M e l F o x A ma t e u r A t h l e t e o f t h e Y e a r N o m i n e e s
Parker Chiapuzio
Tristan Furnary
When it comes to results, MAC gymnast Parker Chiapuzio is hard to beat. During the 2015 gymnastics season, he won Oregon state titles in the floor exercise, parallel bars and high bars, took second in the still rings and vault and won the all-around title. Those are just a few of his victories and great placements from the past year. But according to Coach Rob Saliski, Chiapuzio’s efforts go beyond his wins. “Even though Parker’s athletic accomplishments point to him being the best male gymnast in the club, the state, arguably the region, and among the top in the country, his No. 1 concern is for his team,” Saliski says. The coach recalled the 2015 MAC Open meet, when Chiapuzio competed while he was sick, because he knew the team needed the points. “Five compete during the finals of each event, and the top three scores count. I knew that if I competed, my score would probably be one of those counted,” Chiapuzio explains. “When you’re working with the guys on the team everyday, you get pretty close. I wanted to give back to them.” Chiapuzio started taking recreational classes at MAC when he was 5, and was hooked. He joined the team a year later, and by sixth grade, was focused solely on gymnastics. “I liked playing other sports, but with gymnastics, there are just so many challenges and different ways of doing things,” he says. “There is a lot of skill and challenge involved, and I like that.” Chiapuzio has also found success off of the mat. He was a U.S. Junior Olympics First Team Academic All-American last year, is a member of the National Honor Society and is involved with Young Life. “Having practice right after school can drain you mentally, and a big part of gymnastics is the mental game. I need to stay focused for six hours at school and another four when I get to the gym,” Chiapuzio says. “It’s taught me to manage my time better and be a little more organized about what I do outside of the gym.”
This year, 17-year-old swimmer Tristan Furnary continued to rewrite history with his accomplishments. Last winter, while competing at Junior National Championships in Federal Way, Washington, Furnary set a new Oregon Record in the 400 Individual Medley for 15-16-year-old boys, and made finals at the Junior National level. His times qualified him to compete at the Winter National Championships, and 2015 Summer Junior Nationals. His time of 3:56.76 is in the alltime top 100 best swims in USA Swimming age-group history. Furnary also set two new MAC records in the 200 Individual Medley, previously held by national champion Matt Rankin since 1985; and another new MAC record in the 100 butterfly, previously held by Carson Brindle, a double Mel Fox Award winner. “Tristan shows continuity of excellence in a sport where it is hard to get to the top, but it is much harder to stay at the top,” says Coach Alex Nikitin. “Most importantly, he continues to evolve and develop and excel in new events and new strokes.” Furnary started swimming when he was 9, after a failed attempt at gymnastics left him sitting on the couch, watching too much TV. He quickly went from the couch to the MAC’s record books. While Furnary is proud to see his name on the wall in the 50-meter Pool, he is more proud to be part of a special team, and says he will be excited if his records fall to some of his younger teammates. “What do those records mean to me? They mean I’m a part of a program that’s moving in the right direction. These records at MAC are made to be broken,” he says. “I’m happy to be part of a club that has improved so much, and it reflects the hard work that our coaches have put in to the program.” Furnary continues to be an excellent student, and supportive teammate and a good role model for all the MAC swimmers. His success in and out of the pool has led to him being recruited by the Yale swim team, where he will compete next fall.
Gymnastics
56 | The Wınged M |
january 2016 January 2015
Swim