RUMANIA VS. UNITED STATES The Rumanian Gymnastics Teams, after a competition with the Canadians in Kitchener, Ontario, were flown to California to see the famous Disneyland. They enjoyed Disneyland so much that they were still talking about it even as they prepared to leave at the end of their tour. They arrived in Tucson to practice for their match here at about the same time our girls arrived with our coaching staff. Our girls used the week as a training camp since nine girls were invited as were four coaches. On Tuesday, February 26, the Rumanians were flown to Albuquerque, where the Rumanian Men's Team was to meet Coach Rusty Mitchell's University of New Mexico's Gymnastics Team, while the Rumanian Girls were to give an exhibition on Wednesday. newspaper article The Rumanian Teams returned to Tucson on Thursday for the Official Qualification Match which was held on Thursday and Friday, F-. uruary 26 and 27. Before about 8,000 people, the Rumanian Team barely defeated our girls by a score of 381.10 to 379.20. Nadia Comaneci, the European Champion, was the star of the competition with an all-around score of 78.25 out of a possible 80.00. A recap of the two competitions, shows that we scored 375.20 in Toronto and 379.20 in Tucson for an average of 377.20. This score would have won a second place silver team medal in the World Championships in Varna in 1974, however, at this point, we do not even know if we will qualify for the Olympic Games in Montreal this summer.
Romanian Gymnasts Thrill Arena Fans
By Danny Robbins The Romanian and New Mexican gymnasts performing at University Arena Wednesday night may have had some trouble conversing with each other, but their body language did more than enough talking. The Romanian Olympic team defeated a team composed mainly of University of New Mexico gymnasts, 219.25-218.55, in an exhibition men's dual meet, while petite Nadia Comaneci thrilled a crowd of 6374, the largest to see gymnastics in New Mexico, during an exhibition staged by the Romanian girls. No scoring was kept for the girls, but the crowd gave Miss Comaneci - considered to be as good as Russia's Olga Korbut - high marks in the form of two standing ovations after her uneven bars and floor exercise routines. "She's got everything it takes to win at the Olympics," said UNM coach Rusty Mitchell of the 14-year-old Romanian. "So far, she's way over everybody else's head." But Mitchell didn't have such kind words for the Romanian men, who will compete against the United States in an official Olympic Qualifying meet in San Francisco as their whirlwind tour continues. "I think they're going to get creamed by the U.S. in San Francisco," he said after watching his team slip in just two events, rings and pommel horse to lose. Farmington native Hemo Walters, an assistant for Mitchell this year while training for the Olympics, finished first in two events, vaulting and parallel bars, and tied for first in another, high bar, with Romanian Dan Grecu. Grecu also captured first place in rings, an event in which he was the 1974 world champion, with a flawless, muscle-tight performance and won all-around honors with a score of 56.05. He was named the outstanding male performer after the meet with Miss Comaneci taking similar honors for the girls. N:w Mexico's Steve Ortiz finished second in the all-around competition at 54.95, taking second in vaulting and thirds in rings and high bar while never scoring below a 9.0 in any event. "Steve was good in spots and not so good in spots," Mitchell said. "But this competition was good for him and he'll continue to improve." UNM athletes finished first in five of the six events, with Perry Genovese first in floor exercise and Chuck Walter first in pommel horse. The Lobos were actually ahead of the Romanians after one event and trailed by only one-fourth of a point after four events. "I didn't even follow the score," Mitchell said later, "but I think the level of competition helped us do better." Grecu, a 25-year-old former European all-around champion, drew the evening's highest score from the four judges, a 9.65 for his rings routine.
Coach Rusty Mitchell
2
• •
•