This year's coaching staff, besides Sid Drain, was Bill Ballester, Tom Walthouse, Wayn e Selvi g, Earl Schabel, Bob Ferguson,and Dave Donaldson. Also present for short periods were Bob Kees, Tom Gardner, and John Hinds. The camp is open to all high school boys who are interested in physical fitness through gymnastics. The cost is $70.00 for the entire session which includes room, board, instruction and transportation from Chicago to camp and back. Anyone interested should contact Sid Drain, Maine West H.S. , Des Plaines, Illinois. Next year's camp dates are August 15th to the 28th. Our sincere thanks to Zen Pulinaskus, Camp Sears director and his staff for a most enjoyable session. HUSKY GYMNASTIC CLUB UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TOUR J ULY 22 - SEPTEMBER 16, 1966 R eport by Dr. Eric Hughes The Husky Gymnastic Club of the University of Washington arrived back )n Seattle on September 16th after spending eight weeks touring Japan, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. The travelling team was comprised of Bo Bennett, Gunter Bohrmann, Jim David, Gary Finne, Eigil Flaathen, Mike Flansaas, Bob Hall, Mike Lovell and was led by Coach Eric Hughes. During the tour the Huskies participated in both th e Australian and the New Zealand National Championships and won the National Title in both countries. Bob Hall won the individual all-round in both meets. In Australia the Huskies won three of the six events an d in New Zealand six of the seven events. (The trampoline was included as an event in New Zealand but not in Australia.) The tour was made under the auspices of the P eople-to-people Sports Committee and th e Seattle-Kobe Affiliation Committee. The purpose of both of these organizations is much the same-that of strengthening the bonds of understanding and fri endship between peoples of different nations. The Hu ski es proved to be excellent ambassadors of good will and were well received and gr'eatly respected everywhere they appeared. The tour started on July 22 with Tokyo th e fir st stop. In Tokyo the Huskies trained in th e Olympic Gym and also attended the final s of the National Collegiate Championships of Japan. The caliber Qf performance in this meet was fantastic and was actually higher level than national open meets in most countries of the world. It was surprising however that only one thousand spectators attended this meet. The second stop on the tour was Kobe, Seattle's sister city. This leg of the journey was by express train which travelled at 130 m.p.h. The Hu skies were the guests of the City of Kobe for six days and certainly received the "red carpet" treatment for which the Japanese are noted. The feature activity was a Goodwill Gymnastic Meet between Kobe and Seattle which the Kobe team won by a score of 277.0 to 263.6. Unfortunately, Gunter Bohrmann, the number two man on th e Hu sky Gymnastic Club, was unable to compe te beca use of a bad wrist. Three school and one public exhibition were presen ted by the Seattle group while in Kobe. These demonstrations featured tumbling, trampolin e and comedy work , activities that are not as common or well developed in Kobe as in the United States. The visiting Club was received by the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, the Mayor of Kobe, the Superintendent of Educational Affairs, and the Presid ent of the School Board. Also included in the itinerary were several sight-
DR. ERIC HUGHES
HUSKY GYMNASTIC CLUB Back raw: Gunter Bohrmann, Gary Finne, Coach Eric Hughes, Mike Lovell, Mike Flansaas. Front rOd : Eigil Flaathen, Jim David, Bob Hall, Bo Bennett.
seeing trips, banquets, and a trip to the famous Takarazuka Theatre. Probably the most enjoyable and interesting part of the stay in Kobe was a two day visit with a Japanese family. Before leaving Japan the Huskies spent three more days in Tokyo where they were able to work out with Mr. Endo, Mr. Aihara and several other outstanding gymnasts. On the way to Australia a short stop in the Philippines enabled the team to take a sight-seeing trip in Manila. In Australia the Huskies were hosted by the Victorian Amateur Gymnastic Association. As well as participating in the Australian National Championships in Melbourne, which has already been mentioned, the visitors put on one school and two public exhibition,. The Huskies were guests of the New Zealand Gymnastic Association for a full month from August 10th to September 9th. During this time they toured from one end of the co untry to the other and appeared in almost every city. The purpose of the trip, as well as participation in the National Championship, was to promote the sport of gymnastics by giving ex hibitions and by conducting coaching clinics. In New Zealand the Huskies appeared in eight school displays, fifteen public displays and conducted eleven coachin g clinics. Upon landin g in New Zealand the Huski es were met by a representative of the New Zealand National television network who was sent to the airport to film the arrival of a troup of performing dogs. This was only one of the many amusing incidents that occurred along the way. While in New Zealand the visitors were billeted in private hom es. This enabled them to become very familiar with the home life and customs of the New Zealanders. In almost every city the Huskies were given an official reception by the mayor and also entertained by a civic group of some type. They were guests at the National School Gymnastic F estival where they servell as judges for the competition. The entire New Zealand tour was well organized and efficiently administered by the New Zealand Gymnastic Association. It was an unusual experi ence for a United States gy mnastic group to appear day after day in gyms pa cked to capacity. Spectators were ex tremely enthusiastic throughout all New Zealand. In one city a basketball game was presented for the entertainment of the audience during the intermission of the gymnastic demonstration. This was a co mplete reversal of the normal arrangements in the United States.
The tour was climaxed with a seven day stay as guests of the Army Special Services in Hawaii. The group wa s quartered in the Officers Club at Fort DeRussy on the beach at Waikiki. An outdoor demonstration was held at DeRussy, a clini c at Punahou School and a demon stration at Schoefi eld Barracks. The rest of the seven days was spent surfin g, swimming, touring the island and generally havin g a goo d time. This relaxat ion was greatly appreciated as although the whole tour was very enjoyabl e it was also quite strenuous and exhaustin g. The tour was an educational and interestin g exper ience for all concern ed. The Hu skies represented their country ex tremely well both gy mna stically and in all social con tacts with th e people of the co untries visited.
WANTED - GYMNAST Would you be interested in a trip that would broaden your outlook on life-a trip that would give you an opportunity to contribute to international understanding through clinics, exhibitions, people-topeople contact, speaking in civic groups, high schools, universities, and churches? Then read on. Since 1952 SPORTS AMBASSADORS has sent a group of dedicated university basketball players throughout the Far East. This past summer the team also traveled and played in Viet Nam, Australia, and New Zealand. Playing Olympic and national teams, conducting clinics in high schools and universities, plus many speaking engagements, provide these men with the opportunity to share on a personal basis their faith and outlook on life. In recognition of the outstanding contribution made as true SPORTS AMBASSADORS, awards have been received from LOOK magazine, Freedom Foundation, and the Congressional Record. Gymnastics will now take its place along with the other sports sent out by SPORTS AMBASSADORS. If you would be interested in participating in this TRIP THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN during the summer of 1967, please let us know. All the teams have approval from the State Department and Amateur Athletic Union. Cordially yours, Roy Thompson Sports Ambassadors P.O. Box 66 Palo Alto, Calif. 94300 7