USGS The United States Gymnastics Association is a non-political body existing for and supported by gymnastics enthusiasts. The USGA is in no way connected to or associated with any existing body , it is a strictly independent and free entity. The USGA stands for the sport of gymnastics and its highest ideals. It recognizes gymnastics as a discipline that developes the individual both physically and mentally. The USGA believs no other sport can measure up to the demands and rewards of "the" sport, gymnastics.
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any good Japanese coaches consider coming here to coach? Hayasaki' I think so. Sakamoto: I was thinking maybe of Mr. and Mrs. Mitsukuri, or Mr. and Mrs. Aihara? They are in Brazil now. I think the natio nal government is supporting their stay over there somehow. Criley: A gymnastics Peace Corps! Sakamoto: I think it would be very, very beneficial In our country to import, to support a person like Mr. and Mrs. Mitsukuri as a national leader or developer to develop the right path that American gymnastics should follow. Criley: It would be difficult. For instance, Alena Tinterova from Czechoslovakia spent several months here in the U.S. with different groups before ending up finally with the SCATs group in Long Beach. You almost have to spend a lon~ period of time with the people you work with. It can 't be done as a single clinic or as a " Here it is coaches. Go out and spread the Word." Sakamoto: That's not what I had in mind. There are two centers which I think are following the right path in gymnastics; that's Seattle and Los Angeles . Seattle because Yosh and these other two are there, and Los Ange les because Kanzaki and we are there. So Mitsukuri should go to either of these two cities or go back and forth. Criley: Do you think that European systems of gymnastics have anything to add to a U.S. pattern? Sakamoto: I'm not too sure of their system. But I do know th at in Russia there are many gymnasts and there are emany world-international level gymnasts. In Dortmund there were five coaches in one gym; one co'ach for one gym~ast! But very fired-up coaches, very perceptive coaches. Our coaches tend to say, Joe you did thiS wrong; you ought to do it this way, I noticed the Russian coaches were quiet; they don't say much . Hayasaki: You can say the same for Japanese coaches, very quiet. Sakoda: How do they communicate with the gymnasts then? . Hayasaki: They don 't talk all the time. They Just watch around, they pick up the point here and there. Sakamoto: American coaches tend to judge qUickly. They come into a foreign gym, they see a performer do a stunt wrong and they say you did it this way, you did it wrong. But a perceptive coach would make sure that this was not an accident before he would speak. Perhaps the gymnast just missed this one. He would look at the overall trend of the gymnast the overall impression, and perhaps after a week of seeing this gymnast, then he would make a comment, after analyzing that gymnast thoroughly. If you keep telling a gymnast to. do it this way and that way, what course IS there to lead for a gymnast? It's when he says one thing and very rarely - it perhaps has more effect on the gymnast. When I say Mitsukuri should come here I don't think you should have a clinic throughout the country. This would be trying to get at too many people, all superficially. I would like to see him in perhaps Seattle or Los Angeles. He should stay in one place for a very long time. It is a difficult problem. This is a big country and that's another problem. But most of the best gymnasts in the country are on the west coast. Sakoda: Yoshi , what are your plans after you finish school here? Then what? Graduate school or are you going back to Japan? Hayasaki: Right now, I am not thinking about graduate school. My main purpose is to graduate from the University of Washington. Then I'd like to go home. Sakoda: Are either of you considering coaching in the future?
Hayasaki: I would like ' to be a coach in the United States if their attitude changes towards gymnastics. If I become a coach at an Ameri can college, not as a graduate student, but as one who is able to continue to work out, I would stick with gymnastics. Sakoda: How about you Makoto? Would you like to coach eventually? Sakamoto: No. I would like to contribute to gymnastics, but my purpose now is to get a bachelor's degree in Asian studies and eventu路 ally get a Master's degree in the Japanese language . I hope to teach the Japanese language in college. As far as gymnastics is concerned, to tell the truth, I'm rather fed up with American gymnastics. But I'd like to help as much as possible. I don't think it is worthwhiie to coach in our system now. (There it) too much pre ssure in developing a quick gymnast. If I would coach, I would enjoy seeing my pupil develop into a fine gymnast. Sakoda: But if you decided to try to change the trend, like you say, Mitsukuri could come here . . . Don't you think that's what this area needs? Sakamoto: We need more coaches, better coaches . We need leaders now. If the opportunity affords maybe I WOUld. I would like to help Am erican gymnastics lJs much as possible. Wherever I go, I try to install some of my philosophy into other gymnasts, because I know they are very serious gymnasts, dedicated gymnasts . We have very many dedicated gymnasts in our country, but few ever get along with their coaches. But at the same time they are dedicated, they are also selfish, and the coaches sometimes are very selfish too. The future of our gymnastics . . .we ll , what the Rules Committee of the NCAA is doing, putting in more compulsory exercises in for the all-around men - this I think is the right trend. But at the same time, you have to have able men; you have to have better men, better administrators, better coaches . . . right down the line. Hayasaki: The United States has very great potential. I have never seen so many spectacular stunts ... I think thi s is important in American gymnastics . Sakamoto: Our country is innovators, we are not copycats . I'd like to see us as copycats. Hayasaki: It's very important that you have to copy good gymnasts, but you can't beat those (of) your own gymnastics. You can copy any good gymnasts you want, but you can't beat those - your own gymnastics, the moves .. .. Sakamoto: You can copy to a certain extent but ... Hayasaki: (interrupting): You can't be completely copying. Sakamoto: I'd like to see more respect given to international gymnasts, more respect to Nakayama or Endo, these top gymnasts. First, we have to imitate them, then build from that which we have imitated and make it ours. But our first step is to step backward and look at the world" scene. Look at the' world gymnastics and see where we stand in respect to other gymnasts in other countries, to see how far we are from them and to see what are the best ways to narrow the gap. As it is now, we are totally lost in our gymnastics. I think it's fair to say it is American gymnastic~ versus international gymnastics. They are tdtally different. So we haven't gone the first step yet; we have completely lost our perspective . What 1'1 like to see is our coac hes ' our administrators, our gymnasts, too, step back a little bit and look at the world gymnastics. It's the world, international gymnastics we should be concerned with rather than the national gymnastics. Our national AAU our national collegiate competition, should be geared to developing our international gymnasts. Hayasaki: The first step is to make allaround gymnasts.