"FIRST UP" TO THE EDITOR: There is a story to be told about the great effort of our Women 's Gymnastic Team at the 1968 Olympic Games; one-that I am sure the general public could not conceive and that the coaches and athletes wi" not or at least to this point have not mentioned in any of their news or press releases ; and I have titled this " FIRST UP" and hope that you can see fit to print it in your next publication. Although I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert in the sport of gymnastics, I am knowledgeable of the sport and therefore my name is associated with the sport within the circle of coaches and gymnasts alike. So, for that reason, I prefer to rem ain anonymous. It is not my intention to belittle or discredit any of the coaches and certainly not the athletes, these are an odd breed, but then to be as dedicated as they are to the sport of gymnastics they must be unusual. It seems to me that we overlook the very obvious in our bid to be in the winners circle, such is certainly the case with the women's gymnastics in the recent Olympic Games in Mexico Ci ty. Natura"y, we a" sing the prai ses for high scorers; but we must not for one minute forget how they got on top. Other members of the team made many more sacrifices than ever wi" be told and the competitor that is "FIRST UP" holds the weight of the team so far as receiving a high score. Surely a" competitors as we" as coaches know the hazards of being "FIRST UP" in a sport where the only judgment is made by another human, or at least we assume they are human. So much of the time, too much attention is given to the Linda Metheny's and Cathy Rigby's and too little to th e Wendy Cluff's. Miss Cluff was "FIRST UP" in seven (7) out of eight (8) events in this past Olympic competition .. . and still scored a 9.2 average, THE HIGHEST STARTING SCORE EVER TO BE ESTABLISHED BY A UNITED STATES GYMNAST in any previous Olympic Games ... thus being directly respon sib le for the higher scores enjoyed by her teammates, and the . ultimate climb by the United States in International Gymnastics Standards. There certainly must be other girls that could do as we" as " FIRST UP", but they were not on the 1968 Olympic Team. Miss Cluff has more real heart and intestinal fortitude than any athlete I have had the pleasure of knowing, and certainly deserves much more praise than she has been shown thus far. I had the distinct honor of speaking with most of the girls from the gymnastics team while at the Games as we" as the coaches. Wendy impressed me so very much when I asked " Why did Muriel Grossfeld have you "FIRST UP" so many times? And her sim ple reply was, "SOMEONE HAS TO START." And start she did, with the spirit and proud ness of a true American girl that she is ... Miss Wendy Cluff, I salute you! Sincerely, An Anonymous Admirer of "First Up" Wendy "GYMNASTICS MODERNE" Dear Mr. Sundby: This letter is long overdue, but it comes as a compliment for your fine coverage and articles on "Gymnastics Moderne". It is also a request for information. I ~m a dancer and a dance teacher and have competed in gymnastics and coached a team here in the Bay area. After reading your articles on " Gymnastics Modern-e" I have become very interested in that aspect of gymnastics . At the high school where I teach I am attempting to interest some of our girls in this form of gymnastics . I would appreciate any and all information you might have. Are there any "teams" as such formed as yet in the USA, and if so are there any competitions scheduled? I also think it wou ld be wonderful if the USA could have a team represented in the world champions hi ps in 1969. If there is any way I could help in this regard I would be most interested as I feel this aspect of gymnastics could be the up and coming "thing" and will have great appeal. I hope sometime in the future to meet you and Barbara and discuss the future of "Gymnastics Moderne" in America. Sincerely, Patti G. Stauch Walnut Creek, California ED: The 4th Gymnastics Moderne World Championships wi" be held in Bulgaria September 27th路29th, 1969.
Wendy Cluff
"Gymnastics Moderne" Team competition with Hoops
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