USA vs CANADA JUNIOR MEET Bill Foster On March 28th, the U.S. Boys Junior program took another step forward, as they hosted the Junior National Team of Canada in competition at Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The meet was set up and run by Bill Foster a nd Ken Polaski, with invaluable assistance in the procurement of equipment from the USOTC and from Mike Larson of Colorado Springs Doherty High School. Unfortunately, a major blizzard on the evening of the competition killed any chance of gaining a large crowd, as many of the roads within the city were closed and the 1 hour drive from Denver was turned into a 4 hour nightmare. The entire U.S. Junior Team participated, with the "A" Team consisting of Jim Mikus, Tim Daggett, Joey Ray, Dan Hayden, Dennis Hayden and Chris Riegel. The "B" Team was made up of Matt Arnot, Rick Atkinson, Wes
Olympic Development Camp flexibility tra111111g, and special e mphasis on HANDSTANDS! (These handstand drills were critical for 22 of the best gymnasts in the U.S. Junior Program, a fact which those boys who aspire to reach the top should not overlook.) Th e morning workout sessions began at 9:30 with 30 minutes of ballet barre training and a 15 minute dance and general warm-up session. This was followed by 45 minute sessions on each of the first 2 events; emphasis the first week was placed on skills testing and optional skills development, while the second week emphasized compulsory development. The afternoon session began with 15 minutes of dance and general warm-up, followed by a 45 minute session on the first event of the afternoon and 25 minute sessions on the remaining 3 events. Workouts concluded with 20 minutes of strength work followed by 30 minutes of training in leaps and combinations of leaps and jumps and 15 minutes of jazz dance for a warm-down. Evening sessions included lecture and discussion on subjects ranging from application of dance, to judging, to training systems, to the psychology of training. The two light days followed a similar system, but with all 6 events worked in the morning and the afternoon free. The second light day was of particular value, as the morning workout session was set up as a problem solving period, with each gymnasts required to fully plan his own workout the night before and evaluate the workout that evening. The afternoon of the second light day was spent in San Francisco at the Sports Medicine Clinic operated by Dr. James Garrick. All boys were eva luated for strength and flexibility and advised as to care and rehabilitation of any injuries. This was of particular value because a great many of the boys entered the training camp with minor injuries carried over from training for the nationals. Finally, it must be noted that University of California Coach Hal Fry and his wife, Assistant Coach Sho Fukushima and his wife, and all the people from M.I.T. were all that anyone cou ld ask of their hosts and a great deal more; all of them worked very hard to help make this camp a special experience for everyone involved.
Suter, Chris Caso, Russell Lacey, and Stewart Butler, while the exhibition team featured Dan McCann, Randy Besosa , Brad Bryan, and Pat Parker. Th e Canadian tea m was substantiall y older than the U.S. contingents, consisting primarily of college underclassmen . They also seemed, as a group to be much stronger than the U.S. Boys, but not as flexible . Their routines showed very high level difficulty, but seemed a bit unpolished in many cases. The U.S. "A" Team was placed at an immediate disadvantage when Chris Riegel injured his ankle in warm ups and was avai lable on ly for apparatus work, and there h e competed without landing any dismounts. They were plaqued with numerous "misses" throughout the meet, not performing at the normal levels of consistency. In general, the boys seemed overly tense and tentative in their approach to the competition. Yet, despite their problems, each of the boys performed ex tremely well in many areas, and together they were able to overcome a 5 point deficit after 3 events and go on to narrowly edge past the Canadians and win the team title. Of particular note was Tim Daggett's superb performance on the Horizontal Bar, which seemed underscored at a 9.40. The " B" team contrasted with the " A's", as they appeared quite relaxed very enthusiastic, and extremely aggressive in their approach. Finishing just 10 points behind the "A" team and the Canadians, they were a great surprise. Particularly outstanding was Russell Lacy 's floor exercise routines, which showed tremendous refinement and a clear understanding of the concept of creating an artistic piece of work. Man y people were tremendously surprised that Matt Arnot of Albuquerque, New Mexico, top performer selected to the "B" team, winning the All Around competition for the evening. For those people who have had a few opportunities to see Matt work this year, however, the final result was no surprise at all. He showed excellent skill development in all events, with outstanding work on Horizontal Bar, Still Rings, and Long Horse in particular. His level of consistency has been very high all year and his routines are very well constructed. Matt was clearly ready to earn notereity at the highest levels of the Junior program. The performance of the exhibition team was a special treat for the crowd. Dan McCann's work on Still Rings and Horizontal Bar was the equal of anyone in the meet. Meanwhile, Randy Besosa, Pat Parker, and Brad Bryan opened a lot of eyes to the skill levels that younger boys can achieve through perseverance and effective training. Their work was inspirational to many of the young boys in the audience. The evening concluded with a dinner at a nearby Pizza Inn, for Athletes, coaches, judges, and meet personnel, thus ending a successful first attempt at international competition for the U.S. Junior National Team.
Gymnastics News
July/ August 1980
21