PAN-AM HISTORY AND PREVIEW:
OLYMPIAD FOR THE .AMERICAS By Tom Wakeling
1 he Pan -A m erica n Games is fundamentally all that i, chdrdcteri stic of Olympic compet ition and wa , 路id e,I1ly d esign ed to promote the original Ol ympi c Purpose--international unity based upon dth leti c good w ill through sport. However . the differe nce is that the games are prim'lI il y limit ed to t.hose nat ions which form the 01 gdni l.dtion of America n States (OAS) , whit h Wd '> l ~>t dbli s h e d in 1898, and Canada. Olli(i,dl y . th e Pan-A m eri can Games are " Iegiun,d Cdmes" wi thin the framework of the Int el nati o ndl Ul ympic Games movement. The Pan-Am cricd n Sports Organization, co ntlUlling bod y for th e games, is made up of nation, w hose Ulympic organizations are memb('r, of the International Olympic Committ('l '. I he tea ms that are se lected to co mpet(' in th e Pan-Alns are done so by the national Ul ympi c co mmittees of the vario us cou ntl it '"~ I he Came s are conducted once evel y lour ye,lrs, one year prior to each Olympi 'HI. It is .I n ew institution in that the 1st Pan-Anll'ric,II' Ul ympiad took p lace in 1951. Twu thuu s,1I1l1 dth letes wer e on hand for the two wl'ek I'dn-Aillerican Games, the first, at Buenu, A ire", Argent ina . Seventy five thousand spectator, Colm e to the opening cere monies in the Riv('r 1'1 ,1I e Stoldium and witnessed a minute 125 memh,'r U.) . team ente r th e Pan-Am scene. The tl'am pMti cipJted in each of the eighteen schedul"d ' port s, and aft er they were all co mpl(,t( 'd th e U nit ed States claimed 16 goid medal>. Bill Roeuh eim brought one hom e taking tl w PJI)-American All-Around gymna,til " titl e .JIllJ another for his high bar ellolt. 1 he A rg entin e delegat ion was perhap s the mmt "uccess ful by th e end of the games event . hut by th e next games one of the greaH', t dthl eti c forces in the world would disp la y "uch .I gene ral su peri orit y that it would help mold dlld d eve lope w hat were once co mid('rl'd in signifi can t sport systems into one, th,lI M e now nearing their own immim'nCl ' in the international sport progl an1'> . M ('xilll Cit y hos ted the II Pan-American Gam(', in 1'155. A thletes from 22 American Republil " dl't ed ou t th e pageant which was lalg('l y n'nH'mlJered b y man y forthe rarified air and I,"k 01 o xyge n. rh e capita l is 7,400 feet abo ve , "d Il~ ve l .Jnd a grea t number of people wel(' ,,(' vc rel y b o thered by th e 'normal chal a( t('ri " ti c'> of such high altitudes. Even belol(' th e op ening cree monies were co mpl(,t" . .I , 1500-2000 athletes entered the UniV拢'l, it y 01 Me xico's vast Olympic Stadium, a U . ~ . bo xer col ldPsed not being co nditioned for the una vdildbilit y of air. T h(' Unitl,d ) tJtes gymn astic team proved to be amung th e .Jbles t, in that every regular Ol ympic (' ve nt WdS wo n by one of its members namel y J,llk Bec kn er for the AA tit le (113.40) , Free-X ( ItUJUJ, P-Bars (19.30) and Side Horse (19.45 ); Richm! Beck ner for Rings (19.05); Abie GlOs, I('ld lor Ili gh !:lar (19.60) and Josep h Kotys fOI "aulting ( 1'1.45). In 1955 (and in 1959) the gymnaqic compe titi on includ ed in addition foUl "p, 'ci,di " t eve nt s; Rope Climb (Donald Pel I y, U~A- ulH ecu rd ed tim e), Club Swinging (F l an( i" 0 Jose A lvarez, Mexico-9.40), Tumbling (Willidm Ro y, USA-9.60) and TlampulilH' (iJollJld li arp er, USA-9.90!) .
GYMNAST Nov. '75
The 1959 USA Women 's Pan-Am Tea m and the All-Around winners of the Men's competition . First Row: Gail Sontgerath (Alt.), Teres a Montefusco, Betty Mycock ; Second Row: Judy Klauser, Cassie Collawn, Sharon Phelps and Sharon Richardson . Back Row : Don Tonry, Jack Beckner and and Abie Grossfeld .
1971 Pan-Am Me n 's Team, Back Row L to R: Coach Vega , Butzman, Lindner , Elias , Culhane , Ritter, Aronson (mgr.); Front Row L to R: S immons , Crosby, A.nderson
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