decision regarding the elite schedule until coaches can get together in Tucson (at the USE CA Team Championships) to formulate a final plan. Core of Coaches Don Peters presented a list of names he would like considered for the core of coaches to work with the national team in preparation and competition . Don would select coaches for different assignments for a one year period and then evaluate to determine final coaching staff. 1I 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Mary Wright - coach/choreographer Nancy Roach - choreographer Donna Cozza - choreographer Donna Strauss - coach (Has ability to handle kids in similar capacity as Roe) Gary Buckmann Tom McCarthy Gary Anderson Bela Karoli - not as team coach but more for his coaching knowledge and as a political force 9) Hideo Mizoguchi 10) Bill Sands

These people are capable of putting individual concerns aside in favor of the national team effort. The national coaching staff must be beyond reproach in credibility and the handling of the team. Note: Selections

Elite judge(s) will be involved in all training camps. (Based on '82 USA Championships)

June 21

The top 4 from the International Invitational in Ft. Worth will present an exhibition at the Wh ite House. Coaches: Cozza, 1 coach only. Change due to White House needing names. Rank order from Senior gymnasts in USGF Invitational. Koopman, Goodwin, Lederer, Collins, Johnson World ' s Fair -

July 4 (Exhibition)

Muzbeck, Hillner, Mann , McVay, Montera, Alternate Chillano Coaches: We iss, Musgrave 1 coach Declined Pacific All iance -

Sept 14-23

Top 5 invited. Will substitute if necessary but not necessarily in rank order. Coaches: Peters, Kreutzer Evaluation of Coaching Staff

Unanimous consensus that Don and Roe are doing an excellent job in their roles as coaches for our national team. There was comment made that gymnasts' parents and schools should be regularly informed of schedule, traveling plans, competitions, etc. There is also a need fo r the coaches to secure knowledge of team members prior to trips and competition s. It was disclosed that Roe Kreutzer is fulfilling her role as assistant national coach without any financial compensation from the USGF. She is no longer drawing salary from her own club as she is not there much any more being heavily involved with the national program. MOTION : The WIPC officially commends Don Peters and Roe Kreutze r lor their accomplishments with the US National Team program and requests suitable remuneration for Roe Kreutzer in her role as Assistant National Coach. PASSED (unanimous)

Don and Roe have also been selected as coaches for the Pan American Games team. Discussio n on Core of Coaches Clarification needed on roles that coaches play in relation to US team activities. After discussion the following motion was made: MOTION: That the cu rrent core ol coaches be divided into two groups. Group I will be those coaches to be used for training and development within the USA. The 2nd Group will be used for team competitions as selected by Don and Roe. PASSED I felt we passed the core for training in USA and international was lett for approval by WIPC. Discussion on adding gymnasts to National Sports Festival

There are three national caliber gymnasts who did not compete this year due to injuries. Question is: should they be included in the NSF on the basis ol their past performance. Gymnasts are: Trina Tinti, Beth Pope, and Kelly Chaplin. Atter considerable discussion it was decided to stay with the original decision (see above) and not allow these gymnasts to participate in the NSF. Discussion on elite schedule for 1982-84

Much discussion was held concerning the schedule including: split seasons, training The following decisions were forthcoming: MOTION: To accept the dates for the USA Championships and Trials as per Don Peter's proposal. (1983 - USA Champ. in July, Pan-Am and WC Trials in August; 1984 - USA Champ. in April, Olympic Trials in May.) PASSED Qualifiers to the USA Championships - 32 plus injury petitions Qualifiers to the Trials - 20 plus petitions How will gymnasts be selected for the Olympic Games team? MOTION: From the final trials gymnasts 1,2,3, and 4 wi ll hold their place on the team. Places 5 and 6 wi ll be determined from results of official international team competitio n prio r to the Olympics. PASSED

International Invitational (Fort Worth) - 16-19 Talavera-Declined McNamara-Declined Koopman Goodwyn Durham Alt. Service-Declined Muzbeck Coaches: Peters, Kreutzer, Cozza, Sands

USG F Technical Journal/ Oct. 82

Lederer Collins Johnson Roethlisberger Retton

Pan-American Games: MOTION: Rank order from the Trials gymnasts 7 throug h 13. Any gymnast who cannot finish the trials may be placed on the training squad in the 8th position (or 9th position if 8 gymnasts make up the squad) and can participate in international team meets. PASSED Re: 40% - 60% point system as outlined in Don's proposal. MOTION: To accept this procedure for the Pan-American Games selection and to consider it for Olympic Games tea m selection. Evaluation by the WIPC atter Pan-American Games to determine if the system is to be used again. Submit proposal to Olympic Committee. PASSED

27


Don Peters and elite coaches in Tucson will further discuss the elite schedule for 83-84. Don will then submit a finalized schedule to the WIPC no later than July 30. 1982.

Mr. R. Counsil commented that the current environment on the women·s side of the sport is well informed of the development within the USA and the European influences concerning the vault board . Agenda Item E. Executive Directors Report.

Invitation received

Mr. A. Counsil discussed the "Tasks to be completed" list on an itemized basis. Don Peters also reported that we have just received an invitation from the Gymnastics

Federation (or related body) in the Philippines. They have asked for a team of girls, all expenses paid. (Late Summer or Fall)

a.

Mr. Kormann announced the new athlete representatives to the Board of Directors : Ms. Kathy Johnson Mrs. Debbie F. Synder Mr. Tim LaFleur Mr. Gene Whelan Mrs. Nancy T. Marshall Mr. Jay Whelan Mr. Brent Simmons

b.

Concerning the pending legal involvements. it was announced that: the California case was resolved out of court, the New Jersey case was dropped, and the International Management situation has been put on hold.

c.

The office has been involved in the development of a proposal format for the solir.itation of possible fund donations. Some specific corporations have been contacted and proposals are being drawn. The NGJA has agreed to aid the USGF in regards to use of lax letter for possible funding proposals.

d.

There was considerable discussion concerning the USOC Operation Gold program. The committee discussed the application for program funds and eligibility of athletes for funds. Funds are to be distributed through the national governing body to the qualified athlete according to the guidelines of the USOC. The Executive Committee will break into subcommittees in order to write the fund proposals to be sent to the USOC not laler than June 20th.

e.

Mr. Counsil presented the answers to questions asked in the list of tas ks concerning the legal liability of the USGF related to use of equipment, meet conduct , meet insurance, etc. The answers were a result of communicalion by Mr. Counsil to Ms. Cheryl Grace of Bayly, Martin and Fay Company. Ms. Grace answered as follows:

Submitted by: Jim Gault Acting secretary, 5/29/82

United Stales Gymnastics Federation

Thursday and Friday June 17 and 18, 1982

Meeting of the Executive Committee Fort Worth Hilton Fort Worth. Texas

Executive Committee Minutes The meeting was called to order by President B. Wil kinson at 9:11 A.M. Members Present: Mr. Bud Wilkinson - President Mr. Les Sasvary - Vice President for Men Ms. Roe Kreutzer · Vice President for Women

Mr. Mike Milidonis - Secretary Mr. Peter Kormann - Member at Large Mrs. Sue Ammerman · Member at Large Mrs. Jackie Fie - FIG Women 's Technical Committee Member Mr. Bill Roetzheim - USGF Representative to the FIG Technical Assembly - Men and Mr. Roger Counsil - USGF Executive Director President B. Wilkinson welcomed the members to Fort Worth and briefly outlined the schedule for the meeting. Agenda Item A. Proposed Sanctioning Policies and Procedures. Mr. A. Counsil directed comments concerning the proposed policies and their content to the

Executive Committee. Discussion of the policies yielded the following corrections and additions: a.

After considerable discussion over the term "closed meets" add the following statement to page t. B 1 c. " If the competition is to be utilized as a Junior Olympic Age Group Program (JOAGP) qualifying meet, such meet would require USGF Sanction even if considered a closed

event. " b.

Discussion of current team competition formats and team composition led to the following addition to page 2 C 1 b. ·· Nate :This does not apply to foreign athletes residing in the United States and participating in closed event competitions. "

c.

Discussion of International policies related to event sanctions resulted in the following correction and addition to page 2. ··only the United Stales Gymnastics Federation, by virtue of 1.0.C. and F.l.G. mandates, may invite or authorize foreign gymnastic event participation in the United States. "

d.

A brief discussion of the examples given with the proposal suggested that the finished document not include examples of application of policies.

Proposed by Mr. Milidonis to accept the Sanctioning Policies and Procedures as corrected. Motion Passed. Agenda Item 8. USGF Technical Journal Formai.

1. How should meet directors be insured ?

The meet directors for competition are insured for their liability exposure at USGF sanctioned competitions under the USGF General Comprehensive Liability Coverage (including owners, landlord's, and tenanrs liability and broad form comprehensive liability). The meet directors and the USGF are covered for one million dollars under the comprehensive general. 2. What type of insurance should be carried by the USGF, regarding equipment? The USGF does not own the equipment, therefore, are not responsible for the liability of the construction of the equipment. Equipment companies have liabilily coverage for this. Under the USGF Comprehensive policy, the USGF and meet directors/personnel are covered for liability exposure for injuries as a result of the equipment being installed incorrectly, or any injury occurring on the equipment (a bar slips down, etc. not an equipment fault). Equipment should be specifically inspected by a knowledgeable person immediately alter the equipment is set up. All checks of equipment should be logged with date, time, status of equipment, who checked the equipment, notation of repairs needed and date/time when repairs are completed. This procedure stands up in court with regard to safety and care.

3. How and who performs the equipment certification prior to a USGF competition? The equipment should be inspected by USGF personnel for proper set up, and then inspected by the meet referee or superior judge for correct heighl, etc. and for FIG specifications. A check list for FIG specifications and auxiliary equipmenl should be used. 4. Do equipment companies share a disclaimer with the USGF? Does the USGF have a disclaimer clause in event sanctions?

A sanction with disclaimer clause does not limit by contract for gross negligence. Negligence cannot be waivered. The equipment itself is not insured to date by the USGF insurance. Only injuries as a result of their use (not for defective equipment, this should be covered by the equipment company). 5. Do the USGF sanction forms contain limits on liability or other equipment restrictions? The sanctions from the USGF executive office and the women'scommittee regional chair, and the men's program regional chair must be standardized. The meet director must knowingly sign a contract that reads " if the FIG and USGF specifications of equipment are not followed, that the meet director assumes the liability for injuries as a result of the set up.'· The USGF sanction form does not have limits of liability listed on the form (should have a limit of liability). We currently have: one million dollar comprehensive general, 50,000 dollar excess medical for athletes. Ms. Grace's answers are supplemented by the letter attached from Russell E. March.

Proposed by Mrs. Ammerman that the USGF Techn ica l Journa l be designated as the official source of information, including all association and committee minutes to the professional membership. Motion Passed.

Following discussion of the questions and answers, Mr. Milidonis proposed that the Men 's Program Committee and the Women 's Committee develop a form consistent with the policies of both committee as a "equipment certification form " to be submitted to the executive committee for approval.

Agenda Item C. FIG USGF Equipment Specification Policy. Malian Passed. Discussion conce rned the present status of equipment usage throughout the USA. The equipment specifications are difficult to control except for sanctioning procedures. Proposed by Mrs. Ammerman to delete the words " or exceeded'. from the USGF Equipment Policy Statement.

The committee discussed the relationship of the USOC programs of Operation Gold and Games Preparation, Team Selection.

President Wilkinson asked Mrs. Ammerman to present the Women 's Games Preparation proposal to the USOC. Mrs. Ammerman outlined the proposal and its implementation into the national program.

Motion Passed . Agenda Item D. Status of the Women 's Vault Board Concerns.

Moved by Mr. Milidonis to accept lhe proposal as recommended and submitted to the USOC for acceptance. Motion Passed .

28

USGF Technica l Journal / Oct . 82


Further discussion of the Te am Selection procedures yielded the recommendation that the program committees for men and for women prepare any amendments to the accepted policies to be submitted to the USOC at its next meeting on these matters.

Moved by Ms. Kreutzer to accept the Women 's International Program Committee Document on June 1, 1982. The document contains the structure information, guidelines, and policies of the WIPC.

Mr. Counsil next presented the view of the USGF fin ancial status. A report prepared by the accountant, Mr. Baird Walker, presented the current financial status of all accounts. The general fact of the report was that the events are losing money in relation to budget profit predictions.

Motion Passed. Moved by Ms. Kreutzer to accept the Minutes of the Men's Program Committee Meetings of May 27 -28, and June 4-5, 1982.

The committee discussed ways in which money has been spent to support events. Motion Passed. President Wilkinson asked for a recess for lunch at 11 :25 A.M. The committee continued the discussion of the International Plans for the upcoming FIG Con-

The Executive Committee meeting was reconvened by Pre sident Wilkinson at 2:33 P.M.

gress.

President Wil kinson requested Mr. Counsil to presen1 a projection of USGF budget for the coming months. Mr. Counsil reported that the possible incomes include : a new magazine subscription program. an increase in the fund raising arena, a possible Fort Worth fund raising event, and possible event profits for 1he Fort Worth Invitational and China Tour.

Mr. Counsil instructed the appointed delegates to the FIG Congress to prepare the proposals necessary for a successful representation of the USGF at all meetings and functions related to and including the FIG Congress.

Mr. Counsil reported that the office is still awaiting the budget reports of 1he Championships of the USA for men and for women.

Agenda Item I. New Business

Our USGF finances are in a condition which realizes the possibility of reduced funding for athletes travel and housing to the Championships of the USA. There may be a possibility of reimbursing the expenses for all or part of those athletes who qualify to the National Teams. We can·t do anything that isn 't paid for.

Mr. Milidonis presented the revision of the Eligibility Statutes regarding Article X Enforcement. Mr. Sasvary moved for the acceptance of the USGF Eligibility Statutes. Motion Passed .

The Committee discussed the costs associated with the USGF Congress, especially the expenses for presentations and committee members whose costs are paid for. The committee recommended that the USGF office scrutinize these expenditures and attempt to cut costs wherever possible.

The committee suggested that the Sanction Policy and Eligibility Statutes be printed in the USGF Magazines and distributed to all coaches and athletes of the USGF National te ams.

Agenda Item F. Concern expressed by an Individual Concerning Judges Costs.

Mr. Counsil directed the athletes receive the documents from Mr. Kormann including a cover letter with explanation of the documents. He also directed Mr. Sasvary and Ms. Kreutzer to communicate to the coaches and the program committees the same cover letter and documents.

Mr. Counsil presented a letter which asks the USGF to investigate the costs associated with judges assignment to officiate, including: honorarium, transportation costs, per diem, assignmen t procedures, etc. A discussion of the costs of medals and awards for competitions was also related to the committee. The committee suggested that the Women 's Committee prepare a report on the fee structure associated with judges assignment and event medal costs to be presented to the Executive Committee.

Mr. Counsil apprised the committee of an organization advertising special travel fees for athletes, USA Athletic Trave l. The committee suggested that the USGF office investigate the opportunities which may be available to our athletes with such a plan.

Agenda Item G. FIG letter concerning the Pro Tour. Mr. Counsil apprised the committee of a letter from the FIG concerning the participation of athletes on the USA Pro Tour. The letter was concerned with the development of professional gymnastics. The committee discussed 1he potential eligibility of athletes, the saturation of the gymnastic spectator market, the promotion of the sport in a new manner, and numerous other concerns.

The committee discussed the possibilities of future promotion of the USGF programs which support the athletes. The committee suggested that we investigate 1he possibility of obtaining TV commercial time during event broadcasts for athlete and program promotion.

Mr. Kormann presented concerns of the Athlete Association in regard to the current structure of the Men's Program Committee. The athletes Association will further discuss possible representa1ion at the next meetings of the association and the MPC. The next meetings of the USGF Executive Committee are scheduled for August 2, and September

President Wilkinson asked Mr. Milidonis to report on the Eligibility Sta1u1es as prepared by the Eligibility Committee. The committee discussed the item concerning enforcement of the statutes and asked that the Article be sent back 10 committee to be reported later in the agenda.

26, 1982 On motion duly made and seconded, the meeting of the USGF Executive Committee was adjourned by President Wilkinson at 10:10 A.M.

Agenda Item H. Discussion of International Plans. Submitted for Consideration by: Mr. Wilkinson discussed the roles of the delegates to the FIG Congress in Zurich and the assignment of delegates. Mr. B. Wilkinson - President of the USGF Mr. R. Counsil • Executive Director of the USGF Mrs. J. Fie · FIG Women 's Techni cal Committee Member Mr. B. Roetzheim - USGF Representative to the FIG Tech nical Assembly - Men Mrs. A. Schmidt • USGF Representative to the FIG Technical Assembly - Rhythmic Mr. L. Sasvary • Acting Delegation Leader to the Gymnastrada

Michael J. Milidonis Secretary, USGF Executive Committee

Mr. Wilkinson presented the importance of the presentation of a unified platform from the USGF in light of the upcoming FIG elections.

MEN 'S PROGRAM COMM ITTEE MEET ING

Mr. Counsil explained the mechanics of preparation for this event and the possible itinerary.

June 4 & 5. 1982

Mr. Roetzheim expressed the concerns of the Men's Technical Committee in relation to the present FIG committee structure, tasks , etc. He also presented the needs for a successful candidacy for a position on the FIG Technical Committee.

U.S.A. Championships Syracuse , New York

Lengthy discussion followed concerning the lnterna1ional plans for the term prior to the '84 Olympics. President Wilkinson requested a recess at 5:53 P.M. President Wilkinson reconvened the meeting of the USGF Executive Committee at 8:05 A.M. , Friday, June 18.

Mrs. Ammerman was not present due to previous commitments.

Moved by Ms. Kreutzer to accept the Minu1es of the Rhythm ic Gymnastics Committee Meeting of May 20, 1982.

Presen t: Les Sasvary , Chairman Fred Roethlisberger , Secretary Jay Whelan Ed Burch Abie Grossfeld Don Gutzler Makoto Sakamoto , guest Mas Watanabe , Men·s Program Directo r Excused Bill Roetzheim (B ill jo ined meeting at 10:30 a.m .)

Motion Passed.

Moved by Ms. Kreutzer to accept the Minutes of the Women 's International Program Committee Meeting of May 29, 1982. Motion Passed.

USGF Technical Journal / Oct . 82

Meeting cal led to order at 9:00 a.m . on June 4. I.

Review of minutes A. Conference ca ll of January 8 mir.utes approved . B. Conference call of February 25 m inutes corrected to show Don Gutzler and Jay Whelan not participating , otherwise approved . C. Conference ca ll May 27 minutes approved as corrected .

29


F. Olympic Training Camp , Jun e 24-30. G. July 14 team arrives in L.A. H. Ol ympic Games training July 15-27, Olympics July 28 - August 12.

D. Conference call May 28 minutes approved (taken by Bill Roetzheim) . 2.

3.

1983-84 Game Plan -A document assembled by Abie Grossfeld , Makoto Sakamoto and Mas Watanabe was presented which was used to work from in making plans throughout the meeting . 1983 U.S.A. National Championships and National Team qualifying . A. B. C. D.

E. F. G. H.

J.

K.

112.0 qua li fying score to U.S.A. Championships. Qua lificati on can be only at U.S.G.F. certified qualification meets as approved by the Men's Program Director. The 1983-84 Nationa l Team sha ll consist of the top 18 placed gym nasts from the 1983 U.S.A. Nationa l Championship. A min imum of 30 persons sha ll qualify to the 1983 U.S.A. National Champ ionsh ip. If there are fewer than 30 with 112.0 qualifying score , the remaining pos itions shall be filled by gymnasts from the regional qualifying meets based upon score. If there are more than 30 gymnasts to achieve a qualifying score of 112 poin ts, they shall all advance to the 1983 U.S.A. Championships. The regiona l qualifying meets in 1983 shall be May 20-21. The U.S.A. Champions hi ps will be June 2, 3, and 4. Qualifying meets and the Championship will be competition 11 1except vaul t where one vault will be used (two vaults in finals). In order for anyo ne to make the Seni or National Team, he must have qualifi ed for Nat io nals in an approved competit ion Ill meet. Ju nio r age gym nasts may return to domestic junior competition if they decide not to accept a pos ition of the Senior Team or do not p lace in the top 18. Thi s decision must be announced at the Senior Natio nal Champ ionsh ip. The Men's Program Committee may se lect gymnasts from the Senior Nati onal Team to compete in Junior Invitational events if they meet the age requirement (18 or under on January 1).

4.

Wo rld Un ivers ity Ga mes, Edmonton, Canada, July 1-11. Select ion w ill be based upon rank order optiona ls at the U.SA Champions hips. Four persons and one alternate. The coaches of the team will be se lected at later date.

5.

Pan Amer ica n Games, Venezue la, August 20 - Septembe r 3. A.

Moved th at Pan Am compulsories which are similar to Olympic compu lso ries be used for selection of the team. Defeated because compulsories are very close to Olympic compulsories and the comm ittee d id not feel that it was feasible to run an additional session for these compulsories. B. Juniors who score 112 points or higher at any Junior competitions will be eli gible to participate in the 1983 U.S.A. Championships to try for the Pa n Ame ri can Games Team Only. C. It was decided that a team wou ld be sent and that the best team ava ilab le be used . T he Olympic Committee has a high priority on the Pan American Games and the Program Committee ag rees. The top gy mnasts fro m th e U.S.A. Championships will be asked unti l seven ag ree to go. The tea m will be se lected based on compulsory and o pti ona l exerc ises. D. There is a short mandatory training camp for the Pan Am Team im med iately fo ll ow ing the U.S.A. Championships in 1983 in order to c larify the Pan Am compu lsories. 6.

1983 World Championships , October 23-30 , Budapest, Hungary. A.

Se lection of team - eighteen National Team members advance to final trials. 30% of the score from the U.S.A. Championships shall be added to 70% of the score at the World Championship final trials September 16 & 17 to determ ine the top eight gy mnasts. Competing team wi ll be places one thro ug h six w ith seventh bei ng the first alternate and eight the seco nd altern ate. B. September 29 - October 2 training camp fo r Wor ld Championship Team. C. Depart for Europe October 9 and tune up competition October 14 and 15 in Germany or Switzerland. D. October 16, depart for Budapest. E. October 23-30, World Championships . 7.

1984 Olympic Games. A. 112. po ints and top 30 gymnasts qualify for U.S.A. Championships . B. Qualifying meets May 4 and 5, 1984. C. U.S.A. Champ ions hi p count 30% and fina l trials 70% for selection of team. D. Traini ng camp May 20-27 - 18 gymnasts. E. Fin al tri als, June 15 and 18.

30

Th ere was a break in the June 4 meeting session for lunch from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. June 4 session was adjourned at 3:45 p.m. Meeting resumed at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, June 5. Bill Roetzheim was not present , due to a NGJA technical committee meeting . 8.

9.

Ranking of National Team . Bart Conner will not have a rank and wi ll be used in competitions at the discretion of the National coaches and M.P.C. Wa lly Miller and Tom Beach are ranked 25th . Passed. Other petitions: Jay Foster's petition to be allowed into the Postgraduate Championships or the Championships was denied by a conference call before the meet in Atlantic City. B. Brian Babcock - passed 5 to 1. C. Peter Stout - passed 4 to 2. D. Brian Babcock and Peter Stout will be ranked as tied for 26th - passed.

A.

10. 1982-83 Ranking: Gymnast 1. Peter Vidmar 2. Mitch Gaylord 3. Jim Hartung 4. Tim Daggett 5. Scott Johnson 6. Phil Cahoy 7. Roy Palassou 8. Jim Mikus 9. Mario Mccutchen 10. Mark Caso 11 . Billy Paul 12. Chris Riegel 13. Brian Meeker 14. Steve Marino 15. Matt Arnot 16. Tom Kennedy 17. Matt Bispeil 18. Joey Ray 19. Robby Mahurin 20. Byron Knox 21. Stacey Maloney 22. Kevin Prady 23. Don Dembrow 24. Keith Avery 25. Tom Beach 25., Wal ly Miller 26. Brian Babcock 26. Peter Stout unranked Bart Conner

Coach Makoto Sakamoto Kurt Thomas Jim Howard Makoto Sakamoto Jim Howard Frances Allen Rich Chew Frances Allen Abie Grossfeld Art Shurlock Hal Frey Fra nces Allen Fred Roethlisberger Karl Schwenzfier Rusty Mitchell Chuck Ehrlich Abie Grossfeld Fred Roethlisberger Paul Zier! Abie Grossfeld Ken Allen Rusty Mitchell Peter Kormann Fred Turoff Dan Connely Abie Grossfeld Bi ll Meade Pau l Z iert

11 . General selection procedures. All selections for U.S.A. representation should be based upo n competition and where practical within a fair proximity to the competition involved . The selection criteria for competitions requiring Nationa l Team members (Jr. & Sr.) are as follows: A. National ranking competitions. B. Recent competitions. C. Gymnastics condition and hea lth. 12. The National Program Director may request the adm iss ion of outstand in g talented gymnasts to Jr. or Sr. train ing camps whethe r o r not they are on the Jr. or Sr. National Team with the approva l of the M.P.C . Any gymnast under nineteen on January 1 may be invited to Jr. train ing camps du ri ng that year . 13. A framewuo i\ for the development of the National Program is being refined. The document called Game Plan Guidelines for the 1984 Olympic Games for Men is to be made available soon . 14. June Ennia Gold Cup , Hol land Dennis Hayden, Dan McCann Coach , Yo ichia Tomita

June 9-21 French Invitational Billy Paul and Brian Meeker Coach , Fred Roethlisberger

June 17, 18 & 19 International In vitational , Ft. Worth, TX . Top 5 availab le gymnasts Mitch Gaylord , Jim Hartung , Tim Daggett, Scott Johnson, Jim Mikus Coach , Abie Grossfeld USGF Technical Journal/Oct. 82


USGF Bookstore Order Form July 3 & 4 U .S.A ., C hin a, West Germany , J apa n in China 6 men and 1 alternate Mitch Gay lo rd , Tim Daggett , Jim Miku s, M ario Mccutchen, Mark Caso , Billy Paul , 1s t alternate - Chris Ri ege l, 2nd alternate - Brian Meeker Coach , Ab ie Grossfeld July 22-30 N ati ona l Spo rt s Festival T op 12 w ho accept Juni ors - Dennis H ayden, D an McCann , Jon Omori , Dan Hayden , Wes Suter , Ru sse ll Lacy , Rob Brown , David Menke , Matt Stelling , Randy Besosa, Paul L aG ura, Kurtis H oldswo rth Coaches - Tom Gardner, Waichiro Miki Seniors - M itch Gaylord , Scott J o hn son , Roy Palassou , Mario Mccutchen , Mark Caso , Bill y Paul , Chris Ri ege l, Bri an Meeker , Steve Marin o , Matt Arnot , T o m Kennedy, Matt Biespie l A ltern ates - 1. Robby Mahurin , 2. Byro n Kn ox , 3. Stacey Maloney August 14-21 Senior Training Camp , Colorad o Springs Coaches - Abie Grossfeld , Makato Sakamoto , Fred Roethlisberger, Frances Allen , Peter Kormann , Fred Turoff - alternate September 21-27 Czechoslavak ia Invitational , declined

October 15- 17 B .B Cup , Germany Vidmar, H artung, Conner Coach - to be named

September 18-26 Cairo , Eg yp t, declined October Cup

October 22-24 World Cup , Zabreb , Yug os lavia Vidmar, Hartung , Conner Coac h, Makoto Sakamoto

At this point, 12:45 - 3:00 p.m ., there was a break in the meeting for lunch and to meet with the athletes w h ere Mr. Sasvary and Mr. Co unci l gave them vital info rm ation . W he n the meeting resu med , Bill Roetzhe im was present. N ove mber 2-8 So uth Africa Cup Two Juniors wi ll be sen t . The M .P.C . feels that this meet should be designated as a Junior meet . Moved that the Juniors selected for the Junior Hunga ri a n Invitational and / or Sout h African Cup be se lected according to rank on the 1982-83 Jr. Elite National Team . Passed four to three. Any member of the Se nior T eam who meets th e age requirement s of Junior internati onal co mpet iti on is also e ligibl e. The high er ranked gymnasts shou ld go to Hun gary . N ovember 20 Swiss Cup , Zurich Offer to Cahoy , Palassou in th at order and then Meeker if he doesn 't go to Ch ina , then Marino , Arnot, Kennedy . Pe rsonal Coach . Decembe r 4 All Champion, Milan, Italy Offer in order as for Sw iss Cup if Bart Con n er who was invited by name declines . Pe rsonal coac h . December 2 December 11-1 2 Chinichi Cup Coca Co la In vitati ona l, London Pete r Vidmar and Mitc h Gay lo rd . Offer in o rd e r as for Swiss Cup . Coach of high est rank ed gymnast. Coac h , Kurt Thomas. 15. Com mittee passed the Junior Olympic b oard proposal for the method of selecti o n of the junior represen tatives to the M.P.C . Procedure Se lection to Men 's Program Committee from Junior Progra m : 1.

Coac h es from aro und the country wi ll nominate to the ir Sta te Directors names of those people that they want to run for th e position .

2.

The S tate Director w ill then take those names an d submit them to the Regional Director of their region.

3.

Regional Direc tor then sends names to Junior Olympic Board C h a irman .

4.

The Cha irman comp iles n am es and sets up voti n g bal lot .

5.

The voting takes place at the National Championships . Th ose who vote following the compet iti on are : The coaches of T op 10 C lass 11 , the coaches of T op 10 Class I, the coaches of Top 10 Junior Elite along w ith members of th e Juni or Olympic Board.

Meetin g ad jo urn ed at 4 :30 p .m . Submitted for Approval by Fred Ro ethli sberger , Jun e 8 , 1982. USGF Technical Journal/ Oct. 82

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31


GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE USGF TECHNICAL JOURNAL Purpose of the Publication: The USGF Technical Journal is an educationa l publication which originates at the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF). It is an official publication. The USGF Technical Journal is designed as an instrument of transferring the most cur rent educationa l information in all aspects of education and coaching which wo uld be applicable to the multi -faceted sport of gymnastics - Athletic Training , Growth and Motor Development, Behaviorial and Sport s Psychology, Muscle Physiology, Nutrition. Biomechanics, Sports Medicine, etc . - as well as pertinent technical information - Committee Meeting minutes and reports, survey evaluation. changes in rules and policies of competition, etc., to aid our professional members in the quest tn keep up with changes effecting our constantly growing sport. Presently, the USGF Technical Journal is a be nefit for the Professional Membership; it s circulation is limited to the coaches , judges, medical personnel, and educato rs/ decision-makers involved in the sport.

Preparation of Articles for Submission: Please fo llow a uniform format of preparing artic les for submission in order to provide the most efficient channel through the evaluation and review process. The fol lowing should be included in submissions: 1. An original type copy , double spaced on BVi x 11 inch paper. 2. An abstract, on a separat e page, a short summary of procedure and explanation of study or article content (not more than 150 wo rds). 3. A short biographical paragraph on a separate page of the author or author s accompanied by a sma ll photo (2 Vi x 3 V2 ") of the au th or . 4 . References on a separate sheet double spaced in consecutive order, using Inde x Medicine sty le (author's name - last name first, name of book, city, publisher. year, page numbers) journal references . should follow same format (author, name of article, Journal name, volume, pages, year). 5. Duplicates of pictures and diagrams or figures (black and white preferred) with sharp detail. Also include explanations (captions) of pictures and diagrams on a separate sheet. Photograph release - a letter of re lease from any identifiable subject in photos that are included in the article unless the face or eyes are obscurred. Letter should be signed by subject. parent or guardian. 6. Title page consisting of an informative title , author 's name and complete institutional or professional address. Guest editorials should be submitted fol lowing the same format f.or submission as listed, with the possible exc lu sion of numbers 2 and 4 of the above .

Submission of Articles for Publication: Written articles will be accepted for review and possible publication in the following procedure. First the articles are sent to : Managing Editor, Departm ent of Publi cations USGF P.O. Box 7686 Fort Worth. TX 761 11 Upon receipt of the article. to the USGF office, the research coordinator will review and forward copies to the appropriate USGF Sports Advisory Committee members for review. On receiving their review, copies of the article will go to the Managing Editor and Executive Director for final approval for publication. If it is necessary for the article to be edited or revised in order to improve the effectiveness of communication to a wide variety-level of readers, the author will receive the edited article prior to pub lishing for their approval. All corresponde nce will be addressed to the Author submitt ing the artic le, unless otherwise requested . 路 If the article or parts of have been submitted and / or published by another publication, a complete name and address of the Editor and Publication should accompany the article upon submission to the USGF in order to follow proper procedures of publishing and to receive approval to reproduce the article in the USGF publication .

Request for Reprints of Articles These requests should be made directly to the author.

USGF GYMNASTICS MAGAZINE Th e USGF GYMNASTICS magazine services the entire gymnastics community through USGF Professional. Gold Card or Athlete membership, or through magazine subsc ription s - USGF GYMNASTICS, P.O. Box 7686, Fort Worth, Texas 76111. USGF GYMNASTICS is designed to provide the athlete and all enthusiasts of the sport of gymnastics with the most current picture of national and in ternational events, results and trends which effect them directly. Contributing articles and guest opinions are encouraged to help progressively define and guide the sport of gymnastics.

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