An interesting deve lopment is tak ing place in Wi sco nsin with eight member institutions now sponsoring teams. Led by La C rosse (fourth in the 19 70 champ ionships) a nd Stout (third in the 1970 championships), the Wi sco nsi n stat e universities are now consistently placing individual s and teams high in the NAIA tourn a ment. This gradual incline in quality has evo lved in the past three years. Evidence is such that th e incline wi ll continue. With eight member in stitution s supporting te ams (mo re than any other NA IA di strict), the Wisconsin state uni ve rsities could eventually become a hotbed for N A I A gy mnastic s. Thi s year's tourn a ment saw even more evidence of a growth toward competitive maturit y. The upper echelon , or tho se pelformers scoring in the high eights and nine s , were there as they always have been. The real growth ha s been in the lower leve ls of performances. These men , many of whom were beginning gymnasts , are now becoming experienced competitors , and thi s stead y improvement from the lower end will eventually rai se the le ve l of competition within the total program. The meet itself was quite an affair with Northweste rn Louisiana State capturing it s fifth national titl e. Eastern Michigan placed
Chuck Harvey, E. Mich.
seco nd with a total of 145.4 POInts, almost eight points behind North wes tern 's 153. 1. These twd teams were clearly the stronge st in the meet. The only real battle of team s was for thirdplace honors. La Crosse (Wis.) and Western Illinois were the obvious favorites, but an unexpected threa t from Stout (Wis.) materia lized. It wasn't until the las t event th at Stout emerged the victor by a slight .1 of a point to edge their conference riva l, La Crosse, for third-place honors. Western Illinoi s finished in fifth plac e. First-pl ace individuals went almost totally to Northwestern Loui sia na State - rather to Paul Tickenoff, one of Northwestern 's exce ll e nt a ll-around men. Pa ul wo n th e floor exercise, long horse, parallel bars , horizontal bar and placed seco nd to tea mmate John Elias in the all-around event. Other first-place w inners were C huck Harvey of Eastern Michigan on the s ide horse and Keith Fuerst of Eastern Illinoi s in the still rings. Next year's meet is se t for Northwestern Loui siana State College at Natchitoches, Louisiana , where the Southern states will be able to witness the N A I A gy mnastics leaders in action.
NATIONAL NAIA GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Stout State University, Menomonie, Wisconsin March 20 & 21 , 1970 TEAM FINAL RESULTS F SH
SR
LH
PB
HB
TOTAL
NW Louisiana E Michigan Stout LaCrosse W Illinois Fort Lewis St. Cloud Bemidji E Montana
25.4 22.35 22.7 18.2 21.95 18.05 15.8 18.75 17.4
27.1 24.9 24.75 26.4 230 23.5 24.85 24.55 24.0
26.85 24.3 21.7 24.6 18.3 19.35 19.15 17.2 20.05
25.4 24.35 23.4 20.95 21.75 17.35 22.9 19.6 18.6
153.1 145.4 133.15 133.05 129.1 119.65 119.45 116.4 114.2
26.15 24.6 21.65 22.8 23.1 23.15 22.0 22.0 18.4
22.2 24.9 18.95 20. 1 21.0 18.25 14.25 14.3 15.75
What steps , then , have been taken towards the maturity of N A I A gymnastics? For one, we are no longer insecure. The NAIA Gymnastics Coaches Association now has 50 members. Jack Benson, head coach at Eastern Washington State College and president of the Coaches Assoc iation for the past two years, presided over his last business meeting at the national tournament held on the campus of Stout State University in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He stepped out of office with the satisfaction of seeing the groundwork laid for a strong and meaningful directive for gymnastics in the NAIA. The basis of this groundwork was: I. The formation of a val id qualification system of teams and individuals for our national meet w ith out exc luding any of the top NAIA competitors. 2. The ratification of a constitution. 3. The establishment of eight area gymnastics representatives. 4. The establishment of guidelines for selecting meet sites. 5. The organization of an N A l A Gymnastics Rules Book. As for being idealistic , this has nurtured the confidence and creativity necessary to do those things which add a bit of individualism to any organization. We are no longer dependent upon others for organizational leadership. With the ratification of a constitution and the establishment of competitive guidel ines , the. N A I A has reached organizational maturity. On the competit ive scene, however, we are still struggling. The 1970 tournament depicted this struggle adequately. Progress is definitely being made , but only a few schools have matured to the point of competitor excellence. Northwestern Louisiana and Eastern Michigan have been the leaders with consistent ly good pelformers and good team depth.
ALL AROUND Name
Team
F
SH
SR
LH
PB
HB
TOTAL
John Ellas NW La 8.55 8.55 8.95 7.85 9.2 8.95 52.05 Paul Tickenoff NW La 9.1 7.25 8.65 9.3 8.95 8.50 51.75 E. Mich 7.05 8.45 7.35 8.45 8.05 7.90 47.25 Tim Reilly NW La 8.5 5.2 6.3 9.2 8.55 7.55 45.30 Bruce 'McGartlin Lanny Mills E. Mich 8.40 4.3 7.5 8.25 8.35 8.3 45.10 Dave Fennessey D. Lipsc 7.85 5.7 6.65 8.75 8.3 7.40 44.65 Bill Liebich (Stout), 44.55 ; Pete Peterson (W. Ill.). 42.60; Jerry Konicek (E. 111.),42.25; Mark Pflughoeft (La X)' 41 .65; Craig 50S (Stout), Mitch Vogt (St. Cloud), Steve Schulz (La X), Chuck Nichol s (E. Mont.), Tom Perry (E. Mont.), Gary Schneider (Stevens Pt.), Mike Edwards (Platteville), Dusty Winkler (Ft. Lewis), Bob Anderson (E. Montana), Jim Rainer (Oshkosh), 17 Bucky LaRochelle (Ft. Lewis).