USGF News - January/February 1980

Gymnastics News

Januaty - Februaty 1980 Vol. IX., No. 1.

Editorial Kurt Thomas Wins Sullivan Award New Director for USGF Chunichi Cue & Tokyo Invitational

U.S. Men's Team Report Photographs of the XXth World Chameionshies British Invitational Annual financial Reeort Evaluation of Women's Team Performance in World Chameionshies First Bite Qualifying Meet Jr. Olymeic Testing Program Intercontinental Judging Course

Bart Conner - World Chameion Procedures for Implementing Mental Rehearsal Techniques for Skill Improvement Chunichi Cue/Women's Report

United States Gymnastics Federation

3 5 7 10 15 18 21 22 25

Do amateur sports and politics mix?

MU names Thomas "Athlete of the Year" 15 a1212licants to be screened Report by Ken Allen on 1979 invitationals Report by Fred Turoff on World Cham12ionshiQS Photos of recent championships Report by Lany Moyer Revenues and expenses

By Bill Valentine, National Program Director for Women

26 27 29 31 33

PhotOQraQh of Bart Conner Article by Fred Surgent

35

Report by Fritz Reiter

Report by Bill Valentine Report by Ron Caso Report by Bill Roetzheim

MEMBERS: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation - Amateur Athletic Union American Sokol Organization - National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics - National Association of Women's Gymnastics Judges - National Gymnastics Judges Association - The American Turners - The National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches - The National Association of High School Gymnastics Coaches - The National Collegiate Athletic Association - The National Junior College Athletic Asso- The National Federation of State High School Associations - U.S. Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs - Young Men's Christian Association.

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EDITORIAL

Frank L. Bare

Executive Director

1980 ... The Ol ympics that might not be.

Histori ca ll y, a mateur sport in the U nited States has bee n totall y separated from government in volvement, whether that invol ve ment was positive in th e area of finan cing, or more nega tive in th e area of in volvem ent in progra m determination. Man y prev ious administrations ha ve spoken and written that the government did no t wish to becom e involved in a ma teur sport. It a ll changed within the past severa l weeks. On e ca n scarcely ques tion the motivation for th e in volvement. v\lho could possibly side with th e U .S .S.R . for in vading another na tion ? Not taking part in the 1980 Ol ympi c Games, wil l not ruin our national program a nd , in fa ct, gymnasts can begin now to prepare for the Wor ld Cha mpionships of 1981. It is a good thing that th e FIG voted a yea r or so ago to have our own World Championships eve ry two yea rs instea d of every four as before.

I regret that man y gymnasts wil l not have the cha nce to prove their readin ess in Moscow. Further, we all hope they ha ve some opportunity to make their mark in some worth y eve nt before thei r ca ree rs are ended. So strong is popular opinion now aga inst going to Moscow th a t the Ol ympic Games, as far as th e U.S.A. is concerned are no longer a rea lity. Perhaps , wi th the awesome wea lth of the nations joined together for th e boycott some mea ningful substitute event wi ll be brought into being a nd the athletes of the world wi ll ye t ha ve an opportunity to co mpete on fri endl y ground.

Let us hope from a sports standpoint that this is not the beginning of direc t government invol vement in amateur sport in Am eri ca. We had been , until this incident, perh a ps the last of a few nations where sport was a ll owed to stand alone. Now that has a ll ch a nged, and we have become, as other nations did yea rs a go , a n amateur sports nati on with direct government involvement in amateur sport. It is a change tha t may never revert back to th e o ld system. On ce a ga in , however, one ca n hardl y speak of the probl ems of sport in re la tion to th e more serious probl ems of in va sion of a foreign country and possibilities of war. \l\le ca n though , hope for speedy resolution of th e over-a ll probl ems and then ho pe that a mateur sport wil l not continue as a mea ns of waging co ld- wars between nations , or amateur sport as we ha ve known it in the pas t, a t leas t on th e international scene, wi ll be a thing of the past.

Gymnastics News Januar y February 1980

3

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New Executive Director for the U.S.G.F. soon to be hired ...

The USGF has now adopted two formal m eet ings of th e Board of Directors per yea r. One will take place in late February and a mong the many items on the crowded agenda will be that of reviewing candida tes (th ere were 15 in a ll ) for the position of Executive Directo r of the USGF. If all goes well, and the Board is successful in their deliberations , perhaps by th e end of February the new chief staff administrator for th e USGF will be nam ed and th e changing of hands will begin immediately.

The USGF Board will concern itself with a number of areas of major interest. Th e sport of gymnastics continues to grow and as it does administration and functioning become more complicated . However, complicated they become th e future for the sport remains one of the brightes t in the a mateur sports world. Durin g the past years the sport has grown , improved in administration and of even more significance in performance of our athletes. More

15 Applicants to be Screened by Committee expos ure than eve r before on national and international television. In spite of a ll these positive areas of deve lopm ent, as has always been the case in our relatively small sport, political a nd organizational interes ts remain vitally active and the USG F is also undergoing a ch a nge in the a rea of structure and membership. The Board must also turn itself to th e very difficult task of making changes unto itself. No one wishes to lose a vo te, eve n if that vote does not refl ec t a true pi cture of organizational in vo lvement.

Therefore, to vo te about internal changes with all the affected parties doing th e voting, is most difficult.

No ne-the-less, the future remains too bright and the capa bl e members of the Board ca n and will solve the problems before them and do what is surely bes t in the interes t of gymnastics.

One can only speculate what the effects of a boyco tt of the 1980 Moscow Olympics will do to our FIG ca ndidates if the FIG Congress is h eld in Moscow (with or without USA teams being there) . Representing a na tion that has boycotted the games, regardl ess of the noble reasons for so doing , will perhaps be a minus for th e USA's candidates. Onl y time will tell the story on that point. In the meantime, it will be very interes ting to see if the FIG Congress does in fact take place in Moscow, just one week before the Games. The two events are totall y separate in scope and meaning, and the FIG is not the sponsor of the Ol ympic Games, nor is the Ol ympic Committee of the USS R the sponsor of the FIG Congress. At any rate, that discussion too will take some consideration on the part of the Board of Directors, since they must decide if the USA's delegates and candidates are too make the trip at all.

Your USGF Board of Directors meets twice annually, and what with the growth of our sport, needs for such mee tings perhaps even more than twice annually might well be in the near future.

Gymnastics News January / February 1980

7

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1979 Chunichi Cup and Tokyo International Ken Allen My trip to Japa n was just what I h ad ima g ined .

Professio nall y, socially and cultura ll y it was a great experi ence. From sharing gy mn as ti cs and p ersonal experi en ces throu gh several la nguages to us111g chopsti cks to maneu ver sushi , sashimi and tempura, I believe o ur entire delega tion return ed to th e U.S . very enri ched.

This was certainl y n o t going LO be a " press ure" m ee t from a politi ca l point of view. P erhaps half of the gymnasts and half o f th e judges had come directl y from th e World Championships. ¡w ith th e poss ible exce ption of East G erman y, non e of th e seven countries (Russia , U.S., DDR , Cuba, Hungary, China and Japan ) represe m ecl had sent th eir very bes t athletes. Many of us (Japan , Hun ga ry, Cuba , DDR and USA) had travelled from Ft. 'North togeth er and had begun Lo exchange gifts and socia lize long before our arrival in Japa n.

After spending o ne night in Los Angeles, we arri,ed in Tokyo on December 12 and took another fl ight a lmost imm ediately to Nagoya arriving in th e evening at our hotel. Our arrangements were well taken care of all a lon g the way. At the hotel, we were given time schedules, p er diem and a sack of fres h fruit.

The gymnasts would be able to train on Thursda y a nd Frida y and o ur first techni ca l m eeting would be Friday eve ning. During th e mee ting, th e order of co mpetition was drawn with representatives from each delegation drawing fo r their own order. The judges were assigned to positions. The East G erman would be# I , th e Russi a n #2 , Am er ican #3, and Japan ese #4. Mr. AkiLOmo Kaneko and Mr. Sandor U rva ri would alternate res ponsibilities as superior judge and assistant. At the Chunichi Cup, whi ch was all around competition only, we would judge by Competition II rul es.

A small probl em arose at the beginning of the competition . Th e superior judge was signaling each gymnast LO perform before th e average score of the prev ious gymnast was flash ed . I was a liul e uneasy about this, beca use I felt as thou g h our o pportunity to qu es tion th e average as a n individual was removed under the circumstan ces. I asked th e superior judge LO make sure the a\ erage score was flash ed to us before he gave the green flag LO the n ex t gymnast. Th e superior judge indica ted that h e was simply trying to move th e m ee t along and he was very willi'ng to com pl y.

The Chunichi Cup co mpetition was ex tended over two da ys with three events on Saturday and three on Sunday.

From a judging p o int of view, it was a relativel y nonco ntroversial experience. Th ere were a few tim es when the superior judges asked one or another judge LO come up or clown a tenth and if th a t judge did not wish to comply we 10

Gymnastics News Januar y ! February 1980

would have a very brid conferen ce . v\/e were all required to not only write down our score but indi ca te how mu ch we awa rded for ROV. I th o ught it \\ias a good idea.

At one point, I did question a score but to no ava il.

When Obu chi from Japa n vaulted h e started his run from behind th e 20 m eter barrier. In fact he took at leas t two steps prior to go ing over the boa rd in stride. I judged the vault , dedu cted .3 and gave a 9.1. The average ca m e up 9. 5.

When I raised th e question , no one else had seen him do this including th e two zone judges. I guess it was just one of those things that gets missed.

As a group we were very mu ch in agree m ent almost all th e tim e. I felt as though I deviated a bit more from the group in reaction LO the poorer and be tt er exercises. My

Larry Gerard, Silver Medal, Horizontal Bar

Chunichi Cup ( con't) scores were low er than those ot Lhe group for Lhe exercises which were ei th er done poorly or were m1ss111g req uirements. The opposite happened for those routines which I thought were done excep tionall y \\'ell.

All Lhe delegations left NagO\a together and travell ed via "The Bullet " Lo Tokyo on Monday morning. All the other athletes Look Lhal day off while our athletes dec ided Lhal they wanted Lo train al NeTiDi (Phon etic Spelling).

Mosl of Lh(' other athletes worked oul Tuesday morning, Lhe clay of Lhe compelilion while our athletes chose not LO.

A~F Koji Gushiken, Japan, Gold Medal, All-Around

I also had some questions aboul Bruckner's floor exercise. He had an obvious bad landing on the dismo unt.

Even the mosl severe judge would have to deduct. l . There was no hold whatsoever on Lhe press and everyone agreed Lhal there was nothing original about Lh e exercise. His tumbling, however, was excep tionall y good. I thought his 9.75 was a liul e Loo high . (IL really made m e wondcr how h e Li ed Kun Thomas for the World Championship with a Mike Wilson, Silver Medal, Floor Exercise

Unlike the Chunichi Cup, th e Tok yo International would be strictly individual evenl competition. Each coach would enter one gymnast per event per country.

This competition was inclependern of Lh e Chunichi Cup. We would judge under competition III rul es and would maintain the same assignments as in Nagoya.

We had a few more conferences during this competition and we seemed Lo disagree more often. Th e mosl controversial disc ussion centered around the firsl vault of Roch e from Cuba. IL was a handspring Lwo and a half somersault. There is no doubt that his seal touched the mat as h e landed. But he moved corninuously Lo his feel and very quickly al that. Beca use of the h eight and flight we had to sLan from I 0 as opposed to 9.8. I cleclucLecl .3 for the landing (low posture) but made no other deductions.

Three of us had 9. 7 and one had a 9.5. The superior judge felt as though we should all co m e down at least a Lenlh but we had made up our minds and th e 9. 7 h eld up. I beli eve we could have all justified a 9.5 but th e nawre of Lh e vault opened up some new dimensions in thinking.

9.9! ?)

The Japanese "s pecialists " loo ked fantastic. They had four gymnasts covering the six events and everyone was a potenti a l champion. As il turned oul Lhev did \\'in three even ts and excep t for a zone fault on vaulting and some bad landings on floor and bar th ey could have won the other three. To m e, the most impressive gymnast was the young Akopyan from Russia . He finish ed third in Lheallaround at Nagoya behind Gushiken and Brnck n er. He won his Lwo even ls in Tok yo tying Roch e on vaulting and winning th e horizontal bar outright. His potential seems limitless. From outward ap p eara n ces his only weakness seems Lo be a lack of enough years of experience. His physical cha rac:leristi cs seem ideal, his techniques are super and he displays th e <tggressiveness to be able to fully utilize his potential. The bar seems Lo be his bes t e\enl (9.8 in both competitions) and he crea ted more air between he a nd the bar on his releases than anyone I have ever seen.

Our gymnasts, Larry Gerard and Mike Wilson, rep rese nted us very well both on and off the floor of compet1llon. They finish ed eighth and seventh, respen ive ly, in th e all-around o f th e Chunichi Cup. Mike

Gymnastics News Januar y 1 February 1980

II

Chunichi Cup (con't)

Change of Date

\\' ilso 11 wo n a s il nT m eda l 0 11 fl oor a nd Larry G era rd ,,· 0 11 a s ih·er 0 11 bar a n d a bro n ze 0 11 rin gs a t th e T o kyo I 11tern a t ion a l.

Th e J a pa nese \\'l'l'l' g rac io us hos ts a nd p ro,·ided excellent ba nqu ets fo ll o \\·in g eac h competiti o n . \\' e a ll recc i,u l p ra cti ca l g ifts (ca lcul a tor a nd umbrell a ) as \\T ll as co m111 e1n o ra tin· g ifts a nd we prese nt ed g ift s fro m o ur fedl'ra tio11 \\'hi cl 1 "·ere \\·ell rece i,'l'd. Our O \\ ' ll group go t a lo ng \Try \\T ll a nd \\'l' a ll seem ed to m ake fri ends \\·ith p eo ple from oth er de lega ti o n s. Fra n cis ,\ lien pron·d that hum o r, like 10\c , is a uni\c rsa l la n g u age . H e 110 1 o nl y kept o ur dcleg-a ti o 11 loose but dre\\· smi les fro m m os t m embers o f th e o th er del egati o n s. H e \\·as a m os t p os iti ve inf! u en ce fo r a ll o f u s.

My o \\·11 perso n a l th a nks go Olli to Bill R oe tzheirn , as Na ti o n a l T ec hni ca l Dirl'ct o r (NG j ,\ ) for assi g nin g me and to Fra nk Bare fo r a ppro,·in g m y ass ig nm ent ;1s jlldgl' fo r th ese co mpetiti o n s. It " ·as a ,·;tlu a blc experi e11 n'.

Floor MEN No.

Exerc ise Name

Pommel Horse

Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics National Champions changed to

April 25, 26, & 27, 1980 Cobo Hall, Detroit

Modern Rhythmic Compulsory Clinic April 28 & 29, 1980

Parallel Rings

Vault

Bar

Nation

Aver

Mine

Aver

Mine

Aver

Mine

Aver

Mine

Aver

Mine

Aver

Mine

TOTAL

Rank

Hungary

9.15

9.20

9.05

9.00

9.30

9.30

9.30

9.30

9.35

9.30

8.90

8.70

55.05

17

Cuba

9.50

9.50

8.25

8.00

9.20

9.00

9.20

9.10

9.20

9.10

9.75

9.50

55 .00

16

7

Kelemen

4

Suarez

9

Gerard

U.S.A.

9.40

9.50

9.40

9.40

9.35

9.40

9.40

9.40

9.40

9.50

9.50

9.45

56 .40

8

6

Barthel

Germany

9.15

9.10

9.35

9.20

9.20

9.10

9.55

9.40

9.40

9.30

9.45

9.40

56.10

11

Akopian

11

15 14

U.S.S.R.

9.55

9.60

9.50

9.50

9.40

9.40

9.60

9.60

9.40

9.40

9.80

9.80

57 .25

3

Xu

China

9.40

9.40

9.55

9.70

9.45

9.50

9.50

9.50

8.75

8.80

9.10

9.10

55.75

15

Kajutani

Japan

9.35

9.30

9.55

9.60

9.45

9.30

9.10

9.20

9.60

9.60

9.65

9.70

56.70

4

57 .60

Gushiken

Japan

9.45

9.40

9.60

9.60

9.70

9.70

9.60

9.60

9.70

9.80

9.55

9.60

2

Zhang

China

9.10

9.1O

9.50

9.50

9.20

9.20

9.35

9.30

9.30

9.30

9.45

9.40

55.90

12

16

Obuchi

Japan

9.25

9.20

9.45

9.20

9.40

9.40

9.50

9.10

9.50

9.60

9.60

9.60

56.70

4

3

Roc he

Cuba

8.90

8.90

9.30

9.30

9.25

9.20

9.75

9.70

9.45

9.30

9.25

9.10

55 .90

12

8

Kovacs

Hungary

9.50

9.50

9.15

9.10

9.60

9.70

9.45

9.40

9.40

9.40

9.15

9.00

56.25

9

U.S.A .

9.55

9.70

9.30

9.30

9.20

9.20

9.50

9.60

9.55

9.70

9.40

9.40

56.50

7

Germany

9.75

9.80

9.45

9.30

9.50

9.50

9.60

9.50

9.55

9.40

9.50

9.50

57.35

2

10 5

Wilson Bru ckner

12

Turbanov

U.S.S.R.

9.20

9.20

9.45

9.70

9.25

9.30

9.55

9.60

9.50

9.40

9.70

9.70

56.65

6

17

Kawakami

Japan

9.35

9.10

9.40

9.20

9.20

9.30

9.10

9.10

9.50

9.40

9.30

9.40

55.85

14

13

Anisimov

U.S.S.R.

9.45

9.40

9.10

9.10

9.20

9.10

9.35

9.40

9.50

9.70

9.60

9.60

56.20

10

' Obuchi started his vault at least 2 strid es behind the regulation runway length . No one else deducted .

12

Horizontal

Bars

Gymnastics News J anuary Februa ry 1980

SARNEIGE IN ACTION

The gymnastic mat of the Olympic Games.

1979 Men 's Trials, Fort Collins, Colorado World Championship, Fort Worth, Texas

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Gymnastics News January February 1980

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XXth World Gymnastics Championships U.S. MEN'S TEAM REPORT

Fred Turoff Th e g ra nd successes th a t o ur me n 's tea m achi eved a t the 20th Wo rld Gy mn as tics Cha m p io n ships h ave made hi sto ry a nd ha ,¡e po inted th e way for futu re success . T he tea m tha t arri ved in Fon Wo rth , Texas o n November 20th was a well p repared , confident g roup o f a thl etes a nd coaches. Tra ining sess io ns tha t we re held fo r na ti ona l tea m members thi s pas t summer helped unify o ur purpose, deve lo p tea m fee lin g, a nd improve com p ul sory a nd op ti o na l perfo rm a nces. It was obvio us th a t each ma n and th eir persona l coaches had worked effi cientl y Lo be in the bes t sh a pe p oss ibl e fo r thi s competiti o n. The success we had was due to the a thl etes (bo th fi rs t a nd second tea m ), th eir perso na l coach es, th e na ti o na l coaching sta ff , a nd the U .S.G. F. a ll wo rkin g towa rds th e goa l of bring ing o ur gy mnas ts inLo worl d p romin en ce. Ma n y peo pl e contributed LO our success a nd sho uld fee l a pa n of it.

We bega n o ur tra inin g in Fort Wo rth fo ur days pri o r Lo the openin g of the m a in tra inin g ha ll a t th e T arra nt County Co n venti o n Center, th e o utsta nding site of .the 20th Wo rld Cha m p io n shi ps. This tra ining was held a t L. D. Bell Hig h School just o utside of Fo rt Worth . AM F furni shed th e sch oo l g ym with a ppa ra tu s so that we woul d be tra inin g o n equi p ment identi ca l Lo tha t used in the mee t. Emil Mila n , th e coach of Bell Hi g h School a nd th e boys ' a nd g irl s' tea ms did a ll they co uld to ma ke us fee l a t ho me.

We tra ined a lo ne th ere fo r two days a nd then had the J apa nese men as compa n y fo r two clays. T ra ining a lo ngs ide the fo rm er Wo rld Ch am p io ns gave us a ll a n eleva ted fee ling of co nfidence th a t we sha red ve rba ll y a nd spontaneousl y: we looked just as good as they did a nd didn ' t feel intimida ted training with them . Since we a rri ved before Tha nksg ivin g we wa nted to have a good mea l toge th er o n th e holiday, a nd thi s was acco mpli shed th ro ug h the efforts o f Da n a nd J a nn a Po la nd , m embers of the o rga ni zing committee, who hos ted the entire U.S. delega ti o n a t their h o me fo r a n o utsta ndin g "Turkey Day." Da n a nd J a nna were a lso res po nsible fo r se llin g u p ac ti viti es fo r us LO occ upy some of the non-gy mna stic time. Amo ng these were hav in g a m ea l a t Crys ta l's Pi zza Res ta ura nt with fun a nd ga mes, a u endin g Six Fl ags a rnu sern enL pa rk o n cl os in g day a nd bein g given spec ia l ride pri ve leges, to urin g the Justin bo ot fac tory, and seeing so me mu se um s. Ma ny tha nk s to Da n a nd Jann a fo r their help and con cern during o ur stay .

Ano ther th ank yo u goes LO Bo b Ross wh o took us to get o ur o pening cerem oni es uniform s a nd th en wo und up helpin g us ge t a package o f do na ted tra inin g gea r o ut of the U.S . Custo m s Offi ce. And J o hn J o hn son , o ur tea m leader who is a student a t th e U ni versity of T exas a t Arlin g to n , gave us a lo t o f help a nd g uida nce durin g o ur stay .

On Sunday, November 25, th e ma in tra inin g ha ll a t the T CCC o pened for everyo ne's u se. It is a huge room tha t was di vided imo 6 gy mnas ia, 3 for men a nd 3 for wom en .

Each area had a fl oo r exercise m a t a nd a d oubl e set of ap pa ra tus with offi cia l rn a uin g. AM F a nd Sa rneige are to be th a nked fo r p ro vidin g thi s equipm ent. Each team had a pa rticu la r tim e slo t to tra in , but co uld reques t ex tra tra inin g ti me. \Ve genera ll y tra ined with Hun ga ry a nd Spa in .

On Wedn esday, Nove mber 28 a n d Friday, November 30 we tra ined o n the competiti on podium in o ur cornpulso ry co mpetition time slo t 1:30 - 3:30 p .m . The first clay we did compul sori es, th e second op ti o na ls. I tho ug ht we looked ve ry good and the co nfidence kept building. On T hursday th e judges' co urse was held. Our a ltern a te, Mike Wilso n , a nd the members of o ur 2nd tea m (Phil Cah oy, T o m Beach , Ro n Ga lim ore, J eff La fl eu r, and Casey Edwa rds) demo nstra ted va rio us exercises a lo ng with the foreig n a lterna tes. Fra ncis All en ha ndl ed th e coaching job for o ur 2nd tea m a nd I'm sure th ey made a fa vora bl e impress ion o n th e judges.

Sa turday ni g ht, Dece mber 1, a ll pa rticipa nts in the W .C. we re ta ken to a rodeo in th e Fo rt Wo rth stock yard s.

It was quite a sho w co mpl ete w ith ca lf ropin g, steer w res tlin g, bull and bro nc riding, cowboys, co wgirls , a nd clow ns. We lea rned th a t gy mnasts a ren ' t the o nl y ones who occas iona ll y have tro ubl e stay ing on a ho rse!

Sunday, December 2, we tra in ed lig htl y in the morning a nd then went to th e o penin g ce remoni es . Wha t a ga la show! In additio n to the co lorful pa rade of a thletes a nd th e a thl ete's oa th led by Ba n Co nner, th e sh ow fea tured enterta inm ent by a n orch es tra, a boys cho ir , the Kil gore Co ll ege Ra ngereu es, a co untry a nd wes tern son gs tress, a nd the gro u p U p With Peopl e!! We left th e TCCC p repared to ma ke hi story.

Monday, December 3, we perfo rmed o ur compulso ries a t 1: 30 - 3:30 p .m . Our starting event was Pa ra llel Ba rs . We ha d an exce ll ent a ftern oon with onl y 2 major mi sses out of th e 36 ro utin es. Th e Ea st Germa n s competed in th e sa me round a nd when it was over, we we re leadin g them by .1.

At th e end o f th e day we were in 3rd pl ace with 289.85 behind the Soviet U nio n a nd J a pa n . In the a ll aro und , the pl aces were: 2 Conn er (5 8.75), 3 Tho ma s (58.70 ), 7 H a rtun g (58 . 15 ), 43 La fl eur (56.70), 45 Gera rd (56.65 ), 48 Vidma r (56.55).

T wo days la ter we perfo rmed o ur opti onal exercises in the evenin g sess ion with th e o ther tea m s th a t placed in the to p six a fter compul so ries: Soviet Uni on , J apa n, U.S., Ea st Germa n y, China, and Hungary. Our startin g event was Rin gs. (Th e spec ta tors had quite a task o n their ha ncl s-- who to wa tch ?) We performed ve ry well aga in with o nl y 4 majo r misses out o f 36 routines. Th e crowd was behind u s a ll the way a t a ll sess ion s whi ch ga ve us a boos t.

When it was a ll over we ma rched off to the wa iting a rea n o t kn ow in g the fin a l res ults . We knew it was cl ose.

Fin a ll y th e ch ee rs fro m the scoring room to ld us w hat we h ad been waiting for. Third Place! We had fini shed ahead of Eas t G erma ny by . 15 to ta ll y. Third place mea nt victory a t thi s tim e. A proud U.S . men 's tea m m arch ed o ut to collec t their acco lades and m eda l behind the new Wo rld Ch am p io ns from the Soviet U nio n a nd the form er champion s from J a pa n .

Gymnastics N ews J an ua ry Februa ry 1980

15

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U.S. Men's Team Report

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ru•D BAISIRG GOAL

In addition to the tea m achieve ment o ur p relimina ry a ll around placings were: 2 Tho mas ( 11 7. 75 ), 5 Co nn er ( 11 6.95--unfortunately Ba rt had a maj or mi ss o n HB a nd a few sma ll problem s), 15 H a rtung (11 6.30 - Jim a lso h ad a majo r mi ss on PB ), 3 1 G era rd ( 11 4.55 ), 36 La Fl eur (11 4.30, 44 Vidma r (11 3.55 ). Kurt, Ba rt, a nd Jim ad va nced to the All Around fin a ls p lus we h ad th e foll ow ing men in indi vidua l fin a ls: Kurt FE, PH , PB, HB; Ba rt FE, V. PB; Jim V. Th e All Around fin a ls saw mo re hi sto ry made. Kurt Tho mas placed 2nd behind Alexa nder Ditia tin of the Soviet U ni on 118.250 - 117 .975. Bart Conner pull ed up to 5th with 117.025, a nd Jim H artun g a d va nced to a tie for 9th at 11 6.450. One man in the to p 3, two in the top 6, three in the to p 9 in the world . You ca n be sure tha t the U.S. G ymnastic community in attenda nce continued the celebra tions that started during the team competitions!

So o n the fina l da y of cornpetiti on , Dece mber 9, the stage was se t for the U.S. men 's gra nd fin a le. \ 1\le had three men in the indi vidua l fin a l occu p ying eight fin a ls p ositions and leading in three eve nts. The performa nce leve l o f a ll competito rs was hig h er than ever. Ye t o ur quest fo r a nd ea rnin g o f meda ls a nd world sta ture continued .

Kurt tied for 1st on Fl oor Exercise with Ro la nd Bruckner of Eas t G erma n y, with Ba rt fini shing 5th . Kurt placed 2nd on Pommel Horse behind Ol ympic a nd three time World Champio n Zo lton Magya r of Hunga ry. Bart tied for 3rd on Va ulting with Ra lph Ba rth el of Eas t German y behind Ditiatin and Niko la i And ria nov of the Soviet U nio n . Jim mi ssed la nding hi s first va ult a nd wound up in 8th pl ace .

Next, Bart ca ptured 1st on the Pa ra ll el Ba rs with Kurt tieing for 2nd with Alexa nder T ka tchev of the Soviet U ni on . Then Kurt, the las t performer in the men 's fin a ls, won the H orizonta l Ba r competition in a d ra m a tic fini sh.

Three go lds, two silvers, a bronze, a 5th , and a n 8th. Last year Kurt wo n our first men 's meda l in World Championships hi story . We have come a long way, a nd are still o n the way up .

As I sa id in m y o pening, there are ma n y to tha nk for wha t we accomplish ed in Fo rt Worth . But I would perso nall y like to thank th e tea m members for their coopera tion with the coaching sta ff a nd the feeling of togethernes s a nd purpose with which we worked . I a m sure a ll of the a thletes are g ra teful to our tra iner, Mel Blickenstaff, whose " hea ling ha nds" soo thed ma n y a so re muscle. Bo th R oger a nd I were extremely pleased with the team a nd our res ults a nd I h op e the U.S. G ymna stics Community feels as proud of our progra m a s I do. On to Mosco w!

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Gymnastics News J anuary / February 1980

17

XXTH World Gymnas

Eberhard Gienger, RFA

Shigeri Kasamatsu, japan Yuejiu Li, China

Stojan Deltchev, BUL

Melita Ruhn, ROM

Emilia Eberle, Romania

USGF photo by David Demanty USGF photo by Tom Salvas USGF photo by Rich Kenney

Nickolai A ndrianov, USSR

A~F

tics Championships Zheng Zhu, China

Philip DeLeSalle, Canada

Vladimir Markelou, USSR Natalia Shaposnikoua, USSR

Nelli Kim, USSR

Monica Goermann, Canada

Siluia Hindorff, RDA Artour Akapian, USSR

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1979 British Invitational

Gymnastics Championship Larry A. Moyer On December 11 , 1979, gym nasts Tim Daggett, Joey Ra y, a nd J ames Mikus assembled a t JFK International Airport for a 10:00 p.m. depa rture on TWA to London , England for their participation in th e 1979 Briti sh Invitational Gymnastic Championships. It was the first intern a tional competition for junior gymnasts Daggert a nd Ray, but not for veteran performer J a mes Mikus.

Our five hour flight with tail wind was enjoya bl e and with much exc itement as it was th e first time any of the tea m had an opportunity to visit Great Britain. We were met a t th e H ea throw Airport by a lovely reception committee mem ber who escorted us to a n awa iting mini bus which drove th e tea m to ¡wembley, a community outside of London. Our hotel was plush and very acco mmodating. V\le were rece ived by members of the organizing Coca-Cola assoc iation and the British Amateur Gymnastic Association at the hotel. Upon registering a nd processing identifica tion tags, the members of th e team rece ived gymnastic bags, several tee shirts, crys tal glasses, and various complimentary gifts and souveniors. We felt very much a t home within a few minutes.

Th e hosting associa tion invited six teams and co untri es to the competition . USS R , Rumania , Canada, United States, Grea t Britain , and Czechoslovakia. Each tea m en tered three fema le competitors and three male competitors. The USS R on ly had two mal e gymnasts on their tea m. Many gymnasts who competed recentl y in the World Championships in Fort 'North, Texas a lso were present in this m eet. Marcia Frederick from the United States was a guest performer for th e eve nt.

The competition was on December 13, 1979, which included the All Around eve nt and qualified six gymnasts in each event into the fina l on Decem ber 14 , 1979.

Traditiona ll y there was a tea m competition at this m ee t.

Howeve r, this format was eliminated in hope of eleva ting th e quality of the mee t and the spectator interes t. The eve nts were conducted in the famed Wembley Arena, adjacent to interna tional Wembley Stadium, site of previous World Cup Soccer Championships.

It was the first opportunity the junior gymnasts competed on a podium. The entire sensation was a thrill for these young athletes and a great moment in th eir developing careers. The Continental Equipment Company furnish ed the apparatus for the event. This too was a valuable learning ex perience as the boys never before trained on this type of European equipment. The entire American delega tion was most willing to adapt to these situations and had no difficulty in in performing on these standards. In some instances, I had to modify some of the exercises of th e gymnasts due to minor injuries.

Nonetheless, eve ryo ne displa yed positive and enthusiastic attitudes prior to the competition.

The American Mens T ea m , consisting of three junior gymnasts from the USA Junior National Team competed

in exce ll ent tas te and performed up to their ca pacity in the competition. James Mikus was the top American performer as he finish ed ti ed for sixth place in the All Around . James had a major fall on the pommel horse event as he comp leted his exercise prior to the dismount.

Other than tha t miss , he competed very we ll and exe mplifi ed exce ll ent technica l execution as commented by coaches of other foreign delega tions. Joey Ray and Tim Dagge tt , both competing- for th e ir first tim e interna tionall y, performed consistently and with outstanding determination and pride. Although both Tim and Joey had a few minor prob lems , their performances were so lid and represented well th e work of our USA Junior National Program and it's staff.

After the All Around Competition, we qualifi ed into seven finals. I was delighted a nd thrilled that these three seventeen yea r olds were ab le to gain that recognition and status. It was truelya big moment fora! ! three gymnasts to participate in the gala and ¡well organized ceremonies and sophisticated pagen try th e following evening before some ten thousand spectators.

Our evening on December 14, 1979, was most rewarding as Joey Ra y started the evening with a bronze medal performance on the pommel horse event with a solid and well executed exercise displaying sound skills with exceptiona l swing. We all were so happy for him when he stood with the two Russia n gymnasts on th e award p latform for his presentation. It made Jirri and Tim proud and, of course, very much excited about doing the same.

Jim made th e finals in vau lting and after two highly explosi ve optiona l vaults, he too had the honor of rece iving our tea ms second bronze m edal of the evening.

Tim went into the horizonta l bar final with a 9.4 average and needed a similar performance to gain a bronze meda l.

His exercise, although superb with an exciting fl yaway 1/ 2 turn regasp , was not quite assuring enough to gain the bronze medal. Tim was comparably as good as any of the three fina lists.

Gymnastics News Januar y / February 1980

21

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22

Gymnastics News ja11u ary February 1980

""1@SMITH-CORONA @

SCM

CORPORAT I ON

British Invitational

SURE CURE FOR ROUTINE ROUTINES.

The mee t was a ,·ery benefi cia l experience for the l SA Team. We made ma n y o bservations of th e USS R men , a nd yo uthful juni ors from Rum a nia , a nd th e experienced a thl e tes from Czec h os lova ki a . W e m a d e many impress io n s o n o th er co untri es w ith our well deve loped techni ca l bac kgro und s a nd served as a model for o ur na ti o na l m ens a nd boys program . Our gymnas ts disp layed m uch ha ppiness with th eir pa rti cipati o n there a nd fel t they were equall y as success ful as the Ru ss ians Vi ctor Levenkov a nd Andrei Po pov who placed first and second in th e co mpetition . It was a tremendous ince ntive for th e bo ys a nd stimul a ted a co ntinuin g des ire for se lf im provement a nd motivati o n . I as th eir coach shared simil a r fee lings.

T he entire to ur was well o rgan ized and pl a nn ed. We were con stantl y a ttendin g recep ti ons, parti es , a nd fo rma l eve nts. A priva te tea m tour on hi storic Lo ndon was just Par. High

Porn.

Pos. Name

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

6.

8.

9.

10.

11 .

12.

12.

14.

15.

16.

entry.

Vladimir Belenkov Victor Levenkov Jiri Tabak Jeff Davis Jozef Konecny James Mikus Jan Zoulik Joey Ray Octavian lon asiu Tim Daggett Eddie Arnold Yves Dion F. Nutzenberger Dave Steeper Emilian Nicula Joe Frazer Andrei Popov

USSR USSR CZE GB CZE USA CZE USA RUM USA GB CAN CAN CAN RUM GB USSR

Floor Hrse. Rngs. Vault Bars

9.30 8.30 9.45 9.20 8.85 9.10 9.00 8. 75 8.90 8.95 8.70 8.40 8.75 8.80 8.55 8.80

9.50 9.30 8.30 8.40 8.65 8.05 9.00 9.25 9.10 8.40 7.90 8.40 8.25 8.20 8.25 7.95

9.40 9.40 9.45 9.25 8.85 8.90 9.20 8.60 8.50 7.90 9.10 8. 75 8.80 8. 75 9.00 8.65

9.35 9.40 9.50 9.20 9.30 9.45 8.85 8.50 8.55 8.90 9.10 9.30 9.30 9.20 9.25 9.45

9.40 9.40 9.10 9.35 9.15 9.15 8.60 8.95 8.80 8.70 9.10 8. 75 8.60 8.50 8.85 9.00

Bar

9.60 9.60 9.25 9.40 9.20 9.10 9.10 9.20 8.80 9.40 8.30 8.50 8.40 8.45 7.80

Total

56.55 55.40 55.05 54.80 54.00 53.75 53.75 53.25 52.65 52.25 52.20 52.10 52.10 51.90 51.70 43.85

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1. Members present: Sue Ammerman, Linda Chencinski, Delene Darst, Jackie Fie, Cheryl Grace, Ed Knepper, Connie Maloney and Mr. Valentine.

Guests: Mr. Bare , Mr. Ashmore .

2. Reading of the minutes from September 30, 1979 in St. Louis , and acceptance of those minutes. Approval of the statement for the USGF News concerning the Pan American Games.

3. Invited guests to comment on our team and the World Championships a. Linda Mulvihill and Bill Sands b. Nancy Roach c . Sharon Weber and Sharon Valley Discussion followed 4. Next scheduled meeting January 20, 1980 in Ft. Worth , Texas .

©1979

Gymnastics News j a.nuary February 1980

23

Annual Financial Report STATEMENT OF INCOME AND RETAINED FUNDS For the year ended August 31, 1979 REVENUES $ 482,275 446,272 91,559 66,677 62,660 17,017 $1, 166,460

Grants and donations Special events Publications and promotional sales Other events and fees Royalties and T.V. Rights Other revenues

COST OF REVENUES Special Events Travel, lodging, meals & per-diem Purchases - printing & promotions Other events & related costs Newsletter costs Postage and mailing costs

$352,468 262,357 111,003 94,222 44,266 18,454

Women's Committee - Net Membership program - Net

882,770 283,690 7,898 7,133 298,721

ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS Depreciation Donations Dues and memberships Films and music Insurance Interest Legal and accounting Miscellaneous Office supplies & expenses Rent Repairs & maintenance Salaries - net Taxes - payroll Taxes - property Telephone Utilities Funds in excess of expenses Retained funds - September 1, 1978 Retained funds - August 31, 1979

16,840 1,945 3, 116 1, 165 8,668 3,502 4,455 8,180 15,566 6,724 5,380 143,352 4,968 3,184 20, 149 3,986

251, 180 47,541 221,924 $ 269,465

United States Gymnastics Federation 24 Gymnastics News J anuary February 1980

Evaluation of Women's Team Perfonnance BILL VALENTINE NATIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR WOMEN

The XXth World Gymnastics Championships have co m e and go n e and with it th e thrills and disappointments. On e can ne\·er forget th e outstanding performance of our m en and the great pride that filled us as tim e after tim e they took th eir p laces on the award stand. It is m y greatest wish that I co uld co nce ntrate this article on our m en 's performan ce, but not so, as Na tional Program Director for Women , I must, as we all must , fa ce up to what happened in our \1·omen 's p erforman ces.

I am as convinced now , as I was at the co nclusion of the World Championship Trials in Jun e, that the ten bes t femal e gymnasts the SA ever had the good fortirne of having, made up the 1979 World Championship Squad.

What happen ed? The obvious took its toll, Rhonda Schwandt a kn ee operation November 9, Tracee Talavera too you ng to compete, the late developing rib injury to Leslie Russo, the chronic foot problem of Marcia Frederick, th e bone chip in Christa Canary 's ankle and the fact that Kath y Johnson became rea ll y sick before finals.

Devastating? Yes, but we \1·ere in fourth place at the encl of compu lsories, th e bes t ever, and we were in the bes t optional rotation ever, w hat happened ? Our women's team seem ed to self-des tru ct between co mpulsories and optionals. It wasn't as obvious as we started on floor and moved to vault, but then we hit bars and beam and it all seemed to collapse.

In th e post ana lys is that fol lowed every reason and excuse in the book was given and th ey covered almost every facet (except no one rea ll y screa med that we were cheated on scores and if we were, it was of no consequence.) \!Ve were told very emphaticall y that because no medical doctor was assigned to th e team it was impossibl e to determine th e extent a nd nature of the injuri es ear ly enough to make adjustments. It was stated that some of the girls were o verwe ight, that most of the girls had not trained at home properl y, by doing full routine sets. We even heard that the girls were overworked and tired beca use of long hours of training and restrictions in Texas. It was mention ed that perhaps in the final hours that some of the individual coaches were more of a negative influen ce than a positi ve one. It was sta ted in this situation , the fact that the trials were held so far in advance of the competition may have led to its downfall , (the reverse of what was d emanded and deemed necessary).

We were told about the lack of communication between gymnasts and coaches and th e pressure and expectations of being at home and th e very pro-American audience, the biggest and best we ever faced. Yes, there were the excuses and reasons (some I probabl y have not even written clown ) and if one reall y wants to press the issu e, each and everyone, has some va lidity, yet the fact remains we had some very good g ymnasts there, two or three of whom were not a ll owed to compete and man y more excell ent ones at home with no hope of competing.

So now \IT ha\'e th e reasons and excuses a nd each of us could acid a few and rea ll y bea t it to death. I' m sorry but I don't bu y an y o f " em " . The sim pie fa ct is , we are 5th o r 6th internationall y a nd we are des tin ed and deserve to be there unl ess a nd until we get o ur act to ge ther.

Perhaps I'm too hard , or even wrong, but th ere appears to me to be t\1·0 reaso ns for success in o ur great country, th e first bein g th e legitimat e profit a nd or ego and the second a ca use so g rea t that personal sacrifice and / o r cost are of no significance.

Are we who are in vo lved in this sport of ours as coaches, judges , administrators , a nd yes even gy mnasts so wrapped in the reward system that it beco mes more important that we get rewa rded in whatever \1·ay possibl e for our work rathn than making th e hard dec isions and sacrifices to make our gy mnasti cs the best? There is no qu estion in m y mind that we have th e tal ent in every aspect of our system to be th e bes t, th e qu es tion is is it worth it?

If we trul y fee l the goa l of moving into th e top three p os itions in intern a tion a l co mpetition is a worthy one and one that we wish to accomp li sh then I have some suggestions we may need to consiclerr I. Administratively we need to determin e and commit ourselves to an encompassing program that will permit this to happen.

2. As coaches, we need to train m a ture co mpetent co mpetitors. Not hig hl y skilled but dependent gymnasts.

3. \l\1e need to set aside our 0 \1·n egos and material gains and see tha t the most competent , bes t skill ed competito rs take the floo r 111 international com peti tion .

4. \\' e need to face up to weight problems and physica l conditions that limit our gymnasts and remove th em from competition, es peciall y where it weakens our tea m 's chan ces, even though it hurts us persona ll y to do so and washes out years of incli vidual hard work.

5. We need to trul y listen to each other, respect each oth er and to ma ke ourselves trustworth y. We need to share our competen ce and recognize the competency in others. We ca nnot accomp lish this goa l by working in vacuums , large or sma ll , but open up, gather information , distribute information , gather together a ll our skills, abi lities and idea s, work together.

6. P erhaps now is th e time to co nsider and bring in a full time National Coach and accept a ll the ramifica tions that that would mea n. A p erson w ith the authority a nd ability to bring together a national program, a person with th e res ponsibility, author ity and res pect that it would take to completely handle the " tea m " , on a national and international leve l.

Once again we may not be read y for a ll this-it ma y not be worth it to us, but if not then we are destin ed and deserving of 5th or 6th place.

Gymnastics News ]anuary 1 February 1980

25

1st National Elite Qualifying Meet Bill Valentine The 1980 Elite Season started off on a very positive note with the 1st National Elite Qualification Meet. WKBWTV and the Gleason School of Gymnastics sponsored this event held at the Niagra Falls Convention Center, Niagra Falls, NY., January 24-26, 1980. Kathy Gleason, Cindy Sielski and the host committees did an outstanding job of preparing and presenting the meet. It was a professional job and all involved should be congratu lated, even the weather cooperated and Niagra Falls was a warm (hospitality wise) and beautiful city.

As would be expected there was a lot of fresh young talent present and for the most part, they gave good performances. The judging was strict but consistent and fair. Marcis Frederick the only m em ber of the XX th World Championship Team to compete had an outstanding meet and looked in top form, she seems determ ined for whatever takes place in 1980.

The second national Eli te Qualifying Meet in Oakland will be taking place as this issue of th e NEWS goes to press, and will be covered in the next issue.

ALL-AROUND QUALIFIERS 1.

2.

76.20 74.45 72.65 72.40 72.20 72.15 72.05 72.05 71.95 71 .80 71 .75 71.50 71 .50

Marcia Frederick Lisa Zeis 3. Beth Kline 4. Gigi Ambandos 5. Sue Stednitz 6. Jackie Cassello 7. Lisa Shirk 7. Sandy Wirth 9. Amy Koopman 10. Kelly Gallagher 11. Beth Pope 12. Luci Collins 12. Lynn Lederer

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Marcia Frederick, World Championship team member was the top all-around Qualifier.

Lisa Zeis, the hometown favorite, certainly gave her fans and supporters, a good show and something to be proud. The newcomers to look for in the Championships of the USA include: Beth Kline (Sca ts) , Sue Stednitz (Almaden Valley Gym Club), Amy Koopman & L ynn Lederer (MidAmerican Twisters), Beth Pope (Little Rock, Ark), and Kelly Gallagher (Gymnastics Olympia) are all bound to improve and be rea l contenders.

Lisa Shirk did great bar routine and Jackie Cassello attempted a front handspring double front on the floor and should have it perfected by the Championships.

As usual Gigi Ambandos looked as strong and capable as always. Sandy Wirth and Lucy Collins did very well and will be much improved by the Championships.

From the start 1980 looks good, (but hey gang, we've got to learn to stay on the beam, litera ll y and figuratively, OK!)

26

Gymnastics News January ' February 1980

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Junior Olympic Testing Program Ron Caso T he T hird Na ti o na l Juni or Ol ym p ic Tea m T es tin g P rogra m was held a t th e U nited Sta tes r\ ir Fo rce Acade m y in Co lorado Sp rin gs, thi s pas t December 13-1 5. A to ta l o f twe nty-six boys pa rticipa ted, ho pin g fo r berth s o n SG F's Junio r T eam.

Fo r the first tim e in thi s type o f com petitio n , each gy mnas t was eva luated u sin g th e sa m e cri ter ia. The intermedia te (ages 10-1 4) performed the compul sori es while the ad vanced group (ages 15-1 8) did optio na ls. In add iti on Lo these se ts required o f th e res pec ti\¡e gro u ps , a ll pa rti cipa nts we re tes ted on bas ic ski Ils a nd i ndi vidu a l po tenti a l (speed , streng th , a nd fl ex ibility).

Absent fro m the tes tin g p rog ra m whil e co mpetin g in the British In vita ti o na l were tea m members Tim Dagge tt , Jim Miku s, and J oey Ray . Th eir mee t scores in En g la nd were u sed in p lace of th e o pti o na l se ts d o ne a t Co lorado by th e o th er boys. (Fo r a sum ma ry of th eir acti viti es in En g land , see the report o f Me n 's Coach , La rry Moye r. ) T he perfo rm a nces o f th e interm edi ates a t Co lo rado Springs were mos t encouragin g. Com p ul sory exercises were the rea l eye-openers. Denni s H ayden , twin bro th er o f Da n , from Rin es G ymn as ti c C lub in Buffa lo, New York , took a ll moves on th e fl oor to th e op tima l with hi s se lfass ured , co nfident style. At times, Denni s 1110 \'ed like Peter Pan . Hi s lun ges, lea ps, a nd techni ca ll y co rrec t approach to a ll handsta nd s, presses, a nd tumblin g vividl y dem o n strated how America n men 's gy mn as ti cs is sha pin g up .

T he po mmel ho rse perform a nces o f the interm edi a tes showed marked im p rove ment. Alth o ug h horse wo rk in thi s age group is still n o t world cl ass, it is beg inning to loo k quite res pecta bl e. (Circles \\¡ere genera ll y hi g h , extended and executed smoo th Iy. Behind the bac k work a nd di smo urns showed much impro veme n t.)

The rin gs still look a Jilli e wea k. The o nl y excep ti o n s in thi s area were the H ayd en tw in s.

Perha ps the probl ems here res ult fro m a ge nera l lac k o f streng th o n the junio r team . My overa ll im p ress io n is th a t we lack so lid streng th parts a nd stron g di smo unt s. T he Juni o r T eam ha s mas tered the do ubl e d ism o unt , but we need to see something n ew next tim e a round.

In va ulting, the junio rs seem to be do ing a fin e jo b of "chuckin " but a very poor jo b o f "s ti ckin " . Th e o nl y ad va nced juni or to stick hi s va ult was C hri s Caso , a nd eve n h e lacked good pos t fli g ht. Everyo ne else eith er took severa l steps o r la nded on th eir bulls.

On the pa ra ll el bars, the junio rs looked good. So lid ha ndstand s, fin e bas ic swing a nd fli ght , impress ive stutzes, Di a midov's, back tosses and cl ea n rear ri se to ha nd were commo n . Dism ounts con sisted o f m a n y do ubl es a nd backs with twi stin g. I must say it was impressive.

Big releases a re essemial for so lid 9 's o n the ho rizonta l bar, a nd th e juniors a re pullin g toge ther exce ll ent compul sori es a nd adequa te opti on a ls. T he intermedia tes brought their compul sories to th e ultima te. Rea r rises reach ed handstands, relea ses sh owed fli ght, a nd g ia nts were quite cl ea n. The Ha yden s wa lked away w ith to p h on o rs in th eir compul so ry se ts, but need much improvem em in opti on a l di smo unts.

T h e adva nced juniors a re p uttin g toge th er so me to ug h se ts w ith bi g releases such as fro nt tosses, reve rse hechts, fl yaway ha lf turn s, a nd d elch evs . Th e ro utin es a re very im p ress ive, bu t th e di smo unts a re no t. T here a re man y do u bles but very few tw istin g dou bl es.

Pa ra ll elin g the co m pe titi o n a l Co lorado Sprin gs we re a number o f mee tin g s. ;\Jr. Mas Wa ta n a be bro ug ht toge th er a ll the coaches p resent a nd as ked fo r regio na l in p ut. T he coaches felt th a t regiona l tes tin g, th e p rerequi site for a llendin g th e na ti o na l tes ting progra m , was mos t stringe nt.

Appa rentl y some gy mnas ts m issed qua lifyin g by as lilll e as hund redth s o f a po int, but thi s has to be th e way.

Onl y th e bes t ca n ma ke th e na ti o na l tea m .

A n o th e r co m p l a int , co n ce rn e d a l ac k o f co m m uni ca ti o n between regio n s a nd the na ti ona l o ffi ce.

Thi s see m s to be improv ing, but co uld be better. Coaches al so felt th ey n eeded m o re info rm a ti o n a bo ut standa rd s in the na ti o na l tes ting progra m . Ma n y indica ted th ey did no t know wha t to ex pec t. T hey felt th ey shou ld have beller descri p tio ns of skill a nd po tenti a l tes tin g, a nd genera ll y wh a t th e USGF sta ff is lookin g fo r in its juni o r progra m .

Mas Wa tana bi expressed o ur na ti o na l intent LO be the bes t. To help acco mpli sh thi s, th e coachi ng sta ff directed

by Mas is currentl y puttin g o n regio nal clinics th ro ug ho ut the co untry. So far , those in regio ns 2 th ro ugh 8 have been com pl eted . Th ose in reg io ns I a nd 9 w ill be fini shed in th e sprin g. Contac t yo ur regio na l direc tor for mo re inform a ti o n o n these.

Allending the Colorado Springs meeting were Mario Cardinin and Kenji O 'ha ra , two delega tes from Brazil to urin g th e .S. a fter th e Wo rld Cha mpi on ships. Bo th saw o ur junio r prog ra m as a pos iti ve a pproach a nd exp ressed tha nks fo r o ur hos pita lity.

Big things are a hea d fo r the junio r tea m. In th e near future, its members w ill be ta ug ht the new 1984 Ol ym p ic compul sori es, to help prepa re fo r intern a ti ona l co m pe titi on. T h ese skill s w ill be ta ug ht loca ll y a t the regio na l leve l, a nd w ill be reinfo rced a t junior na ti o na l tra inin g ca m ps held three tim es each yea r.

Durin g th e sprin g, o ur Juni o r team s (3), A tea m , B tea m , C tea m w ill co m pe te aga in st juni o rs from J a pan ; the So uth Afri ca n in vita ti o na l, a nd p oss ibl y a tri a ng ul ar tra inin g - competiti o n type mee t with Mexi co and Ca nada, a nd in June, befo re th e Na ti o na ls, the Go lden Sa nds Invita ti o na l in Va rn a, Bulga ri a .

1979-80 Junior Team Members By Rank Intermediates Advanced Da n H ayden-Denni s H aydenJim Miku s Chris Regil Tim Dagge tt Stua rt Butler J oey Ray Ru sse ll L acy Ro bbi e Ca mpbell Ra nd y Besosa* Ma ll Arn o t Chri s Caso* -Mike Bo wers Ada m Forma n Pa t Parker* Stu Briten stein Ri ck Atkin so n Brad Brya n Wes Suter * ew Members Da n McCann

Gymnastics N ews Jan ua ry Feb ruar y 1980

27

Men's Qualifying meets for 1980 Leading to the Championships of the U.S.A April 24, 25, and 26, 1980 Colorado State University, Ft. Collins

* Eastern Regional qualifying meet

* Mid-West Regional qualifying meet

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia April 11, 1980 Meet Director, Dennis Seidel, Larry Moyer

Iowa State University, Ames April 19, 1980 Meet Director, Ed Gagnier

* Western Regional qualifying meet

* Mid-East Regional qualifying meet University of Michigan, Ann Arbor April 19, 20, 1980 Meet Director, Newt Loken

Santa Clara Valley Gymnastics Club Santa Clara, April 19, 1980 Meet Director, Waichiro Miki

* Husky All-around Classis Houston Baptist University, Houston March 21, 22, 1980 Meet Director, Hutch Dvorah

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Gymnastics News January February 1980

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Fifth Intercontinental Judges Course Bill Roetzheim The Fifth Intercontin enta l Judges Course was h e ld in Moscow, J a nua ry I Ith through J an u a ry 16th . Beca use of the high pl ace m e nt b y the l nited S tates m en 's tea m in the p as t two Wo rld G a m es, we were a ll owed to send three ca ndida tes. T h e indi vid u a ls wh o a u ended were selected by the Nat io n a l Gymnas ti c Jud ges Assoc ia tio n a nd th eir n ames submiued to the l nited Sta tes G ymnastic Fed era tion fo r a pprova l. They were L es Sas va ry, Pres ident NG J A: Bill R oe tzheim , T echni ca l Direc to r a n d Bob S to ut , Pas t Nat io n a l T echni ca l Director for th e NGJ A. It is diffi cult to wr ite a n exciting re p o rt on a su bj ec t as dull as a judges course . Co untries don ' t compete for go ld m ed a ls in co urse p erforma n ce. No n ew tri cks arc judged fo r the fir st time in front of tho u sa nd s of spec ta to rs. Wh y we didn 't even h ave a n o p ening cerem o n y. Now if yo u think it's a g rea t turn-o n h av in g th e text o f a n y subj ec t m a u er read to yo u firs t in Ru ss ia n, then Fren ch , th en G erma n and fin a ll y English , yo u mu st rea ll y be weird.

About th e o nl y thin g I ca n g ive yo u is some gen era liti es a nd th e tech n ica 1 in terpre ta Li ons they ga vc us.

On e thing I think is ve ry sig nifi ca nt. Yo u were give n a ch o ice o f be ing tested in o n e of five la n guages and b y far the la rgest gro u p was Engli sh. W e a lways say in o rder to communi ca te gy mn as ti ca ll y, yo u mu st know Ge rm a n , but appa rentl y th a t is ch a n g in g.

T h e fo ll ow ing techni ca l interpre ta ti o n s a re to be u sed with the NE IV C ODE ,..JND JlllLL N OT BE IN EFFECT UN TIL THE FI NA L OLYMPIC TRYO U T S. These interpretatio ns ca m e o ut of a qu es ti on a nd a n swer per iod.

I . How d o yo u apply th e . I to .3 dedu cti on fo r an in co mm esura te dismount ?

ANS. Considering the last two moves this is how its applied: A+ A= .3 B +A = .2 A + B = .I

B + B=O A +C

=0

2. How m a n y wa ys ca n a va ult res ult in a zero ?

ANS. A. If it 's the compulsary performed as an optional.

B. If yo u take a second start and then vault.

C. Double touching the horse.

D. Not touching the horse.

E. If on landing, your feet do not hit the ground before any other bod y part.

3. When yo u o n ce s ta rt runnin g a nd stop , ca n yo u begin aga in a nd tak e yo ur va ult?

ANS. You are allowed to continue your run but onl y from the place you s topped.

4. Wh y do yo u g ive ri sk for s ta lter mon¡mcnts 0111' wh en th e legs are be twee n the h a nds but n ever when th e legs arc stradd led ?

ANS. You have more chance of striking the bar.

5. What va lu e is a Bail Out on rings to a s tra ight a rm s h oot h andsta nd ?

ANS. C 6. W h at is th e value of a Ba il Out on rin gs to a bent a rm sh oo t h a nds tand ?

ANS. B + B

7. Wh y was the w h o le h op sequen ce on hi g h bar d eva lued from a B to a n A? ANS. They were too easy.

8. Ca n risk be g ive n if th e moYe is n o t p erformed with o ut error?

ANS. No 9. v\/h a t is th e va lue of a g ia nt sw in g on p a ra lle l ba rs? A g ia nt sw in g to a h a ndstand with Y2 tw is t?

ANS. Part I - C Part II - C + C + R 10. Wh a t is the va lu e of a o n e a rm gia nt on the h orizon ta l ba r?

ANS. C 11. W h a t if h e d oes multiple one a rm g ia nts to a double fl ya way?

ANS. C + C + R 12. M u st yo u h o ld a sa l to h a nd stand Lwo seconds fo r it to be a C if yo u show co mpl e te co nt ro l?

ANS. Refer to Article 64-65 (You must hold it 2 seconds) 13. Can a m a rk be m ad e o n th e fl oor or mat two m eters a wa y from th e va ultin g h o rse?

ANS. Yes 14. On ve ry diffic ult va ults can a gym na st bend hi s legs when leav ing th e board to fa cilita te g rea ter h e ight o r rotati o n ?

ANS. N o 15. Ca n yo u dedu c t for " Cowboy in g" a d o ubl e sa lto ?

ANS. Yes, up to .3 16. Mus t yo u co unt mo ves on para ll e l ba rs tha t require a hold to esca late the ir va lue toward the 3 h o ld m a ximum ?

ANS. Yes 17 . Wh a t is th e m a ximum d eduction in va ultin g for postfl ig h t?

ANS. l .O Height 1.0 Length 2.0 Total 18. If in C o mpe tition III , wha t is th e d educ tion if th e second va ult is not taken from th e 9.8 classifi ca ti o n ?

ANS. You can deduct .4 19. Durin g a routin e, how man y tim es can you a ppl y up Lo .2 for s trength on the hori zontal bar a nd . I LO .3 for moves h e ld too long?

ANS. As man y times as they occur.

20 . When must a sw in g in g " C: " co ming fro m a g lide or in ve rted h a n g be p erfo r m ed on pa rall e l ba rs?

ANS. In Competition II & III. 2 1. Wh y is th ere n o ri s k for a J apanese sa lto on para ll el bars?

ANS. There is if you add a twist.

22. Can yo u get risk for a do ubl e bac k sa l LO o ff th e para llel bars?

ANS. Only when it is piked.

23 . On pomme l h o rse wh e n execu tin g doubl e leg circles in side support on one p o mm e l o r cros s support , ca n yo u rece ive additi ona l C credit fo r d o in g a ser ies o f circl es?

ANS. No. Repetition is not recognized as a means of increasing yo ur difficulty and never improves exercise construction.

Gymnastics News Jan ua ry February 1980

29

Intercontinental Judging Course (con't) gymnastic aides

2·1. Whal is Lhc dedu cti o n fo r bending your legs on a gia nt sw ing o n pa ra llel ba rs?

ANS. N o deduction until someone demonstrates it can be performed without bending the knees. After that time there will be a deduction of up to .3.

25. Whal is th e value of a handsprin g front ; ANS . A + B 26 . Why is or ig in a lity noL g iven fo r a double back layed out?

ANS. The Techn ical Commi ttee as ye t has not decided if you can give originality for this movement.

27. Whal is origin a lit\-?

ANS . 1. When a new move is performed.

2. When a new combination of B + C moves are presented.

3. When an old move is performed with a comp lete ly new technique.

The Inte rnatio na l Technical Commiuee is finall y doing interpretation s, whi ch of co urse, we insLiLULcd so me yea rs ago. Th ey will mail LO us addition a l material that was noL presented at th e co urse beca use o f a lack of tim e.

Thi s is cen a inl y a g ia nt step in the right directi o n.

In closin g, yo u are proba bl y a ll aware tha t with th e conclu sion o f the Fifth Cycle In tercontin enta l Gymnastic Judges Course, a ll o ther Breve t ca rds beca m e in va lid .

Pe rmi ss ion by th e USG F has bee n granted LO condu ct a n Internation a l Judges Course in Chi cago, April 17th through Apri l 20th . II yo u " ·ere not included o n the mailing alh-nti sin g this t'\'l' nl and an· interested , please con tac t: Bill Roe tzheim , Director of Athleti cs University of Illinois Chicago Circle 901 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, Illinois 60608

NORTHBRIDGE, MASS. 01534

PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHING SYSTEMS BASIC

SYSTEM

{C h a rt s wi th teac hin g manual) G irl s (6) 10 .0 0 Uoy s (8) I 2.0 0 T e achers Manual onl y 2.0 0 ( s pecify Gi rl s' or Bo ys')

GYMNASTICS CHARTS ~ l c n 's

Int. Paral lel Bar (5) Int. Rings (3) Basic to Int. Side Horse (2) wit h bo0k* Basic to Adv. Tum bling (4) Ad v. Parallel Bar (4) Advanced Rings (3) Basic to Advanced Hori zon tal Bar (6) Ad vanced Va ult ing (3) Girl's Int. to Advanced Balance Beam (6) Basic to Ad vanced Tumbling (4) (same as above) Co mpe tilive Vau lting (3) Int. Uneven Parallel Bars (5) Adv. Uneven Parallel Bars ( 4) Advanced Va ulting_ (3)

RECORDS ~lu s i c

7.00 5.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 5.00 3. 00 5.00 3.00 6.00 5.00 7.00 6.00 5.00

AND CASSETTE TAPES

from th e 19 72 Ol y mpi c Ga m es

- Reco rd 8. 00 Casse tte 5. 00 Record 8.00 Cassette 5.00 Vol. 3 - Record 8 .00 Casse tte 5.00 GYMNASTIC Fl LMS 1972 Oly. Men 's Finals 40.00 1972 Oly. Women 's Fin.40.00 Mod . Ry thrni c Gym .

25 .00 19 76 Oly. Men 's Finals 45. 00 1976 Oly. Women 's Fin. 45. 00 Selec ted Routines- Women's Teams & All-AIOund Finals 1976 Olympi cs 45.00 BOOKS Gy mna sti cs Illustrated 9 .50 The Side Horse* 3.50 HANDGUARDS Men 's Leath er 4.00 Sm-Me d-Lgc Women 's Su ede 3.50 Sm-Me d Swiss Embroi dered Emblem 2.25 1.00 Gy mnastics Em ble m STATIONERY Gi rl's S t a ti o n e r y ( BY,x ll 100 pcs.l 7 .00 Gi rl 's N otepaper (5 Y,x 8 Vz 100 pc s) 5. 00 Circle Type - bars beam n oor vau lt Vol. Vo l.

J

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XXth World Gymnastics Championships

VIDEO TAPES Unedited copies of the Master Tapes.

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Men's All-Around

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8-60 minute cassettes 1-30 minute cassette Women's All-Around

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30

Gymnastics News Janua ry Februar y 1980

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Britain. Eu rope. The Far East.

Procedures for Implementing Mental Rehearsal Techniques for Skill Improvement Fred Surgent Menta l rehears a l o r m enta l practi ce is no t a new con cept. It in vo lves th e cogniti ve p rocesses o f rehea rsa l witho ut overt physica l p erfo rm an ce. It ha s received a milk recepti o n in coachin g circl es a nd even k ss accl a im fro m p h ys ica l edu ca to rs; however, accord in g LO resea rch and a limited number of coaches a nd ph ysi cal edu ca tors who use it, it adds an o th er criti ca l dimension in the process o f acquirin g n ew motor skill s, es pec ia ll y ea rl y 111 performa nce.

Man y interes tin g theori es have been espo used as to why thi s procedure " ¡orks , yet littl e is know n a bo ut it.

T h eoreti cal expl ana ti o ns o f thi s ph enom ena are superficia l a t best when a ttemptin g to describe wh a t ha ppens under th ese circum sta nces. Be th a t as it may, it is the intentio n of thi s writer LO loo k a t fa cto rs whi ch have produ ced pos iti ve result s in m a ny areas a nd to mo ld together a cohesi ve fra m e\\'ork for impl ementin g a practi ca l approach 111 m enta l rehearsa l fo r sport situati o n s.

T o p rovide th e reader with a cl earer understa ndin g of so me o f the res ults o f th e resea rch ca rri ed o ut in thi s area, a bri ef summa ry o f th ese findin gs are presented fro m the wo rk o f Bu ge lski ( 1974): I. " In so m e studi es the very good and very poor subj ects did no t improve as mu ch as th e interm edia te subj ects w ith m enta l practi ce.

2. It is necessary to consider th e poss ibility th a t som e o f th e practi cin g subj ects wo uld suffer fro m fa ti g ue in studies where the practi ce ta kes pl ace in on e day a nd th a t th eir scores mig ht suffer som e loss.

3. T here a ppears to be need for some ph ysi ca l practi ce in the earl y stages, i.e. , menta l practi ce ca nn o t be used from th e beginnin g with an y rea l effecti veness; there mu st be a ph ysica l basis for the m ental practi ce to be o f an y va lu e. At th e very least, subj ects sho uld see so meone else do it.

4. No o n e kn ows how mu ch menta l practi ce to require, h ow to spread it o ut o r how to detail th e in stru ctio ns w ith precisio n .

5. It a ppears th at peopl e w ho are vivid im agers, as su pported by tes ts, do better th a n p eop le w ho sco re low on im agery tests."

Page 89 Additio na l facto rs whi ch will affect thi s p rocedure, but w hi ch have received limited resea rch a ttentio n are: w h en to m enta ll y practi ce, pri o r to, fo ll ow in g initi a l tri a ls and/ or a fter th e skill is bein g p erfo rm ed fa irl y effi cientl y and a t w ha t skill level will mental p ra cti ce produ ce the best res u Its. W hil e m an y qu es ti o ns still exi st in thi s area, it is cl earl y evident m enta l practi ce does work . With thi s in mind , the foll o win g fa cts have been glea ned from man y sources to produce a worka bl e fra m ework fo r impl ementing a prog ram of m ental practice.

Fin a ll y, th ere a re no a bso lute a nswers w hen di scussin g menta l practi ce. The fo ll ow ing su ggested g uidelines are p resented no t as a pa necea fo r conqu erin g new motor skill s, but ra th er as an additi o na l stra tegy for im provin g mo tor skill acq ui sitio n .

I. T as k Selec ti o n

A. Pick a task which h as a di stin ct sta rt a nd fini sh .

B. T he task sho uld be fa irl y sho rt in term s of leng th of tim e required to comple te it.

C. Ty pe of sk ill a nd wha t to focus on .

I. Closed skill s (gy mnas ti cs, di vin g, bow ling, etc.) foc us o n kn ow ledge of perfo rma nce a nd wha t to do in the m o tor ac t.

2. Open skill s (foo tba ll , bas ketba ll , baseba ll , etc.) fo cu s o n kn ow ledge of res ults. In o th er words, wha t effect th e performa nce h ad o n the en viro nment.

II. Sta te of Mind and Bod y A. Rela x your mind a nd bod y.

B. Put yo urse lf in a rece p tive sta te, in o th er word s, fee l th ese th o ug hts.

III. Selec tion o f Discriminiti ve C ues For Skill Being Rehea rsed A. Ask the fo ll ow ing ques ti o ns.

I. Is the foc us of a ttenti o n on reducin g a n xiety a nd ma inta ining a con sistent performa nce or 2. Is the focus im p roving technique for ma xima l perfo rma nce of a skill ? Fro m here on in the focu s of menta l rehea rsa l in this article will refer to sugges tio ns for a nswering ques ti on 2.

B. R em ember cue perce ption is unique to each indi vidua l perfo rmer a nd therefo re ma n y fa cto rs mu st be con sidered in this p rocess. So m e of the sa lient factors in this ¡p rocess are: 1. Prev io u s experience o f the perform er 2. Se nsory acuity 3. Attentio n processes o r style 4. Expec ta ti o n s in thi s situa tion 5. Presen t emo ti ona l sta te 6. The en vironmenta l se tting, roo m lig hting, equi p ment a nd perfo rmer awa reness a nd fa milarity with perfor ma n ce a rea .

C. Determine whi ch cues are crucia l to th e performance of the skill whil e a lso determinin g how to mesh them with th e cue perce pti o n of the lea rn er.

D. Work o n each di scriminiti ve cue indi vidua ll y until it is perfo rmed correc tl y.

IV. Determin e Wha t Co rrec t T echnique Is In The Perfo rma nce Of This Skill A. H ave a n e xp ert (coac h, instru c tor, s port p sych o logist) expl a in co rrec t technique for skill performa nce.

Gymnastics News ] an ua ry IF ebru nry 1980

33

Mental Rehearsal Techniques for Skill Improvement ( con't) I. l se films , video -tapes, e tc. to understand good technique a nd to ana lyze yo ur movem ents.

2. Be awa re of errors and in correct techniqu es .

B. Along with de termining correc t techn ique in motor p erformance of ski ll , de termin e what th e sk ill fee ls like wh en perform ing it correc tl y.

V. Practice Ski ll A. Se ttin g 1. Look for a qui et p lace with no outside extran eo us influen ces.

2. Menta l reh ea rsa l ca n be perform ed before slee p.

B. Visua li ze wh at you a re pra cticin g as bein g p erfo rmed perfec t before makin g yo ur attempt.

I. Visualize skill in detail a. Go slow motion first b. Go regul ar speed fo ll owing slow moti on c. Always encl sess ion with sk ill bein g performed at regu lar speed 2. If yo ur visua li zation h as mistakes, stop a t each mistake a nd go over aga in until your move ments are correc t. If the mistake co ntinues, confront it and find out what is causing it.

C. Wha t to fee l during this reh ea rsal.

I. Feel th e muscle ac tion.

2. Fee l th e emotiona l exci tem ent o f accomplish ing.

3. Feel the sa m e fee lings you fee l wh en yo u p erform a ski ll we ll. Focus on correc t p erformance of problem a reas.

FILMS-FILMS-FILMS-FILMS-FILMS 1979 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Super 8 film-in color Observe the most exciting World Gymnastics Championships held in Fort Worth , Texas. Complete routines of al l Gold Medal winners, for both men and women , can be seen along with every Silver and Bronze runners-up , on all events.

See Kurt Thomas' and Bart Conner's winning routines on the floor exercise, horizontal bar and the parallel bars.

See Nelli Kim 's outstanding performances on all events.

New, original tricks and combinations as well as risky routines are included in both films . #43 Men's Finals 400 ft. $55.00 Ppd. #44 Women's Finals 400 ft. $55.00 Ppd.

Order from-FRANK ENDO 12200 S. Berendo Ave. Los Angeles, Cal. 90044 Calif. residents add 6% tax .

Foreig n sales add 10% for handling and Air-Mai l fee .

34

Gymnastics News Januar y Februar y 1980

4. se as man y se nses as possib le fo r a co mp le te experi ence.

5. Fee l what a n incorrec t performan ce is li ke when it h a ppens as opposed to a correct performance.

6. Fee l wh a t eac h spec ifi c pa rt is lik e an d what the whole is li ke.

7. Atte mpt to perform th e who le with ou t co nsciousl y bein g aware o f a n y pa rticu lar movem ent. Then go back a nd fo cus on what you did . Constantly be aware of the who le bein g pe rforml'd.

8. Do n o t ove rburden yourse lf with thi s process , le t it happen as na turall y as is possible .

D. Believe in yo urself and in wh a t your m ental reh ea rsal has sh ow n yo u. You must have confidence in your ab ility Lo produce in rea lity wha t yo ur mi nd h as sh own yo u.

VI. Assess in g This Prac ti ce A. Kee p a log or di a ry o f successes and fa ilures .

I. List in de tai l correc t techniques in the sk ill yo u w ish Lo acqu ire.

2. Describe in de ta il prob lems yo u en co unter with th is ski ll.

B. Discuss al l resu lts wi th a n expert prefe rabl y som eone who is working cli reCL ly with yo u to achieve th is goa l of ski ll acqu isiti o n.

N ideffn, Hobnt . Tli e /11 nl'I' ,-ltlilet!'. T!t 1J1nas Cr011 •1·/I Co .. N1·w \ ' urk: N. \'.. 1976. /J/J. 2112-20-1.

Br y. ,-Ide/aid" and ,\ /arj urie fla ir. n irl'l'tin g ti"' ,\/ m •i1·s of \'o ur ,\/ ind: f 'i.rnali:atiun To l fraltli and l nsig lit . Nnu \'mk: ll ar/H' r and Ho w l'ublis lil'l's, 1978. /J. N--15. 52-57.

S c !t wa nlc Tl 'alkl'I' C:. " f .1·a rn ing and l'nfom1a11U' at tli 1· ll igli Shill / _,,,,,. / .. Tl"' Tl' inning Fdg1·: l 'rocrl'!!i11gs of tli r F irst ,\'11tio1111/ S/wrts l'syclwlog v Confe n' nC!' . .-1.·ll ll'I:H l'ublirntion s: ll11ffalo. N1·w \'urh , i\Ja y 18-211 . 197) . /J/J. 82 -S ./.

T utko. Tliom11 s and ( 'mbnto . Tosi . .\/Joris l'syclii11g: l'/11vi11g ) ' 0111 B est Cami· ,-Ill Tli 1• T inw Ne11• )'o r/<: ll a 1u tlwrn B ooils, 19 /6. /J. IN. Nrn l. l'at.1·\•. " ) 'rJ11 .-11'1' 11'/iat \'011 Tliinh." C o11ch ing: ll 'on11'n 's Ath/!'/in. ll 'allingford Ct.: l11 /t' rc1J1nn11111irn t ions. lu c .. ,\/11 y }11 111' 19/9. (1 'o /. 5. N o. ]). /J/J. 8 -10.

1\/ou' h o 11.'1' . f_a1n1•nff F. and l .1'011111'1/ ( ;ross. ,\/ rn :in111111 l'nfum1 1/llC!' .

Nr' w \'ork: SinllJn a111/ Sclws/1'1". 1917.

R11g1' /.1-/1i . B.H . " / 11111gl'I'\' 11nd .-l ffl'l' I in .\l o/or .\hills". Tli1· 11 'in11i11 g lod g!': l'rou'Nlings of tli r First .\'11tio11al S/J1uts l's yclllJ/ogy Cu11ft' l'!'n u· . •-1.-1I I l'F H l'ublirntions: B uffa lo. N1'll' )'orh. 1\/ a y 18 -20.

19/]. /J/J. 85 -9 1.

Edit ors ,\'oil': Fri'!/ Surg!'11/ is tli1' ,\ frn 's ( ; y1111111stics C oacli al F rostburg Stat e Colll'gt' , Fro s tburg . .\/ar\' /11111/. /) r. .\11rg1·11t r1·u·i1'l'll his fJ oc/ora/('(;f l:Au rntion frn111 JJ 'nl f 'irgi11i11 I 'nil'n sit v and lia s /mblislil'd Sl' l'!' ral arliclt•s 011 (; yn11ws tics.

The USGF Junior and Senior Nationals will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 21-24 at Oral Roberts University.

Hosting the competition will be Robert Childers of Gymnastics Country, U.S.A. The Nissen Corporation will be the exclusive supplier of equipment for this event.

THE 1979 CHUNICHI CUP Fritz Reiter This year's Chunichi Cup fell about one week a fter the Wo rld Championships in Forth Worth, T exas . It would seem tha t this fact would ha ve ca used the organizers of this interna tio na l competition, th e CHUNICHI NEWSPAPER, to bail out. Not so at all. No efforts were spared to ma ke this mee t a success. 17 women a nd 21 men, from eig ht different countries participa ted a nd demonstrated their skills. In the women's competition , gymnasts from th e G e rm a n De m oc rati c R e publi c, from Rom a nia, from the USSR, Hungary, China, the USA and from Japan were entered a nd promised some exciting competitio n for the magnificent " CHUNICHI CUP ."

Steffi Kraker, who I first met in Anti bes, France, last yea r was also on the pla ne to the Chunichi Cup. As Christa Canary outsco red her twice in optiona l competition in France and I had learn ed of her exceptiona l performances in Strassbourg and Fort Worth , I was quite curious to see her aga in. Of course, our own Suzy Kellems was quite a surprising force a lso, having made the 1979 WORLD GAMES TEAM due to a number of injuries of higher ranked gymnasts, and then turning in some comma nd performances which placed h er as the 2nd highes t All Around finish er of the American T ea m in the T ea m competition.

Before the actua l Chunichi Cup competition o n the 15th and 16th we had two days for tra ining a nd acclima tisation to the grea t time difference. This gave some excellent opportunities to observe the workout habits of the various a thletes from different countries.

The Hungaria ns, for exa mple, always began AND concluded their workouts with extensive conditioning exercises . The Japanese usually took the longest time in their warm ups while the Romanians and Russi ans hardl y warmed up a t a ll. While the Chinese athletes were by far the fri endlies t, the American gymnasts, Suzy Kellems and Heidi Anderson were by far the happies t a nd most outspoken ones in the g ym .

I was quite pleased of the maturity with which especiall y Suzy Kell e ms approached h er workouts. She gave the d ef inite impression that she knows exactl y what she needs to prepa re herself for a competition. Heidi also made a good impression on the ma ny experts kibitzing around the arena and it was no t long before coaches a nd newsmen a like inquired about the American gymnasts.

This was also the first time I had the opportunity to see floor routines performed to orchestrated music. My reaction was mix e d , while I was quite ca pti va te d b y Steffi Krak er's composition and total arrangement (w hich according to her coach was especia ll y composed and performed by a music-band for Steffi) , I found myself li stening to the disco-like music and completely forgetting the performance of the little Roma nia n girl (U ngureanu ). It was like two different medias talking at the same time and interfering with each other.

Specifically, I was impressed by the precise work of the GDR girls, Kraker and Hindorf, on the Uneven Bars who performed STOMACH WHIP UPRISES to HANDSTAND combined with CLEA R HIP CIRCLES TO HANDSTAND with such ea se they were doing these sequences several times in succession wi thout much sign of fatigu e.

The most outstanding feat among the women definitely was the superb ly performed double somersa ult with a full twist by the Ch inese ZHU. Suzy Kellems' ank le was bothering her just ever so slightl y so that she hesita ted to go all out during tumbling workout. Heidi has some technical problems in her tumbling but is ab le to get great power out of it; with her exc itin g originalities performed w ith dyn a mic zes t-she captivates the spectators. The same ca n be said of her bea m routine, but she must still reach a level of consistency to keep her coaches blood pressure low .

Man y gy mnasts had troubl e at first with the " DEAD " wooden RE UTHER boa rd made in J apa n a nd practiced ma n y times. It was interes ting to watch the little U ngureanu of Ro mania in her va ulting practice. She is so sma ll she could not look over the horse a nd must have done 20 timers before she released a fabulous ha ndspring If fr o nt. Hungary's Eva O va ri could barely ma ke it over the horse let a lone do a Tsukahara. The Chunichi Cup competition is organized in such a way that two events on ly are performed on each day .

U nfortunately we lost H eidi on her ve ry first event due to a reactivated o ld injury- a p a infull y sprained wrist. Suzy Kellems , however, put down, not onl y fantastic performan ces on the Vault (9.75 pts. for an excell entl y executed Handspring front ) and on the U neven Bars (9.60 pts.), but quick ly became one of the favorites with the pub lic, as well as the autograph hunters. Suzy's performance was equalled by Steffi Kraker who showed a Handspring front and a full twisting Tsukahara .

Rom a nia's Gheorghiu 's Tsukahara in layo ut position was awa rd ed a 9.65 pts. but did no t come close to Suzy's and Steffi 's va ulting performances. In fact Ungereanu's handspring front was the on ly other vau lt coming close to the two leaders . How so me of the weaker va ulters could brea k into the nine po int range is difficult to understand but ma y be ex plained due to the diffe rent judging system being us ed in international competition.

Whi le Kraker clearly was in a class by herself on the Uneven Bars, Si lvia Hindo rf appears to receive the high scores more beca use o f great difficulty. One beco mes quite taken by the elegant lines of her movements.

The three Russi a n girls showed well drilled routines with little or no breaks, but nothing new. Kellems did a fine job, but I feel she has not reached her pinnacle ye t in this event. H er routine still misses the level of circles one sees in the Ru ssian, Romanian and East German routines .

We observed two interesting dismounts worth mentioning . A sole circle forward into a fl yaway with a full turn and a sole circle backward into another backflip.

Thi s turned out to become a small disaster for Suzy who had done so well the first day tha t she was in 2nd place in the All Around standing topped only by world class a thlete, Steffi Kraker. There seemed to have been no apparent problems during the warm-up period which could have been indica tive of the rath er insecure performance just lying a head. Suzy appeared quite confident as usual up to this point in our tour.

However, it does resound in m y ear that she mentioned her surprise over her high standings, a feeling simi lar to the one she felt in Texas and it stands to reason that Suzy will eventually improve in this area as she begins to expect to do well. H er score, an 8.75 pts . put her out in the left field and definitely influenced her performance on FX. In this light, her 9.50 pts . must be considered low in this international fi eld .

Sil via Hindorf's 9.80 pts. for a routine that included double twisting somersaults only is extremely high, even if her dance is perhaps one of the bes t in the world .

In contrast, the Russian gymnasts showed much greater va riety, both in tumbling, as well as in their dance media.

In conclusion , Suzy's 37 .60 pts . was good enough on ly for 10th p la-ce. In a field like the one a t the 1979 Chunichi Cup it is not enough not to fall off the bea m (without a fall Suzy still would ha ve placed onl y 8th) but to perform well, confidently and with class . It is not enough to talk confidently or positively, one must feel it. Perhaps we talk too much!!

I wou ld like to thank the USGF and the FRC for giving me the opportunity to be part of the 1979 Chunichi Cup.

Gymnastics News Januar y I Feb rua ry 1980

35

U.S. GYMNASTICS FEDERATION FUTURE EVENTS Grand Prix

Jr. Western Nationals

Paris, France

Delmaar Stadium, Houston, Texas Meet Director: Pat Alexander

March 1-2, 1980

American Cup Madison Square Garden New York, New York March 8-9, 1980

May 1-3, 1980

Sr. Eastern Nationals Not yet determined Meet Director: Glenn Wilson May 8-10, 1980

USA vs. Great Britain Great Britain March 8, 1980

Moscow & Riga Moscow & Riga

Sr. Western Nationals Westlake High School Westlake, California Meet Director: Mike Bisk May 8-10, 1980

March 25 - April 3, 1980

Hungarian Invitational Hungary Apri I 5-6, 1980 (approx.)

Champions All London London, England April 12. rn00

CSSR Invitational Czechoslovakia April (middle of month approx.)

Championships of the USA/Women University of Utah Salt Lake City Meet Director: Greg Marsden April 17-19, 1980

DDR Invitational DOR

April 18-20, 1980

Championships of the USA/Men Not yet determined April 24-26, 1980

Jr. Eastern Nationals Mercer University, Atlanta Meet Director: Jack Cook May 1-3, 1980

36

Gymnastics News ja1111arv Fr' /Jruar v 1980

Jr. & Sr. Championships Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Oklahoma Meet Director: Bob Childers May 22-24, 1980

1980 Olympic Gymnastics Trials Not yet determined May 27 -28, 1980

Golden Sands Invitational Varna, Bulgaria June 7-8, 1980 (approx.]

Antibes & Orleans France June 13-14, 1980 (approx.)

West Germany - USA West Germany July 5-6, 1980

Games of the XXll Olympiad Moscow, U.S.S.R. July 19 - Aug . 3, 1980

Sanlam Cup South Africa August

United States Gymnastics Federation P.O. Box 12713, Tucson, AZ 85732 USA

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 729 Tucson, Arizona

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