Bill Ballester (fo r right) meets the Bulgarian men's and women's gymnastic team on their arrival in the Chicago area for a competition and exhibition in Janua ry 1970 (Waakegan News-Sun photo).
The Best Bulgarian Gymnastics in the U.S.A. by Svetoslav Batov For the first time Bulgorian gymnastics vis it the United States. Our women's team consisted of the best six Bulgarian gymnasts in the gymnastics modern. Naturally, to start with Maria Gigova, who won the title "Absolute World Champion" at the fourth world championships in gymnastics modern. That championships was held in Varna, Bulgaria, during the month of September 1969. The next two girls, Neshka Robeva and Rumyana Stefanova, won the second and third place at the same world championships. The other three girls are Krassimira Filipova, Violeta Elenska and Vera Marinova; they played in the team which won the first place in the ensemble routine and got the title "World Champion" at this event. I decided to visit the famous gymnast and have a short talk about her trip to the U.S. When I met Maria, she had almost finished training. So we had enough time to talk about her journey through the U.S. She was extremely happy to send her best regards to the American gymnasts. She is a pretty girl with golden hair and big blue eyes. But when she performs her routines, she turns into a real beauty. You can't imagine what a great impression she makes upon the spectators. I hope many will see her. She told me by secret she was going to perform her very difficult routine with which she won the first golden medal in Copenhagen two years ago. She also planned to demonstrate her newest routines with ball, ring and rope which she performed at the last world championship in gymnastics modern. We are sure the Bulgarian gymnastics tour will show to the Americans, spectators and specialists, the high level of Bulgarian gymnastics. Mr. Batov, a MA graduate from the University of P.E. in Sofia and is state coach for boys in the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation. A regular reader of MG and Mile G magazines who submitted this report, we are grateful for his enthusiastic and interesting article. ed_ -18-