911 FROM THE

PUBLISH.: USGF CONGRESS:After several years of struggle and growing pains the Annual USGF Coaches Congress seems to have arrived with this years meetings in Denver. The program, organization , attendence and interest was the best ever. In this Special USGF Congress ed ition of Gymnast featu ri ng extens ive reports by our Associate editors, Dick Cr iley and Renee Hendershott we bring you the Congress as if you were there . (hope you en joy your trip to Denver with us). THANKS: You and I have more to thank than Gymnast magazine for the fine coverage by these reporters . Dick Criley was sent to the Congress by the HAWAIIAN GYMNASTIC ASSOCIATION, Renee Hendershott had a portion of her expenses covered by Nissen Corp.{our thanks to Norman Barnes) to report the Congress for the NISSEN NEWSLETTER. The USGF Office also helped with our expenses in return for photos to use in their USGF NEWSLETTER . So this edition, as is the case with most every edition of Gymnast is the res ult of a lot of people working together to further the SPORT of GYMNASTICS. Readers, writers , photographers, coaches, judges and even critics, prople you may never see listed in credits or by-lines in the magazine continue to contribute mach to Gymnast. .. What if you had a Meet and nobody came?: .. .What if you had a Congress and nobody showed up? .. What if you had a magazine and nobody subscribed? .. We all need each other. . .THANKS FOR YOUR PART The 1972 Congress was the site for the inaugural meeting of the Independent Gym Clubs As so~iation. The organization is being formed in the hopes that the many independent clubs throughout the country will have a voice in the growth and development of gymnastics in the United States. The club system has produced a majority of top women gymnasts in the country. In fact the members of the 1972 women's Olympic team were all products of the club system.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume XIV / Number 12 / December 1972 4 FROM THE PUBLISHER, Glenn Sundby 6 ON THE BEAM, Barbara Thatcher 8 VIEWPOINTS, Dick Criley 1972 USGF COACHES CONGRESS, Dick Criley, Renee Hendershotc Gl e nn Sundby 10 Committee and Coaches Reports 13 Frank Bare's Address USGF CONGRESS REPORT, Renee Hendershott Olympic Reports 18 Jackie Fie 19 Dale Flansaas . 19 Muriel Grossfeld Women's Technical Committee 22 Elite Program 24 Comments on Compulsories 25 Calendar Changes 26 HELEN'S CORNER, He len Sjursen 27 SEQUENCES BY SCHULZ, Dieter Schul z Cover: Di a nn e Gra yso n, .fin a li st in th e 1972 Ol ympi c Tri a ls, during he r fl oo r exe rcise routin e at th e Mid-West Ope n . Photo by Ken Coleman

Publisher: G le nn Sundby; Associate Editors: Di c k Cril ey a nd Re n ee P. He nd ers hott ; Staff Writer: Ba rb a ra Th a tc he r; Contributors: He len Sjurse n a nd Di e te r Sc hul z.

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS? ? ? Pl ea se a ll ow a t least six weeks fo r yo ur c ha nge of addres s. Th e Post Off ice De p a rtm e nt d oes no t fo rwa rd 2 nd c lass magaz in es unl ess yo u g u a ra nt ee th e fo rward in g po stage . Mi sse d iss ues w ill be se nt upon req uest for 25¢ pe r co py (to cove r handl in g a nd pos tage).

GYMNAST magazine is publish ed by Sundby Publicatio ns, 410 Broadway, Santa Monica, Ca. 90401. Second Class Postage paid at Santa Mo ni ca, Ca. Publish ed monthl y except bi-monthly June, July, August and Septembe r. Pri ce 75¢ a single co py. Subscription co rrespondence , GYMNAST - P.O . Box 110, Santa Moni ca, Ca. 90406. Copyright1972©all rights rese rved by SUNDBY PUBLICATIONS, 410 Broadway, Santa Monica , Ca. All photos and manuscri pts submitted become the property of GYMN AST unless return requ es t and suffi cien t postage a re in cl ud ed.