THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN WOMEN'S NATIONAL GYMNASTICS TEAM TOUR After their team landed o n Feb. 28, "As I am sure you are well aware, the they were taken by limosine to New competition was well received in the Haven {about 40 miles) They were t ired Tr ip le Citi es area of Central New York but were amused since we had taken the State. We felt the meet ran very tol I road where you pay 25 ¢ every few smoothly, and t hat the attendance of miles. The girls at the inn had sandwiches approximately 2500 people helped us to and beverages wa iting and they retired at meet expenses. The competition was the 1 :30 a.m. On Friday t hey visited Muriel very first held in the new Broome County Grossfeld's Gym and rece ived the first of Veterans' Memorial Arena . The meet at least 6 shirts or leotards. They worked started at 7:300 p.m. and was completed out and practiced parts but that evening by 10:00 p.m. The final score was 151.55 of the Polish match they begged off as for the Czechoslovak ians and 145.50 for they were tired after the long trip plus the Americans. Several outstanding the 5 hou r delay. They did a little performances by the American girls as sho pping in town in the morning on well as by the Szechoslovakian team were Saturday and rested in the afternoon for wel I received by the audience. their match. The two days that the The women's meet was held at the Czechoslovak ian team spent in the New Haven Coliseum on Saturday night, Binghamton-Johnson City-End icott area March 2nd. The United States team was were very memorable ones for us, and we compr ised of elite leve l gymnasts Janette believe for them as well. On Sunday Anderson, Barbie Myslak, Co le Dowali by, evening a dinner-reception in their honor Denise Walker, Lisa Cain, and Jill Hegg ie was held at King Arthur's Restaurant in who rep laced Olympian Roxanne Pierce Endicott. On Monday, the who could not compete due to injury. Czechoslovakian delegation was further The girls were coa ched by Olympic coach honored by a breakfast and luncheon Muriel G Grossfeld. Barbie Myslak was sponsored by local business groups. One the outstanding performer for the United of the highlights for the Czechoslovakian States winning first in vaulting with a girls was a visit to the Triple Cities 'Stars' score of 9.45, tying for first in uneven Girls Gymnastic Center, where each one bars, and fin ishing third in the all -around. was allowed to choose a fancy new Oth er outstanding United States leotard as a gift from GYMIS QUALITY performances were a tie for f irst in f loor KNITWEAR, a divis ion of the Trip le by Janette Anderson, a th ird place for Cit ies 'Stars'. Cole Dowal!bY in uneven bars, and sixth A s a sponsoring organ ization, I firmly place in the all-around for Janette believe that gymnastics took a giant step And ers on . The team score was forward in our community, and that the Czechoslovak ia 185. 70, U.S.A. 182.20. very warm and friendly feeling t hat wa s Sharon Va lley was t he Super ior Judge de veloped between the Czechoslovakians w i th Vera Ruzic k ova and Gita and our community was of mutual service Machackova, the Czech Judges and to our countries and to gym nasties." Marilyn Schnaars and Mari lyn Cross, th e The Czechs left the next morning from American ju dges. The Czech judges the motel at 6:00 a.m . in a dr iving appeared to overscore t heir girls when ra instorm with the w ind howling, after their scores are compared with Sharon's breakfast at the airport, t he plane left late scores. Sharon is of course an experienced at 7 :45 with stops .at Elmira, N.Y., Er ie, International jud ge. After the Pa., and a chang e of planes at Chicago on competition, there was a joi nt reception · the way to Denver, Colorado. with the Polish Team who attended the The Czechs arrived at 2:00 p.m . in competition. In the morning the Czechs Denver and were met by Debbie and Rod departed by bus at 10:00 a.m. for the Hill and ma ny of "Hill's A ngl es" and triple c ities of Endicott, John son City other members of the committee. After and Bing hamton, New York . checking in at the hotel there was t im e The bus trip from New Haven was a for a trip downtown and some shopping fine trip up t hru t he mountains past West before a fine reception at the Den ver Point and into the Catskill mountai n area. School of Gymnastics. On March 6, They had lunch in the heart of the Tuesday, the Czechs worked • out at the mountains and arrived in Endicott at Denver School of Gymnastics in the 3:00 p.m. Dr. Frederick Pierce and his morning and also received the Denver committee greeted the Czechs. Dr. Pierce School shirts and in the afternoon they describes the vi sit as fol lows: did some sightsee ing and shopp ing in
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Denver. The school gym at lakeside was crowded for t he exhib ition match and the United States had Jackie Fie and Sha ron Weber as judges and the Czechs Vera Ruz ic kova and ·Gita Macha ckova. The following is a reprint from the newspaper the following day.
Czech
gymnasts • win before
3,700 fans By LOY HOLMAN News Staff With a .standing-room-only crowd of oveT 3, 700 handing out ovations to both teams, coach Rod Hill's ever-improving girls matched maneuvers all night long with the World's third-ranked Europeans. In the end, Czechoslovakia eked out a 148.90 to 147.05 victory. A controversial judgment that went against Denver's Debbie Hill-wife of the DSG coach and an Olympian in her own right-could have made it even closer. Officially, the always exciting uneven bars went to Czechoslovakia's Zdena Dornakova with an average score of 9.60 (10 points would be perfect}. And under norm a l circumstances, there would be little argument with the award going t6 the pretty blonde 17year-old from Valasske. But Wednesday was some· thing special .to Debbie Hill . . And she came through as seldom before with ·a sensational performance on the bars. The crowd recognized her effort. Her coach and hus band who has seen Debbie disa; pointed before in international competition, felt she had \von as she was greeted coming off the mat by her younger teammates . And even the Czech judges had her first. The trouble is, the hospitality of the American judges went too fa.r. They gave the top score to Dornakova while. both Czechoslovakian officials went the other way. It wouldn't h ave turned around the final team score, but it would have given Hill
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