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~GYMNASTICS VOL. 10 NO.2

" The Official Publication of the United States Gymnastics Federat ion"

CONTENTS---

The Mystery of The Romanian Substitution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7

(Editorial by Roger Counsi l)

International Gymnastics Classic p.B International Gymnastics Classic ... . .... .. . ... .. .. ............. 8 (Competition Story by Mary Wright )

New Zealand Summer Games 1981 ...... . ...... . .. . . .. .. . ...... 12 (By Ron Caso , Men's Coach)

Caesar 's Palace Invitational 1981 .. . ....... . .... . ... ..... ..... .. 16 (By Greg Weiss)

Gymnastics in Fort Worth ............ . ... . . .. . . ... ... . . ... . ... 17 (Interviews by Ward Black)

United States Gymnastics Safety Association ..... . . . ... .... . ... 20

New Zealand Summer Games p.12 (USGF Member Organi zation)

The Effect of a Gymnast's Height on Vaulting Performance ...... 22 (Bio-Mechanics Corner by Andrew Dainis, Ph .D.)

Ankle Sprains . .. ........ .. .... .. . .. ..... .. ...... . . .. . . ... . .... 24 (Sport s Medicine View by Hugh W Ratliff, M.D.)

USGF Calendar and Notes ... . . . . . ...... .. .. .. ........... . .. . . . 30

Caesar's Palace Invitational p.16

United States Gymnastics Federation MEMBERS: Amateur Athletic Union; American Sokol Organization;

American Turners; Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women; National Association for Girls and Womens Sports; National Assocation of College Gymnastics Coaches; National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women; National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics; National Association of Women Gymnastics Judges; National Collegiate Athletic Association; National Federation of State High School AssQ.Ciations; National Gymnastics Judges Association; National High School Gymnastics Coaches Association; National Jewish Welfare Board; National Junior College Athletic Association; United States Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs; United States Gymnastics Safety Association, Young Men's Christian Association.

USGF GYMNASTICS

ON THE COVER Amy Koopma n: 1980 Olympian and USA National T eam member from Arlington Heights, Illinois and the Mid-America Twisters of Northbrook. As an international competitor the last 2 years A my has competed in Japan, China and the Federal R epublic of Germany.

PAGE 5

~F EIGHTH ANNUAL

AMF AMERICAN-TSUKARA COACHING SYMPOSIUM

Held at Lake Owen Lodge Cable, Wisconsin August 19-23, 1981

Sponsored by American Athletic Equipment Division, AM F Incorporated and Tsukara Inc. Top National Coaches, Judges, Competitors, and Administrators. All Current and Pertinent Gymnastics Topics Discussed. Demonstrated , and Ana lyzed - Program Development and Organization to Biomechanical Analys is of Elementary Through Advanced Sk ills - Spec ial Spotting Sess ions, Problem Solving, Dance, Music and Choreographic Sess ions, Films, Guest Speakers, and Comp limentary Social Events.

SYMPOSIUM DIRECTORS Mike Jacki - Director, Gymnastics Products and Sa les, AMF American - Member USGF Biomechanics Task Force - All -American Gymnast - Co-Director Tsukara Inc. Jerry Fontana - Sales Representative for American Ath let ic Equipment Division - Co -Di rector Tsukara Inc. - All-American Gymnast/State Certifier - U.S.G.SA

GUEST SPEAKERS, LECTURERS, AND DEMONSTRATORS INCLUDE:

Dr. Chic Johnson - Head Coach, Southwest Missouri State University. Top Collegiate and Elite Coach, Symposium Program Coordin ator. Mrs. Jackie Fie - Member F.I.G. Technical Committee - Former Olympian - Olymp ic and World Games Judge. Dr. Gerald George - Chairman, USGF Biomechanics Task Force - Past Head Coach, L.S. U. Biomechanics Lab and Research Department. University of Southwestern Louisiana. Greg Marsden - Women 's Gymnastics Coach, University of Utah, President AIAW Women's Gymnastics Coaches Association , Director Utah Winter Gymnastics Clinic. Terry Skahan - Coach, U. S. Academy of Gymnastics , Greenwich, Conn. , Former Head Coach University of New Hampsh ire, special sessions on dance and dance wa rm -ups. Joan & Bob Rice - Coaches and Directors of KEGS , Ed ina, Minnesota. Joan & Bob are both Former National Champions and International Competi tors.

Add itional Staff to be added and announced.

TOTAL CLINIC FEE: $175.00 tax included. Fee includes all mea ls, lodging, c linic , and complimentary soc ial events. Please enclose a $35.00 non-refundable deposit to secure your reservation. This $35.00 will be applied to your c linic fee. Spaces reserved by postmark date. All applications and balance of c linic fee must be received prior to August 1, 1981. If the balance of the clinic fee is not received prior to August 1,1981, your reservation will be considered cancelled.

Please plan your arriva l between noon and 600 p.m. on August 19, 1981. Departure - Su nday, August 23, 1981, after breakfast. Add it ional informat ion and an app lication wil l be sent upon rece ipt of requesting depos it.

For add itional informat ion , applications , or reservations, direct all ma ilings after June 1, 1981 to

American-Tsukara Coaching Sympos ium Lake Owen Lodge Cable, Wiscons in 54821

Make check or money order payable to: Mike Jack i - Director, Amer ican-Tsukara Coaching Symposium

. I

Editorial by Roger l. Counsil

1lle Mystery of the Romanian Substitution

On January 31 and February 1, 1981, the SCATS in Los Angeles hosted a meet which was primarily made up of outstanding American gymnasts. Also in attendance were delegations from Japan and Romania. The meet was covered by NBC television . The potential for a very good event existed and the meet came off seemingly without a hitch. However, some two months after the

IIWe are concerned why the incident happened and why it was sensational­ized on NBC television, because we see no logic for the IISzabo Substitution. II

meet ended the USGF began to hear rumblings of the fact that one ofthe participants, Ecaterina Szabo, who participated in the meet, was indeed Lavinia Agache, another female Romanian gymnast. Based on photographic evidence that has been examined from the L.A. event and other meets, and on conversations with the attorneys for defected Romania coach, Bela Karoli, the USGF feels indeed a substitution was made . .. that Lavinia Agache performed as Ecatarina Szabo. When Agache returned to the USA to compete in the '81 American Cup, she was recognized as the Romanian girl who performed in L.A. on January 31. The USGF further investigated, talking to many people who were at the L.A. meet and found that the identity of Szabo was being questioned at that time. However, their minds were put at ease when coach Karoli assured the meet management the competitor was indeed Ecaterina Szabo. In fact, the passport of Ecatarina Szabo was produced to the meet management personnel as evidenced by the Romanian delegation.

Though the USGF had two staff members in attendance at the meet they had not been apprised the identity of Ecatarina Szabo had been in question. What was and still is a mystery to the United States Gymnastics Federation is why a substitution was made? Both girls are equally outstanding gymnasts. In fact, it has been

USGF GYMNASTICS

conjectured that Agache is a better gymnast than Si abo. Be that as it may, the quality ofthe competition would not have suffered by Agache competing under her own name. Unable to obtain an explanation from Romanian officials, the USGF finds this a mystery which has not been solved.

Because we are convinced there was a substitution made, we as the National Governing Body for the sport of gymnastics in the USA must eliminate the mention of eithel' the girl's name from the final results , and elevate the other finishers by one position to fill the void left by this elimination. I have had conversations with the FIG office in Switzerland, and indeed they concur, this is the appropriate action.

We are concerned as to why the incident happened and why it was sensationalized on NBC television because we see no logic for the "Szabo Substitution." Apart from this unfortunate situation, the competition was an outstanding one and the experience had by all participants was a most memorable one.

We hope in the future, the integrity of the sport is maintained by coaches and officials alike and that the reputation of all athletes are not jeopardized by such arbitrary and unprincipaled actions.

PAGE 7

Kris MOlltera

PAGES

The following article concerning the International Gymnastics Classic was written by Mary A . Wright immediately after the competition in LA last February. The "mystery" of the "Szabo-Substitution," as described by Roger Counsil in this issue's editorial, came to light many weehs after Mary Wright submitted her account of this meet. USGF Gymnastics is publishing her article in its entirety. Ho wever, "Szabo-Aqache" has been deleted from the official meet results as per FIG/USGF. .

Early in March, 1980, Don Peters, head coach of the Southern California Aero Team had a dream . He envisioned a gymnast ics spectacle unequall ed in the western United States, w hereby U.S.A.'s O lympic gymnasts would compete in fri endl y competition aga inst some of the great gymnasti c powers of the worl d.

Coach Peters, 32, a nat ive Pennsylva nian, came to Southern Ca liforni a and Scats in january of 1979, w here he took on the responsibility of continuing the record-breaking perfo rmances by Scats gymnasts, of having gymnasts on every Olympic team since 1968 . This feat is unequa ll ed by an y other c lub in the USA.

The Scats organization is a non-profit corporation run by the parents of the gymnasts, to promote the sport of gymnasti cs by insuring each gymnast pursues their indiv idual potent ial.

Preparati ons began early in the developmental stages of this meet w ith the va rious committees spending hundreds of hours working towa rds a com mon goa l - to make the meet exc iting and challenging fo r the participants.

A publ ic relat ions person, Deke Houlgate, was hired to promote and adverti se the event and Ed Miyash iro, meet director, and Richard McGann, Scats business manager, worked full time on all aspects of promotion.

The computer staff affiliated w ith the FIG were hired to compute the scores. NBC was contracted to telev ise the event and Gordon Maddox was hired to commentate for the l ive audience. The two competing gymnasts from Scats, Trina Tinti and Kris Montera, ass isted in the promotion of such by appearing on te lev ision shows, by tak ing part in press lu ncheons and by persona l interv iews for T. V., radio and newspapers.

Donna Ball's hospitality committee began the seven-day marathon of transporting the gymnasts, coaches, judges and official s from LAX to the Queen Mary, to training, to press conferences, to sight-seeing endeavours, to the meet and finall y back to LAX for departure. Meanwh ile, they greeted each person on arri va l, took care of the hospital ity common to Southern Ca lifornians, arranged banquets and topped it off w ith a very exc iting "western " night for all those concerned.

Bela Karo li from Romania became an avid sa ilor after hi s experience sa iling around Long Beach harbor. Abe Gross feld had an exc iting-day at Knotts Berry farm w ith the USA, japanese and Roman ian gymnasts and Casey Edwards and Bela Karo li jo ined Don for a day of hunting and a ca tch of 11 pheasants.

A ll the gymnasts and coaches rece ived bags overfl owing w ith gifts from the Scats organi za tion. The girls also recei ved custom-made leotards, briefs and shorts from Gymness made by Annie Faber.

The first annual Intern ational G ymnastics Class ic was held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on january 31 st and February 1 st, 198 1. The format was unique in that both days the men competed three events and the women competed two events, w ith each part ic ipant competing one at a time.

Gymnasts from Romani a, japan and Canada joined the best from the United State s to make thi s competiti on an exci tin g exhib;ti on of gymnasti cs.

Women's Events Vau lt- The highlight of women's va ulting was Trina Tinti 's tsukahara full

w hi ch rece ived a 9.70. Trina executed th is va ult w ith good form, good height, a sol id landing and perhaps deserved more credit for her effort s. Julianne McNamara , Oregon, performed a handspring front w ith a hal f tw ist in the piked pos ition to score a 9.70 and a ti e for first pl ace. An exce llent layout tsukahara performed by Marcia Frederick earned her a 9 .60 and a bronze meda l.

Uneven Bars - Marc ia Frederick, from Connecti cut , thrilled the audi ­ence w ith her exc iting bar routine w hich includes a reverse hecht. Her swings to handstand were perfectl y executed and Marc ia perfo rmed like the World Champion that she is.

There was a three way ti e for second between Trin a Tinti , julianne McNamara and Ecatrina Szabo (Romania) w ith a score of 9.60. Trina showed dynamics at its best w ith her sta lder full and stalder hop, and Julianne executed an extremely difficu lt routine w ith grea t fo rm and en­durance. Ecatrina, a tiny ba ll of dynamite, showed versa tilit y w ith giant swings and a double fl yaway dismount.

Beam - The beam aga in di splayed its dom inance of the mind whereby the athletes either won or lost in the game of concentration. It was interest­ing to see the psychologica l approach made by these gymnasts in both wa rm-up and compet ition.

USGF GYMNASTICS

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Julianne McNam.ara.

Szabo was very edgy in wa rm-ups because she was having trouble w ith her punch front somersa ult. In the competit ion , however, she disp layed unerring concentration and won the event w ith a score of 9.55. Sherry Hawco from Canada was br il liant on thi s even t. She executed tricks from both ends of the spectrum from a double turn and an illusion, to a layout stepout. Sherry'S exerc ise was dynam ic but her few breaks in concentra tion led to wobbles and the deduct ions incurred resulted in her placing third.

Am}' Koopman was awarded the silver medal w ith a steady performance which di splayed an array of tr icks .

Floor Exercise - The floor exerci se rout ines were very exciting but fa ll s from Tinti and Szabo cost them a higher score in the al l-around. Julianne executed a flawless routine and her score of 9.65 was enough for the gOld medal.

Kath }' Johnson's dance to Swan Lake and her emotions are fe lt by al l. Her tumbli ng was good and her score of 9.55 for the sil ver was a littl e low for such an excel lent di splay of movement to music. The bronze was awarded to Marc ia w ith a score of 9.50. She started out well w ith a w hip back through to a double back in piked position and danced w ith fervo r.

USGF GYMNASTICS

Marcia Frederick Men's Events

Floor Exercise - Bart Conner performed an interesting routine w ith very fluid and creati ve connecting moves for a score of 9.55 and the go ld medal. Toshiomi N ishikii (japan ), a veteran in men 's gymnast ics, executed a tremendously high full- in back out but landed short. He showed ultimate virtuosity throughout the routine and hi s score of 9 .50 ea rned him the sil ver award. Fifteen-year-old Chris Reigel from Reading, Penn sylvani a, stunn ed the aud ience w ith a tremendously high fu ll - in and extremely good connect­ing moves . His score of 9.45 placed him third.

Pommel Horse - Jim Hartung, Nebraska, won thi s event showing fluid movements emphasizing fu ll usage of the equ ipment for a score of 9 .6.1 . U.C.L .A.'s Peter Vidmar was c lose behind w ith a 9 .60 and Iv/ario McCutcheon from Connect icut won the bronze w ith a Y. 5,) .

Rings - Case}' Edwards and Jim Hartung, two exc iting and experienced gymnasts, tied for the go ld w ith scores of 9.60. They both displayed excel lent sw ing technique and versatility throughout to achieve their remarkable performances. The bron ze medal was awarded to ishikii and Vidmar, w ho ti ed thi s event wi th scores of 9.,)5

Vault - Chris Reigel brou ght a gasp from the audience w ith hi s hand-

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

spring piked front va ult. The height and distance he ach ieved, along wi th nea r perfect execution attained fo r him the go ld medal and a score of 9.85. Casey was runner-up w ith a score of 9.70 fo r a well executed handspring half back. The bronze wen t to ishikii w ho performed a layout tsukahara w hich was arched and piked down and scored 9.65.

Parallel Bars - N ishikii showed hi s world class form w ith a 9.60 routine di splaying prec ision and balance w hich culminated in a gold meda l w in . Mitch Caylord from U.c.L.A. performed an exc iting routine for a 9.5 second place fin ish and a tie w ith Dan Hayden (Arizona) fo r the silver medal. Dan, 15 years old, is the Junior Na ti onal Champion.

Horizontal Bar - M itch Gaylord received a 9.90 from the judges and a standing ovat ion from the spectators fo r hi s unique bar routine which included or iginal release ca tches and unbelievable swing. A three way tie for second pla ce between Vidmar, Wallace Miller (Connecticut) and N ishikii w ith scores of9. 70 kept the crowd bu stling w ith exc itement as they di splayed their daring moves.

l 'This was a meet where people with a common interest from different parts of the world came together to enjoy the hosp i ta l ity and friendsh i p offered to them by the Scats, II

Following the meet, everyone returned to the Queen Mary w hi ch at one time was the most lu xurious and largest ship in the world . Now it is in dry dock and is a floating museum, hotel and touri st facility . A banquet was held in the Ball Room w here all the gymnasts were given rings to com­memorate the first annua l All -America n meet, and were presented w ith a cowboy hat. At thi s time the foot stomping began to the beat of a "western " band. Diane Jamieson, a Scat parent, had everyone on the floor lea rning a dance to " Urban Cow boy" and the fun bega n.

Thi s was a meet w here people w ith a common interest from different parts of the world came together to enjoy the hospitality and friendship offered to them by the Scats . Politi cs and hi story were set as ide as persona li ­ti es took over.

Aesthetica lly, the meet was a tremendous success for all the participants, the audience, and the Scats organization, but fi nancially, it didn ' t pay for itse lf.

The organizational committee went through a lea rning curve and attained tremendous exper ience in tbe running of thi s meet. Next year they hope for equall y outstand ing athletes, ·a good location and as much fun and enjoyment as they experienced at the Internat ional Gymnastics Classic of 198 1. •

INTERNATIONAL GYMNASTICS

CLASSIC

TOTAL GA YLORD, Mitch 56.700

2 NISHIKII, Toshiomi 56.700 3 McCUTCHEON, Mario 55.450 4 EDWARDS, Casey 55.350 5 NICULA, Emilian 55.250 6 MILLER, Wallace 54.800 7 PRADY, Kevin 54.650 8 RIEGEL, Chris 54.200 9 HAYDEN, Dennis 54.150

10 ARNOT, Matt 52.950 11 VIDMAR, Peter 47.700 12 HAYDEN, Dan 36.400 13 HARTUNG, Jim 28.350 14 CONNER, Bart 19.100

TOTAL FREDERICK, Marcia 38.200

2 McNAMARA, Julianne 38. 150 3 TINTI, Trina 37.300 4 KOOPMAN, Amy 37.250 5 JOHNSON, Kathy 37.150 6 HAWCO, Sherry 36.650 7 MONTERA, Kris 36.150 8 ANOMI, Rika 35.350

The entire contingent pose in front of the Queen Mary where they stayed during the competition. 9 GARRISON, Kelly 9.000

USGF GYMNASTICS

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NEW ZEALAND SUMMER GAMES 1981 MEN'S REPORT

Flight # 5, New Zea land A ir was sc heduled to leave Los Angeles for Auckland, New Zea land v ia Hono lulu at 7:00 P.M. on January 18, but delays held us up for 3 '/2 hours. \A,le finally got off the ground at 10:30 P.M.

The U.S.A. delegation on board was Rick Atkinson (Jr. team member). Tom Beach (senior) Chris Caso (junior team member). Tom Fester , USA Judge and myself as USA coac h. The women's contingent consisted of Julianne McNa mara, Tracee Talavera, Lisa (passport) Zeis, Lincla Mulvihill , USA women's coac h and Karen Patoi le, USA Judge. Our manager for both men and women was Eci Zimmer.

All passports were collected at the airport for inspection , w ith the excep­tion of Lisa Zeis, the little darling forgot it. No, no one pani cked, we just

liTh e boys were serious and wanted to demonstrate to th e Pacific world what the USA juniors could do. , ."

dec ided to leave her at the airport and run away from the problem. All kidding aside, the peop le at LAX Internati onal Airport were grea l. We ca ll ed Li sa's parents and they brought it to the Bu ffa lo, . Y. airport for transport to our destination , w here two days later it caught up w ith us. The New Zea land immigrat ion peop le were most obli ging. They let us through knowing the passport was enroute. A ll worked out well , and dear Li sa w ill never fo rget her passport again - ri ght Li sa?

The Ameri ca n and Canadian delegation fl ew together to New Zea land and were aga in presented w ith a delay in Hawa ii , our first stop on thi s long journey down under. Th is time the plane had rad io troub le and was grounded. We all blamed it on Canad ian Men 's Coach Andre Simard. He

PAGE 12

Opening Ceremonies

wa nted to play go lf on Wa ikiki - and got hi s chance. Everyone on the two teams kidded Andre about cutt ing the w ires to the rad io . New Zealand Air put us in a hotel fo r 14 hours on Wa ikiki beach for rest and recuperati on but no one wa nted to sleep. Everyone took to the beach, went shopping, and you know w ho played golf'!

The final leg to Auckland , N.Z. took 8 hours, but our human time clocks were all unwound , and no one knew w hether to sleep, ea t, workou t, or what day it was. Time and day changes had strange effects on all of us. It took a day or two to adjust and finally everyone ca me around qu ite well.

\A,lorkouts for the three men and three wOlllen from Canada , New Zea land , Japan, Un ited Sta tes, and the Peopl e's Republic of China (Mexico dec ided not to send a delegation) were se t on a 5taggered basis. The USA took its first forma l workout since leav ing the U.S. on Wednesday, January 21. Thi s internat ional meet was the first rea l big one for Chri s Caso and Rick Atkinson, but not for O lympian Tom Beach. The practice sess ions were qu ite intense. The boys were serious and wa nted to demonstrate to the Pacific \Norlel w hat the USA juniors could elo. Tom Beach was a fine example fo r them. Both boys looked up to Tom as the big brother of the tour and modeled themselves after him . It was good to combine our jun iors w ith the likes of TOIll Beach. After three days of training and getting Li se to the eq uipment , the USA team was read y for Sa turday, the 24th of January 198 1 progralll for Men 's Team competition and indiv idual al l around.

Canada sent its top junior Allen Reddon and two outstilnd ing seniors David Steefer and Jean Choquette. Mr. Choquette's parall el bar rou tine took top honors. He mounted w ith a peach hand, iron t upri se fron t 1 '/~ swing reverse pirouette back toss under bar cast back up, back stutz, swing pirouette, di amidov stutz to double back. It was clea n and well executed deserving 9.65 for prelims and w ith a few bobbles during finals a 9.25 for an 18.900 final total. Choquette's high bar set was far from shabby, scor ing a 9.75 in final s for a total of 19.400. His double tw isting double back W,l S

awesome' New Zea land 's gymnasts Greg Robertson, Dav id Lutterman , Robin

Hutchins, l'vialcoillb Richards and Geoff McN aughton are al l up and COIll -

USGF GYMNASTICS

ing gYlllnasts and hopefull y w ill be heard frOIll in \Vorld colllpetition in the near future.

Japan's delegation consisted of three top seniors Tashiro Kanai , Junichi Kitagawa , and Ki yoshi Goto. Their coach was Kvoj i Itsuka ichi. These Japanese Illen di spl ayed top level gYlllnasti cs that ca pti va ted the slllall crowd. Highlights of Japan's threesollle inc lude Kitaga\Va's firs t place floor set consisting of a not so illlpress ive full in Illountto back handspr ing, press, front sOllli punch, fu ll tw ist dive , scale, side sOlll i, di slllount ing lVith a round off double back.

Kiyoshi Goto siamllled hOllle a first fo r Japan on pomlllel horse \V ith 19.350. His Illount w ith a loop to longitud ina l travel, durham on end , hop to middle (no pomme ls) trave l down (no pommels) back in to center Ru ss ian (no pommels) sc issor break, back out , Ru ss ian wa lk around loop off made tl1P crowd go w ild . The set was awesome, leav ing littl e to be desired. Japan 's th ird place w inner on pOllllllel horse, Tashiro Kana i's rou tine consisted of. . back Illoore up, moore in middle, ba ck moore dOlVn loop around , Ru ss ian, loop, back in sc issor brea k, back moore do\Vn , Ru ss ian wa lk around loop off. Not bad for 3rd. Kitagawa took 4th on pommels to China's Shujun Gao's super set bringing him silver.

Wou ld you bel ieve a three way tie on rings; Japan 's Kanai and Goto , and People's Republic of China Baokang Wu all scoring 19.050. The hes t set from my va ntage point was by Tashiro Kani. He moun ted lVith a cast back up rise to hand (lock) giant, giant to hand , fa ll out w ippit cross, di sengage Kip " L", ho llowback , bail double layout di smount.

USGF GYMNASTICS

Va ulting was no easy take fo r the Japanese or the Peop le's Republi c. USA's Chris Caso had something to say thi s time w ith two grea t vau lts . handspring front , and tsuk full. Both va ult s were landed w ith minor, very Illinor, foot faults, bringing hOllle the bron ze to USA along w ith half to the People's Republic Baokang Wu , w hose handspring pike and layouttsuk ful l tied Caso fo r 3rd w ith 18.925 respecti ve ly. Jun ichi Kitagawa's handspring ,/ , and tsuk fu ll brought hillltop honors wi th 19.425 andtea lllmate Toshiro Kanai 's 18.975 brough t Japan the silver.

The awesollle threesollle from Japan had a tough time of it on parallel bars w ith the li kes of jean Choquette ea tin g up the gold , Shujun Gao sllli l ing w ith silver and Baokang W u pack ing the bron ze. Their on ly consolat ion was Goto's 4th , Kitagawa's 5th , and Kanai's 7th . But don' t despa ir. japclJl , that 8 foot piece of glittering steel was yours for the taking.

liThe United States of America 's team was bolstered by form er 7976 Olympian Tom Beach, Beach has that touch of world class that rubs off on our young

t il gymnas s ...

Hori zontal bar thrill s crowds the wor ld over. 10 different dow n under in ew Zea land . Japan saw to that as she always does. I r. Kitagawa had a

good grip on things scoring 19.600 fo r "a ll that glitters" . A 9.90 in finals was well deserved, the pipe set was awesome. Kitagawa' s Illount cast back up fu ll tw ist reca tch impressed the Ki w i's . Next ca me his kip cas t to hop change blind pirouette stalder, stoop, invert s, stalder in inverted grip , hop out ,/, in II, out 5 feet over the top of the bar. It was pretty I

The United States of America 's team was bo lstered by former 1976 O IYIllPian Tom Beach - a good dec ision by the USGF. TOIll Beach has that touch of world c lass that rubs off on our young gymnas ts. Although Tom did not ace any of the six, hi s third on fl oor, and fifth on high bar Illade all of us quite happy. On fl oor Tom mounted w ith a front step out front handspr ing 1 Y. round off flip fl op double back to prone positi on - press round off side sOlll i, scale, round off flip flop double full brought the U. S.A. team 3rd place. ~oth Tom Beach and Ch ri s Caso broke on pOlllmel horse in finals going in w ith an 8.70 for Tom and a 9.05 for Ch ri s. A bad dec ision to change hi s dismount cost Chri s a so li d position on pOlllmel horse.

PAGE 13

J ulianne McNamara

Rings fo r the U. S.A. was bo lstered by both TOIll Beach (9 .30 prelilll s, and 8.950 final s) and Ri ck Atkinson 's 9. 15 prelilll s and 9.25 on final s brought Ri ck to 6th pos ition after finals.

Va ul ting was touch and go. Our positi on after prelillls was tenuous. TOIll went into finals w ith a 9.40 o r 2nd pl ace fo r the 2nd fli ght of finil ls. Chri s had a 9.50 on prel illls taking 1 st fo r our flight. W hen finals were over and IllOSt gymnasts had experienced problellls, Chri s's 9.425 on finals stood up and brought him to take the bronze w hile TOIll took 7th place.

The American's Beach, Atkinson and Caso's p-bar se ts were good, but not grea t. Both Chris Caso and Rick Atkinson were severely underscored , and as fa r as I was concerned, the wrong gYlllnasts Illade it to finals as .the results clea rl y ind icate. Both Rick and Chris swung good sets w ith few mistakes. Their d isillounts were stuck, but the scores did not reflec t their efforts. Ri ck rece ived an 8.55 and Chri s an 8.50 w hich took thelll out of the fina ls. Tom Beach on the other hand , scored a 9. 10 in prelillls w ith a IllOS t original set. TOIll Illounted w ith a glide kip, reverse cut catch to hand reverse pirouette, diaillidov, stutze, front upri se to a "Beach" (Strell i cut ca tch) underbar cast, back up rise, stradd le " L", press double back. He did not land the double back so l id , los ing . 3. TOIll 's "Beach" took the judges by

PAGE 14

surpri se and all of them reillarked how much they liked it. TOIll Fester, our judge frolll the U.S.A., sa id all judges gave hilll bonus points for it.

The horizontal bar was good to our boys. TOIll Beach and Chris elsa tied for 5th place. TOIll 's set consisted of Illounting w ith a high start , stalder, pirouette, immediate Gienger, kip change pirouette, stoop in gerillii ns stalder ca li forn ia hop , pirouette stalder fu ll out di sillount. He took a few steps on his di smount costing hilll a better fini shing position.

Chris's set was ri ght up there w ith the bi g boys . He Illounted w ith a C<lst back up immediate stalder, stalder ca l iforn ia hop pirouette, gi<lnt fl yaway '12 recatch (Gienger) kip change (not too illlpress ive) jam eagles, hop pirouette di smounting w ith a high '/ 2 in '/ 2 out stucki Rick Atkinson had a tough time of it on pipe scoring 8.50 tak ing hilll out of the finals.

The Peopl e's Republi c of China's W u Baoki1l1g, Gao Shujun and Su Xinzhi were not left out of the go ld, sil ver and bronze . Gao took 2nd on floor wi th a somewhat stock routine. He ca me back on pommel horse to capture the si lver aga in w ith a very impress ive set consisting of mounting w ith loops, to longitudinal travel , Ru ss ian on one, front in , moore. fl air, sc issor break, back moore down, front in , immed iate back out to end w ith a Ru ss ian wa lk loop off.

China shared the ring glory w ith Japan tying fori st pl ace - Baokang Wu fro lll P.R.C. and both Goto and Kanai from Japan. W u's set consisted of pulling to an inverted hang, kip to M altese lower to cross " L" pu ll out , press, giant back uprise '/ 2 in '/ 2 out. My illlpress ion was that th is set looked very much l ike the 1960's. All strength in one part of the rou tine, but thi s should not detract from the CJual ity of his perforillance, strength va ri ations are in vogue now anyway .

The People's Republic of China d id not impress me w ith their va ulting, but nevertheless, shared 3rd place w ith the junior from Syracuse, ew York, Chri s Caso.

Shujun Gao's p-bar set was one of those sets that left a good illlpress ion w ith the crowd. He mounted w ith a glide kip, reverse straddle to a plange, cast support back stutz , swing hand layaway front uprise stradd le front 1'/. immediate cut catch " 1 ", press to stutz, stutz hand , double pike di sillount scoring 9.30 in prel illls and 9.45 in finals. Wu 's set is also worthy of mention. His cast support roll to veronin , gl ide reverse stradd le cut under­bar cast, rear rise cut ca tch " L", press, stutz, back toss, stutz, layaway front uprise Rudd i off - woke up the crowd.

China's high bar team did not fa re too well . Su took 7th and W u ended up in 11th position.

Team results were as follows: Japan 1st 11 4.60; People's Republic of China 2nd 113 .70 ; Canada 3rd 111 .60; Un ited States 4th 109.80 and New Zea land 5th w ith 104.90.

MEN 'S INDIVIDUAL ALL AROU ND - SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1981 Team Vault Floor P Horse Rings 1/ Bars H Bar Total Rank

Steefer, David CA 9.450 8.700 8.700 9.2008.950 9.050 54.050 10 Choquette, Jean CA 9.400 9.200 9.450 9.300 9.650 9.650 56.650 6 Reddon, Allan CA 9.050 9.000 9.250 9. 1008.5509. 10054.050 10 Baoka ng, Wu PRC 9.500 9.450 9.500 9.500 9.300 9.450 56.700 5 Shujun , Gao PRC 9.600 9.450 9.600 9.450 9.300 9.450 56.850 4 Kinzhi , Su PRC 9.650 9. 100 9.300 9. 1509.2009.30055.700 7 Kanai , Tashiro JAP 9.650 9.300 9.600 9.500 9.300 9.550 56 .900 3 Kitagawa, Junichi JAP 9.800 9.450 9.550 9.4509.4009.7005 7.350 I Goto, Ki yoshi JAP 9.550 9.250 9.700 9.5509.4009.5505 7.000 2 Beach, Tom USA 9.400 9.300 8.700 9.300 9. 100 9.300 55. 100 8 Caso, Chris USA 9.500 9.200 9.050 9.000 8.500 9.350 54.600 9 Atkinson, Rick USA 9.000 9.200 8.150 9. 150 8.550 8.500 52.550 12 Robertson, Greg NZ 9.450 8. 100 9.000 8.700 8.750 8.550 52.550 12 Lutterman, David NZ 8.950 8.500 8.600 8.300 8.200 7.35049.900 15 Hutchins, Robin NZ 9. 1008.8007.400 8.350 7.2508. 90049.800 16 Ri chards, Malcolm 'Z 9.250 8.600 7.850 7.350 8.600 8.650 50.300 14 McNaughton,

Geoff 'Z 8.900 8.300 7.400 7.9008. 1008.35048.950 t 7

On Tuesday, January 27, the girl s departed fo r Los Angeles to co III pete in the Scats Invitat ional and the fo ll owing day the men departed for Christ­church, N .Z., for a displ ay at Cowles Stadium on Thu rsday. January 29.

The crowds in Christchurch were to seating ca pac ity as they were in Dunedin at finals, although a bit reserved, the 5 teams acti va ted their adrenalin and all seeilled to en joy all events disp layed. The fini shing touch for thi s display was a nove lt y event . . double leg circ le competition on pommel horse . . w ith China wi nning by onl y a small margin . The USA took 3rd w ith Chri s Caso doing onl y 59 circles.

We then left for Auck land to display there also on Sa turday, January 31 , fo r a large crowd. The peopl e in all the citi es we vis ited were very wa rm and recepti ve to us, did everyth ing imag inable to make us feel comfortable. Thi s was accoillpl ished. Everyone had a great time, and thanked the New Zea land organi zing comillittee fo r a job we ll done.

We departed for home on February '1, stopping off in Figi and then Hawa ii on our last leg to Los Ange les and then home for Rick, Chri s and myself.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Effective , Monday, February 2, all activities of the USGF Member­ship Program will be conducted at:

USGF/Membership Program c/o Bayly, Martin & Fay/San Antonio P_O. Box 17800 San Antonio, Texas 78217 Telephone: 1-800-531-7205

1-800-531-7224 1-800-292-5721 (Texas only)

All records and functions of the Tucson office have been transferred to our above San Antonio office .

Amy Koopma.n

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CAESAR'S PALACE INVIT ATIONAL 1981

or Greg Weiss

John Traetta, thru High Bar Productions , has done it ilgil in. He's coord i­nilted his te lev ision company w ith Nissen and Caesar's Palace to prov ide ten of our top gymnasts and their coaches w ith perhaps the most spec tacu­larl y-run meet in the world . If you 've ever been to Cilesar's, you won't doubt that it is trul y an extravaganza .

Kathy Johnson di spl ayed her tal ent , po ise and exper ience to domimte the fi eld of top competitors. Julianne McNamara, in il solid second pla ce, showed the fo rm that has won her so many tens on bars. Tammy Smith , w ho won thi rd, was the surpri se of the meet, even though she'd given i,li r wa rning by w inning the regiona l elite all -around tria ls.

The event had all the sparkle and appea l which onl y Caesar 's Pal ,1(e in Las Vegas can provide. Jay Geist of lissen provided their beiluti fu l nev" line of appara tus. Pal ace offi cial s provided 75° wea ther along w ith surround­ings, mea ls, and accommodat ions trul y fit for kings, or princesses, in thi s case. Into the Caesa r's Sports Pav ili on marched four O lympians, Kathy Johnson, Julianne Mc amaril , Tracee Talavera , ,1nd Amy Koopman . Join­ing them were Shari Mann, Kris Montera, Trina Tinti , and junior elites Tammy Smith, Nancy Goldsmith, and Cindy Rosenberry .

O n vau lt , the first event , Kat hy won w ith a 9 .6 layou t tsuk ; Shari took second w ith a 9.55 fo r her fu ll -on-fu ll-off, and Juli anne ti ed w ith Tracee for

IIPalace officials provided 75° weather a lon g with surroundings , m ea ls and accommodations truly fit for kings , or princesses, in this case, , . 11

third , w ith 9.5's. Everyone made their vault , w hich provided a sol id start to thi s telev ised performance. On bars, Juli anne performed her di fficult high bar uprise mount, covered an error w ith a bea utiful giant , and went on to fin ish w ith a free hip- 'll turn pike back off. Kathy, steadil y improving her bar work , included a Delchev and double-tw isti ng baby fl YilWilY fo r 9.65. Trina Tint i, competing onl y in bars, took third and performed il ni ce stalder to fu ll pirouette seq uence . Other notable skill s included Nancy Goldsmith 's hecht to stand on low bar, Shari Mann 's sta lder drop to handstil nd to immed iate free hip-Brause-full , Kris Monteril's hop chilnge to fli p, ,1nd Tammy Smith 's above high-bar level double back fl Yilway.

Beam, ilS usual, was the determ ining event. Kilthy, first up , hit co ld, inc luding a back layout and round-off punch back. Fil ii s from four girl s shuffled all -a round scores . I ancy d id a super job, incl uding a back rol l to headstand positi on. She tied for first w ith Ka thy. Tammy, w ho took third , included everyth ing but the kitchen sin k in her rou tine, including il com ­bination of three fli ps, ca ll ed the " Tam i-ilm i." Her rou ti ne hild six fI ips in it.

Free-x was the highl ight of the meet. Kathy mounted w ith a full and ,1 hal f thru to a double full , then d id a double back pike second , stuck bea utifull y . The rou tine had elegance; it had fee ling; it had difficul ty. It scored a fitt ing 9.8. Juli anne's, a completely different style, was aggressivp and solid Tammy Smith , aga in, the surprise meda l ist, did a power-packed tumbling routine w ith whip back thru to a double back , handspring-front to ,1 doub le fu ll , as well as cute bal let done to " Tamm y's in Love. " All three girl s were a plea sure to wa tch.

W ith fl owers from th e award presentiltiom ,md plaques ilwili ting at the post-meet banquet, the girl s were inte,v iewed by none other th il n Bart Conner . Treated to a live con cert h Tom Jones il nd bedazz led by il 3600

omnimax screen show, the girls left I <IS Vegas w ith a \Ve il -deserved fee li ng that they were trea ted as the champions they are. A tribute to theirs ilnd their cO<lches' hard work, and to John Traetta 's talent for milking it ill l poss ible.

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Gymnastics In

Fort Worth Interviews with some of the people who have made their mark on gymnastics in the Fort Worth area.

By Ward Black USGF Staff

Carol Stablsevski

Carol Stabisevski Carol Stabisevski defected and left Romania (or the United States in

October, 7977. From 7973 till then, he worked forthe Romanian Gymnas­tics Federation as their Na tional Team Pianist and also a member of their coach ing staff. H is close association wi th Bela Karoli , Romanian Coach , and many top Romanian gymnasts, as N adia Comaneci, Teodora U n­gureanu, and Emi l ia Eberle, have given h im a wealth of experience.

Carol began piano at age six, and by h igh school had ga ined the profi­cienc y to enter a specia l school for cla ss ical music. During high school he also part icipated in man y sports - swimming, soccer, and volleyball. A fter graduation he entered the Co llege fo r Sport and Ph ys ical Educa tion. \IVhile there, the co llege directo r discovered his musica l talents and Carol decided to p lay piano for their college gymnastics teams. Until 1973 he taught , coached, and pla yed piano at the college and also began working w ith the Romanian Na tional Team.

Since coming to the United States, Carol has served as the Na tional piano player for the United States Na tiona l Team. He lives in Arlington , Texas, and is Director-Head Coach of the Arlington G}/m Club, Inc.

Black : W hen you came to the United States in October of 1977, w hat werp your rea sons for choosing the Fort \l\Iorth area to live and coach in?

Carol: Before I decided to stay here in the United States, I was the Nel tional piano pl ayer fo r the Romanian gymnasti cs team , and also a member of the coaching staff. From a ROlllanian tour of the U.S. , I knew that Arlington , and thi s area , was a place w here I ... vould use Ill y knowledge and expert ise . This area had the fac ilities, and also the peop le- I li ke Texas, Ili ke Texans.

W hen I was Illoving here three yea rs ago , the people fro lll Fort \l\Iorth , the Chaillber of COlll lllerce and sO';le indi viduals, began pulling their efforts

USGF GYMNASTICS

into helping establi sh th is area as one of the important sites for gYlllnel sti cs in the world . Also, w hen I moved here to Arlington, the Arlington GYIll Club had one of the outstanding gymn as ts in thi s country - Li sa Cawth ron. And besides, as you can see, th is is an excellent training fac ility to coach in, and the club here has good deve lopillental c lasses and a strong coill petiti ve tea lll.

Black: H ave yo u fo und the peop le in the area to be supportive of g}' m nastics?

Carol: This area - Arlington, Fort Worth , and Dall as - the people, the wea ther, the econolllY are ri ght fo r gymnastics. These peop le, their interes t in gYlllnasti cs was huge, and that raised the question, ' Is Fort Worth one of the best pl aces in the worldI' And after the success of the Worl d Champion­ships in December, 1979; the answer was - yes'

They supported the move of the USGF ational offi ce to Fort Worth. Thi s area also offe rs Illany programs w ith good gYlllnasts and coaches, the USGF office w ith its future National Training Center, and international cOlllpeti­tion. Here, in thi s gylll a year ago Deceillber, our USA tea III and also th e Ru ss ians trained during the World ChalllPionships. A ll those things w ill help Fort Worth to become a major gYlllnastics site.

Black: Wha t are some of your personal goals, and those for your club?

Carol: I have always tri ed to help as Illuch as I could . People consider th at I have something to say and sOllleth ing to contribute. And I am very proud of thi s, and also for being selected as the nati onal piano player for the Ameri ca n tea lll s at the recent World Championships. For Illyse lf. I hope to continue helping our National tealll s here in Ameri ca.

However, here at the Arlington GYIll Club, Inc., we hope our program w ill span all areas- good deve lopmental classes , a strong tea m and strong indi vidual gymnasts. O ur organiza tion is strong; we have a Boa rd of D irec tors, Illonth ly Illeetings, and we di scuss all our probl eills and needs. I have outstanding coac hes in thi s gylll , and w ith all this, Illy goa l is to have a strong tea lll , hopefull y one of the best in the country. I believe through a strong tea m, thi s w ill produce outstand ing indi viduals.

Black: Wo uld you comment on accusations towards the Romania n women gymnasts and their alleged lack of cla ss ical dance train ing ?

Carol: This comillent surpri sed Ille. I have been involved w ith ROlllanian

PAGE 17

gymnasti cs sinGe 1964, and involved in their hi ghes t levels since 1973 . I know their system and how they trained to becoille the bes t gYlllnasts in the world. I believe, something was underes timated about their dance pro­gram. I know that for sure. The ROlllan ian gymnasts spend at least one hour a day dancing; w ith dance lessions in all dance areas.

Black: Wha t are your thoughts about orchestra ted floor exercise music?

Carol: It is entertaining. It's unlilllited. I have mi xed fee lings about orches­trated music. Some of the Illusic I like, and some I do not like.

Black: Is orchestrated music good for gymnastics?

Carol: I think sometimes gymnasts and coaches do not choose the ri ght Illusic, for the right tempo, the ri ght instruillents. Most do not. Orchestrated music is great fo r entertainillent, it is good for the audience; bes ides today's gymnasti cs is always changing.

Orchestrated music, good orchestrated music is hard to do. It w ill take a good studio, a I ibrary of Illusic, and the tillle to I isten and research as well as a techni ca l know ledge of music. Too many people take one piece of Illusic and go w ith thi s same music from beginning to end. Yet w ith a pi ani st, they can help the gymnast and routine, because the music ca n be fast and slow and soft and aggress ive.

Black: You ha ve worked with a cross-sect ion of the world's top gymnasts. From this experience, what is the future for American women 's gymnas tics?

Carol: We have maybe the strongest gYlll nasts in the wor ld . However, there is a need for a program director to manage the entire women 's program. Thi s should be a person w ho has the support of the coaches, and also the money for such areas as resea rch and greater medica l ca re fo r the athletes. Thi s could enable a beautiful change in gymnasti cs in the United States.

I also fee l the future co uld be enhanced by having our gYlllnast ics publi ca tions fea ture more about the America n gYlllnasts. The world needs to know Illore about our own gymnasts, and those publications cover the foreign gymnasts more than is needed.

Emil Milan Emil Milan has li ved in the Fort Worth area and has been active/}'

involved in gymnastics throughout the State of Texas for close to 50 }'ears. Through his fa mily and the Soko l organization , Emil began gymnastics at age 6, and by 15 was already teaching and coaching.

Emil competed fo r the Fort Worth Soko l and later under Bill Crenshaw at the Un iversity of Texas. As a volunteer coach he has helped numerous programs, and countless people, including the Fort Worth Department of Recreation and the downtown YMCA in earlier years. Since 1965 Emil has taught and coached at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, and just prior to that was at North Texas State Un ivers ity.

At L.D. Bell, Emil has coached both the boys and girls' teams, while winning 15 Texas State Championships. In one stretch, his bo ys' teams won 7 consecutive state titles, and have never fini shed lower than 3rd. In 1980, both teams at Bell were named All-American Teams. Emil is proud of his gymnasts' man y honors and accomplishments, especiall y the man y ath­letes who have earned college scholarships and who compete after gradu­ating from Bell.

Emil was named in 1980, The Na tional High School Coach of the Year, and has been the Texas High School Coach of the Year in years past. He has represented both the AAU and Soko l on the U.S. G}'mnastics O/}'mpic Committees; is the Executive Director of the Texas High School Gymnastics Coaches Association; and past Presiden t of the Gymnastics Association of Texas - having received the American Award presented annually by GA T.

Black: Describe briefly some of the history of gymnastics in Texas.

Milan: Throughout the 1930's, 40 's and 50's, most gYlllnastics in Texas was ini tiated through either the Sokol or AAU organizat ions. W ith Soko l we trave led all across the state hauling equipment w ith us, w hi Ie doing clini cs, giving demonstrations, helping to establi sh new gYlllnastics programs in other tow ns, as well as com peting. We would have one or two, sometillles Illaybe three cOlllpet iti ons each year. During those tillles some of the co ll eges had gYlllnasti cs, as did the Fort Worth and Dall as Sokol s, sOllle YMCA's, Crenshaw's in Austin , and the Maverick Boys Club in Aillarili o. SOllle of the folks involved then were Lester Griffith , Wa lter Hosek, and Ben Wi lcox.

In the 60's and 70's, the high schools and pr ivate clubs accelera ted gYlllnasti cs growth , and as an exaillple- in 1969 around then high schools offered gYlllnasti cs; now eighty do.

PAGE 18

Black: How about the legend for high school gymnastics in the immediate Fort Worth area?

Milan: Eight high schoo ls in thi s area have gYlllnast ics, w ith many prograills in the middle schools too. It also looks like three other high

becoming now, one of the " Texas IS strongest areas and competitive

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for developmental gymnastics In the

schools plan to start gYlllnasti cs prograill s. Our State Regional here, around Fort Worth , is one of the stronger in Texas. The prograill s at Ri chland And Bell High Schools coillbined, have won approx illlately twenty Texas State ChalllPionsh ips. O ver the recent years, Illany of our gymnasts have gone on to earn Ill any scholarships and coillpete at co lleges in Texas and around the country.

Black: Your failli ly has been very active in gymnastics for years, and your brother, Jerr y, coaches at nearb y Trinit y High School.

Milan: My fa illily has been involved w ith gymnastics through the Sokol s my entire life . Jerry works very closely w ith the Sokol organi za tion todav. He and I, though, in our famil y are the on ly ones who stayed acti ve ly involved in coaching.

There is a ri valry between Bell and Trinity High Schools, and if there is one between us, it is certainly a most friend ly one. Thi s year, Jerry has perhaps hi s finest and IllOSt compet iti ve tealll s.

Black: What are your thoughts as to the future for gymnastics in Texas?

Milan: Texas is becoming now , one of the strongest areas for develop­Illental and cOlllpet iti ve gYlllnast ics in the country. We have thousa nds of ch i Idren invo lved today in va rious kinds of prograill s. There are hundreds of pri vate clubs, and growth should continue in the high schoo ls espec iall y if thi s yea r's vote allows gymnasti cs inclusion into the UIL in Texas. There is also a need for teacher/coaches, many high schools are sea rching for people and in many areas there is a need for new gYlllnasti cs prograills.

Also, w ith the presence of international competition and the USGF Headquarters in Fort Worth - this w ill also be most helpful.

Robert Cowan Robert Cowan has been in volved in gymnastics in the Fort Worth area for

fifteen years . He is an in structor and gymnas tics coach at Richland High Schoo l, and Director and Head Coach of the Gyros Gymnas tics club working with both the men 's and women 's teams in each program.

Robert's high school tea ms have won six Texas State Championships and the Gyros Club has earned seventeen state tit les at va rious competitive levels. He has taken his gymnasts to Europe twice, being undefeated in junior competition, whi le visiting Fra nce, Be/giulll , Holland, Switzerland and German y. In 1976, his junior team was the USG F Ir. Olympic Bo ys' Na tiona l Champion.

He is married, and his wife, Chris, coaches the women's collegiate team at Texas Christian Universit y in Fort Worth . The y have two children; Todd 6, and Courtney 2. Robert is Vice President, Nat ional High School Coaches Association, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the USG F Bo ys' Jr. Olympic Program. He has received man }' honors and service awards throughout Texas, and las t year received the Frank Cumiske y Award from the USGF.

Black: What benefits did the World Championships bring to your programs here in Fort Worth ?

Cowan: Besides the obviou s, see ing the best gymnasts in the world com­pete, the success of the US men's team and the success and exposure of Kurt Thomas and Bart Conner gave our male gymnasts a rea l and new identity . My gymnasts now have athletes to relate to, other than the fo reign com petitors.

USGF GYMNASTICS

The Championships also helped increase interest and parti cipat ion. All the gymnasti cs programs in th is area received a tremendous boost.

Black: In your fifteen years of gvmnastics invo lvement in the Fort Worth area, besides growth , w hat comments would vou like to make?

Cowan: What makes Fort Worth rea ll y spec ial to me is the people. The folks involved in gymnastics here are fr iendly, concerned, helpful , and tr.eir spirit and att itude have made successful growth poss ible. Peopl e like Emi l M il an and Bill Va lent ine lead the way by helping and sharing. They personify the Fort Worth area people invo lved in gymnastics.

Black: As an educator, a gvmnastics coach and a former athlete, w hat has so ld }'ou on the sport of gvmnastics?

Cowan: The more I became involved in gymnastics, the more I believed gymnasti cs was the epitome of ath letics. There was so much self-di sc ipline involved, a team concept, a team spirit , and ind iv idual pride and spirit.

" Gymnastics serves a tremendous pur­pose , , , its carry-over effect involves both the qualities of ph ys ical and mental development useful in all sports,"

Gymnasti cs serves a tremendous purpose. Maybe more so than any other sport. Gymnastics and its carry-over effects involves both the qualities of phys ical and mental development w hich is usefu l in all sports.

Black: Describe the developmental growth of the priva te clubs in Texas over the vea rs.

Cowan: When I first beca me involved in the sport - fifteen years ago ­gymnasti cs ma inly stemmed from AA U, Sokol, and high school programs. There was one pr ivate club in Texas, Crenshaw'S Ath letic Club in Austin. The growth since has been phenomenal. Growth , first mushroomed around the major cities, but now gymnastics is found throughout the entire state. There are eas ily over two hundred private club programs alone .

Larry Gerard Larrv Gerard was raised in Linco ln, Nebraska, and competed for the

Universit v of Nebraska. He has been a member of the U.S. Na tional Team for several vears; making the 7980 U.S. Men 's O IVmpic Team, competing previouslV in 7979 at the World Universitv Games, the World Champion-

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Rober t Cowan with hla team.

ships and winning a gold meda l at the Na tiona l Sports Fes tiva l . He has received 74 international awards and represented the U.S. in Canada, Mex ico, East Germanv, West Germ any, China and England.

Larry started gymnastics in iunior high and completed high schoo l as the Nebraska Sta te AA Champion. While in co llege he eil rn ed Big 8 Conference individual and team honors, competed for the N CAA Team Champion as a senior, and was an 8 time NCAA All-America n.

Now retired from competitive gymnastics at 25, Larry resides in Fort Worth , and is emploved b}, the Continental National Bank. He is married, and his wife, Pallv, wa s also a stand-out collegia te AA G ymnast at Nebras­ka; earning All Big-8 3 tim es and was a 2 time AIAW All -American. She currently coaches gymnastics at a priva te schoo l in Lew isville, Texa s, and is a mother-to-be.

Black: Did the World championships have anv bearing on vour moving to Fort Worth ?

Gerard: The Championships had a rea l impact on my employment here. Of course, they had an impact on my w ife and myself just in genera l, to come here to li ve in the area because everyone we met was so ni ce. The Championships were a great springboard for my business ca reer, and al so for gymnastics in the w ho le Fort Worth area.

Black: Now that you are retired from competitive gvmnastics, what are vour thoughts about the time and dedica tion you ga ve to your training?

Gerard : I love the sport. W hen I started , gymnastics was intr iguing to me, and my brother was involved at the uni versity. At that time, in high schoo l, I did not have any parents so I needed to find a way to go to co llege. The on ly way I thought I could go was to ea rn a scholarship. That was my moti vation in gymnastics. Gymnasti cs taLight me com pet it iveness, .has let me travel the world , helped me through college and employment. I fee l the hard work was rewarded.

Black: As part of the successful men 's team at the World Championships, do vou have an y comments about fu ture success for American men 's gymnastics?

Gerard : The outlook is very good. Even though 4 of the 7 World Cham­pionshi ps team members have retired , there are current ly 5 gymnasts to fil l those spots and many junior gymnasts w ith good potent ial. I feel it is ve ry important for the u.S. men to bui ld on the success the tea ms established in Fort Worth in 1979. Therefore, I see the next major internat ional competi­tion as an important keystone, a competition the u.s. must do well in as a team. The judges are now recogni zing a continued competiti veness from ou r gymnasts and thi s should agai n be re-establi shed to avo id having to rebuild the program and that " name" to thi s plateau.

Black: Now that you live and work here in Fort Worth , what are }'our thoughts about this area and gvmnastics?

Gerard: I think the USGF made a w ise decision in moving to Fort Worth . I have seen this area as a gymnast, competing last year at the World Cham­pionships, and now from a business v iewpoint. Thi s is a good geographi ca l locat ion , there is a strong economy, the people are fr iend ly and gregariou s, and they are w il ling to support gymnasti cs.

PAGE 19

Washington OHlce

2349 Emenold Heights Court

Reston, Virginia

703-476-6661

R.leigh AmYl, President

UNITED STATES GYMNASTICS

SAFETY ASSOCIATION

In view ofthe tremendous growth in gymnastics and the number of participants taking part it is vitally important that all instructors and coaches become USGSA Safety Certified as soon as possible.

Coaches ask why they should become USGSA Safety Certified. For the benefit of the coaches that have not had the opportunity to discuss certification with Board Members, I will attempt to answer those questions here.

In the event of..a law suit one of the questions any plaintiffs attorney may ask is, "Are you Safety Certified by the USGSA?"

If you respond, "No I'm not. But I've read the Manual and follow it's recommendations closely." The plaintiff may use this against you. He may point out that you can't prove you read the Safety Manual nor can you prove that you have the knowledge you claim to have.

CERTIFICATION is the only method acceptable to the courts to prove that you have read and followed the recommended procedures. This has become very evident in more than one court case already.

One must understand that the great majority of law suits against instructors and coaches involve no negligence or are borderline situations. Nothing can protect you if you were negligent but USGSA Safety Certification may protect you in the event there was no negligence or if it is a borderline case.

It has been the opinion of the legal community and the legal counsel of the USGSA that the USGSA Safety Certification will provide an invaluable defense in proving there was no negligence on the part of a coach or instructor.

In a statement from Casey Conrad, Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) he said, "The PCPFS recognizes and endorses the need of the Gymnastics Safety Certification and compliments your associa­tion on the progress that has been made."

Mr. Conrad brought out an important point to consider, "No matter what safety measures are applied, there will always be some elements of risk and some accidents. The environment is not going to adjust to an individual. Individuals have to prepare themselves to meet the emergencies.in life."

BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION

"The Gymnastics Safety Certification Program," explained Mr. Conrad, "provides many benefits. Most importantly, it helps reduce accidents and their severity. Also, it provides an indepen­dent professional recognition system for those who are actually qualified to instruct safely. The USGSA has proved to school

PAGE 20

administrators that gymnastics has a positive Safety Program. Safety Certification puts our coaches in a legally defensible position in the event of an unfortunate accident. This makes gymnastics the first organized sport to establish Safety Certifica­tion of coaches for the protection of athletes."

I'm certain that no one would consider running a swim program without a Red Cross WSI Certified Staff. The courts will want to know why you would run a gymnastics program without a staff Safety Certified by the USGSA. It's like not having a lifeguard when you send your kids swimming. I wouldn 't let any child participate in such a program and I'm sure no responsible adult would.

As the public grows more aware of the USGSA Safety Certification it is certain they will have second thoughts about letting their children participate in a gymnastics program if it is not run by competent, USGSA Safety Certified Staff.

Already, many jobs opening up for gymnastics instructors require USGSA Safety Certification. This will become com­monplace in the very near future. Even summer camps are now

" Nothing can protect you if you were negligent but USCSA Safety Certification may protect you in the event there was no negligence . .. . /1

setting similar standards for their staffs. Some coaches are hiring only certified instructors for their summer camps. Others are sure to adopt similar standards.

Realizing the importance of USGSA Safety Certification many colleges and universities will be requiring USGSA Certification of all Phys. Ed. graduates.

Many people concerned about the cost should first look at the benefits. Not only do you receive the benefits mentioned above but you will receive very valuable information at the USGSA Safety Course and Test. The very finest and most knowledgeable people in our sport will be conducting these sessions and sharing their knowledge. Certainly a valuable experience.

Contrary to popular belief, the USGSA does not receive large sums of money from the equipment companies. They did make some initial contributions which helped to get things started. It is to your benefit that the USGSA is supported solely through the fees you pay for USGSA Membership and Certification.

By having an association free and independent of any other association, group, and equipment manufacturers, we have much stronger credibility in court. The courts would not recognize us if they felt we were a front for the equipment companies or any other organization. Your support is vital to the continued credibility of the USGSA.

The Safety Teaching Certifications by the USGSA are a supplement to a College Degree in Physical Education similar to the Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Courses. A College Degree in Physical Education with courses in gymnastics does not necessarily meet the standards of Safety Teaching as expected by the courts. An additional course specifically designed for safety is recommended by the USGSA Board of Directors as well as the legal community.

As the USGSA grows and incorprates more and more people, safety in gymnastics will become commonplace. The certification procedure will serve in developing more awareness of the responsibility carried by those who teach and coach.

Thus the Certification Programs are designed for those who are to teach young people; to make them more knowledgeable and qualified in both established and new areas.

Certification is not an immunity to lawsuits, but it is an honest attempt at specialized training to help carry out the duty to discipline, supervise and instruct with reasonable foresight and care.

USGF GYMNASnCS

CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE

The USGSA office in Washington, D.C. can provide you with an updated list of approved National Certifiers. You may attend the session conducted by any individual on the list.

Get a copy of the "Gymnastics Safety Manual" as soon as possible. Send $7.95 to the Penn State Press, 215 Wagner Bldg. , University Park, PA 16802.

Anyone interested in becoming a National Certifier may contact the USGSA office in Washington. The procedure will be explained to you.

Without the USGSA Certification Program the insurance companies would not have been so anxious to help the gymnastics community.

The first step to all ofthis is to become a member and get USGSA Safety Certified. For more information contact the USGSA Office a t 2349 Emerald Hts. Ct., Reston, Virginia 22091, 703-476-6660.

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Presently published six times per year by the United States Gymnastics Federation. the internationally recognized national governing body for gymnastics in the United States.

USGF Gymnastics as of January, 1981 is printed and distributed to over 5,000 subscribers, officers and officials of the USGF, member nations of F.I.G., the USGF Women's Committee and other administrators , coaches and judges of influence in the gymnastics community.

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dissemination of information and ideas , Gymnastics Federation I whereby athletes, coaches, judges and ,,- I administrators of gymnastics will be p,O, Box 7686/Fort Worth, Texas 76111/(817)485-7630 I accurately informed of the latest I developments, techniques, news, rules, and NAM E I results pertaining to all vital phases of I gymnastics. Each issue will be designed to ADDRESS I communicate , educate and stimulate the I gymnastics community and its decision makers to perpetuate and improve gymnastics in the United States.

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BIO-MECHANICS CORNER

THE EFFECT OF A GYMNAST'S HEIGHT ON VAULTING PERFORMANCE

by Andrew Dainis, PhD. Associate Professor

Department of Ph ys ica l Education Universit}' of Maryland

College Park, Maryland 20742

Gym nasts come in many shapes and sizes, w ith differi ng phvsic,l l, phys iologica l , and psychologica l attri butes. Perhaps the most obvious phys ica l characteri stic is a person's height , a facto r w hich may va ry cons iderably among parti ci pants at the same level of competiti on. The trend towa rd s smal ler (and hence younger) gymn asts in women's gymnast ics indica tes that size is an important factor, one that shou ld be eva luated and understood in terms of bi omechanica l <1 lxl phys iologica l prin cip les . The biom echani ca l considerations presented here di sc uss performance differences based solely on height. It should be rea li zed that such differences are genera ll y assoc iated w ith age, phys ica l development , and experience; these being factors which should also be included in the eva luati on and expectations of performance. The applica tion presented here is to fema le gymnasts, but the princ ip les hold equally well fo r men's gymnastics. It is hoped that this discuss ion w ill help the coach and gYlllnast understand potenti al differences between gymnasts, and the mechan ics w hich underlie these di ffe rences.

A gymnast's height has probably the largest consequence in mounts onto, and di smounts from apparatus of fi xed height. Because a vault consists onl y of a mount and a di smount , the effect of a gymnast's height ca n be expected to be quite large in thi s event. Let us consider two gymnasts, one tall , and the other short. Also let us assuille that they are both ca pable of running at the sa me speed and jumping to the sa me height. If they each performed a handspring va ult , would these va ults differ in terms of height and length of prefli ght and after-fli ght ? If the answer is yes, then could the gymnasts do identica l looking vaults, and what mod ifica tions would be requ ired in their ac tions?

-::;.- - --

Figure 1. The same horizontal speed resu lts in a higher ro tational speed (or the shorter g}/mnasr.

PAGE 22

40%

, " " , ~l' , , , " 0

, , ' 05' " ~6'. a:

~ 20% ' Si' '05'<" ~ .9"

I~ ~ ,05'. ~. " " '\ ,

'\. " >-0 '\ '\. " " 0 ,

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\ \ z 0 \ \ N

ir \ \ 0 60% \

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\

80% \ \

I I

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2 .5

LANDtNG DtSTANCE(meters)

Figure 2. Th e amount of horizontal push required b y different height gymnasts in order to achieve a given after-flight distance.

In order to disc uss the effec ts of size on vaulting performance we first have to understand a basic princ iple w hich is concerned w ith the motion of the gymnast over the take-off board , and the horse. The motion of the body as a w ho le can be viewed as that of a single point central to the body, the body's center of gravit }'. We w ill abbreviate it by CG. During take-off, the CG of the body is moving over the take-off board w ith a speed approxi­mately equa l to the gymnast's run -up speed. W hen the feet come in contact w ith the board they become stationary w hil e the CG continues fo rward, resulting in a rotation being initi ated about the CG. Tall and short gymnasts having the sa me run-up speed w ill acquire d iffering amounts of rota ti on because of their differences in height. That this is the case can be seen in Figure 1. The CG of the body moves the same di stance in the same ti me for both gymnasts since they both are assuilled to have the sa me hori zontal speed. However, if the feet are held stationary during the time interva l, the shorter gymnast w ill rotate through a larger angle than the tall gymn ast. A larger angle in the sa me time implies that the small gymnast obtain s a larger rotationa l speed about the CG during the take-off.

A simil ar circumstance results w hile the gymnasts are in contact w ith the horse. the smaller gymnast attains more rotation. The effec ts of this principle Illay be good or bad depending upon w hich part of the va ult , and the type of va ult we consider. Let us examine the handspr ing va ult whi ch has acqu ired new importance since being introduced as the basis of all compul sory va ults for the next four years.

During take-off the above pri nciple is helpful to the short gymnast. W hile in contac t w ith the take-off board the gymnast IllUSt develop a certain amount of verti ca l speed necessa ry to raise the body above the horse, and a certain amount of body rotati on required to change the body orientati on from approx imately upright verti ca l to about 45 degrees short of the hand ­stand. For a Illore detail ed di scuss ion on the relevant variab les in va ult ing,

USGF GYMNASTICS

", .

and how they interact , the reader is referred to Techni ca l Supplement No . .l of the Internationa l Gymnast, Jul y 1980. If the horizontal speed during the preflight is the sa me fo r both gymnasts, then the time in the <l ir is determined by just the board-to-horse distance during w hich the spec ific <l mount of rotation must take pl ace . Now a relati ve ly short take-off di stance is desir­able because it requ ires less vert ica l speed from the take-off; however, a shorter take-off di stance di ctates greater ro tation speed. Because of the above pr inciple, a tall gym nast acquires less rotat ion in pa ss ing over the board , and hence must generally take-off further back from the horse. A long take-off di stance w ithout extra horizontal speed causes add iti ona l problems since the verti ca l speed must be increased and the gymnast is in danger of mi ss ing the horse, or being on the down part of the trajectory at horse contact. Hence, the short gymnast ca n work w ith the board closer to the horse, contac t the horse ea rl ier in the prefl ight trajec tory, <lnd have more rotation about the wri sts at horse contact.

Before co nsidering w hat happens on the horse, let us eva luate the requ irements of good after-fli ght. In a handspring vault , a high and long after- fl ight w ith a stable landing is of prime importance . The <lfter-fli ght di stance is princ ipally determined by onl y two factors; hori zont<ll speed during after-flight (w hich remains constant ), and the time spent in the ai r. The time in the air is very much the sa me for both gymnas ts if the horse is the sa me height. Th is is becau se the CG of both gymnasts must fa l l through the sa me di stance. The tal ler gymnast's CG starts higher but fini shes up higher at land ing because she is taller w hereas the short gymnast starts lower and fini shes lower. A stronger PU S:l by one gymnast w hil e leav ing the horse would result in a slight ly higher upwa rd speed at horse release, but it is found that even a strong push has little effect upon the total time spent in after-fl ight. Hence, horizontal speed is the pr incipa l fac tor determining the length of the after-f l ight. For thi s reason, if the short gymnast is to ach ieve the sa me after-fl ight di stance as the tal l gymnast. she must have the same speed over the horse as the tal l gymnast. In turn , because of our pr inciple, the shorter gymnast w ill acquire considerabl y more rotation during contact w ith the horse w hich w ill tend to be ca rr ied into the after-flight.

During the after-f l ight the gymnast must rotate from approximately the handstand position to the verti ca l stand ing position if the landing is to be w ithout over or under-rotation. Both gymn asts have the sa me time for th is rotation and therefore must both rotate at the sa me speed during thi s phase.

USGF GYMNASTICS

2.5

/'

"' /'

Q) ~/' ;;; /'

E /' /'

W /'

U /'

-' z 2 .0 /' <t ~ t-- -' (f) /'

0 /'

(9 /

Z /

0 /

Z /

<t '" --'

1.545" 1

52" 5 9" 6 6 "

HE tG H T (tNC HE S)

Figure 3. The landing distance in terms of a gymnast's height. A horizontal forward force of 25% of body weight is exerted in eve,y case.

Thi s requ irement presents a rea l problem to the shorter gymnast. She w ill have more rotat ion than necessary to land on the feet, and must somehow reduce it if she is not to over-rotate. The on ly mechall ism ava ilable to reduce the speed of rota ti on is to push the shoulder fo rward (in the direction of the vau lt). Thi s act ion reduces rotation and has the added benefit of increasing the hor izontal speed becau se the gymnast is effec tive ly pu shing herself fo rwa rd by pu shing back on the horse. Of course, there is a lim it to how much push can be given in the short time interva l that the gymn<lst is on the horse. It is th is lim itat ion w hich appears to determine the maximum after-fl ight distance a gymnast may achieve.

By use of the computer model described in Techn ica l Supplement IG

Continued on page 25.

PAGE 23

In the last two additions of Gymnasti cs ews, we have disc ussed problems deal ing w ith the shoulder and the knee. The colullln presented in thi s issue dea ls w ith the ankle sprain , w hi ch is the most com lllon injury seen in gymnast ics. As you \,vi II see in thi s artic le thought fu ll y prepared by my assoc iate, Hugh W. Ratli ff, M.D ., the simple ankle sprain may not be all that simple. Thi s article de<l ls w ith the mechan isms of in jury and touches br iefl y on other ankle problems. Earl y management of these problems is mentioned briefl y in thi s arti cle, but w ill be covered in detai l in later issues. Nea l C. Small , M.D.

SPORTS MEDICINE VIEW

ANKLE SPRAINS by Hugh \1\1. Ratliff. IVI.0.

O ne of the most disa bl ing injuries for the gymnast is a sprained <lnkle. Ankle sprains occu r most often during dismounts from the bea m, or b<lrs, the vault, and less often from floor routines. Recent publicat ions by Garrick and Requa indica te that ankle sprains are the most com mon injuri es for gymnasts.

The most cOllllllon sprain is ca used frolll turning the foot " under" to\v<lrd the other foot (inversion sprainl . In thi s injury. swelli ng occu rs <l round <lnd usuall y towa rd the front of the outside ankle bone (fibula!. The li g<l ment most often torn is the " anterior talofibular", but sometilll es the "fibulo­ca lca nea l", and rarel y the " posterior talofibular" li ga lllents are also torn. (See figure A.)

f -::- --

It is important to differenti ate th is sprain from parti<l l or comp lete di sloc<l­tion of the peronea l tendons. The peronea l tendons pass down the ou tside of the ca lf and go behind the ou tside ank le bone. (See Figure B. I If they become di splaced from their groove and slip over the ankle bone, swelling occurs w hich may be confu sed w ith a sprained ankle. Usu<ll ly the tender­ness and swelling are above the area invo lved in the COllllllon invers ion sprain .

If the foot is fo rcib ly turned outwa rd and upward away from the other ioot (eversion sprain). the " delto id " ligament may be parti <l ll y or completely torn from the area around the inside ankle bone (Illedial Ill <l lleolusi. Thi s results in swelling on the inside of the ankle. (See figure C.I

In the case of severe sprains in w hich the foot is driven up\v<lITI and outwa rd as above, the heavy connect ing li gaments between the tibi<l and

Posterjor talofibular ligament

terior talofibular lig .

Fibulocalcaneal lig.

Lateral (outside) view

Peroneal tendons

PAGE 24

Medial malleolus

view

USGF GYMNASTICS

f ibula at the ankle may be torn (ti b iofibular syndesmosis). Thi s is a very seri ous inju ry, result ing in severe swelling and ca using permanent damage to the ankle if not d iagnosed ea rly and treated properly. Th is injury is ca lled " di asta sis of the di stal tib iofibular jo int". Surgica l treatment is oft en necessa ry.

In trea ting injuries of the ankle it should be kept in m ind that the goa ls of trea tment are: 1) to prevent chroni c instability of the ankle, and 2) to retu rn the athl ete to norma l ac tiv ity as soon as poss ibl e.

Any indiv idual w ith ankle pa in after an injury should be trea ted by e levation of the ankl e, ice packs, and sho uld have evaluati on by d

phys ic ian espec iall y if the ankle is swol len. The phys ic ian w ill determine by x-ray w hether the ankle is broken or sprained , since making thi s decis ion w ithout x-ray is not w ise . If it is determined that the ankl e is sprained the phys ic ian w ill prescribe trea tment depend ing on the ex tent of in jury to the li gaments. This w ill range from simple elasti c support or taping to cas t immobi li za tion and sometimes surgery. The trea tment w ill almost always involve some degree of acti v ity restri ction , usuall y w ith a gradual return to fu ll athletic parti c ipation . •

Bio-Mechanics from. page 23

(j ul y 1980)' it is poss ib le to ca lcula te the d ifferences in action reqU ired by tall and short gymnasts to attain the same after-fl ight di stance . Converse ly, if the tw o gymnasts exert the same fo rces in relation to their body we ight, the differences in after-fli ght ca n be ca lculated . Figures 2 and3 show some results of the computer model. In Figure 2, the hor izontal sca le shows land ing distance from the contac t point (in meters) and the verti ca l sca le indica tes the hori zontal pu sh as a percentage of body weight required to obtain the correct amount of rotation w h ich ensures the correc t landing angle of the body . A force below the 0% li ne implies that the gymnas t has to push the shoulders forwa rd (in the direc tion of fli ght) in o rder to reduce body rotation about the CC. A force above the 0% li ne is the result of

. pushing the shoulders back, increases rotati on, and ca uses an arched body during the repul sion from the horse . The four curves are for four d ifferent heights of gymnasts; 5 ' 6", 4 ' 11 ", 4 ' 4", and 3 '9". In order to land the same d istan ce from th e horse (2.5 meters say), each gymn as t mu st ha ve approximately the same horizontal speed over the horse, but the 4 '4" gymnast rotates faster ove r the horse tending to give her too much rotation for the after-fli ght. To reduce this to the same speed of rotation as the taller gymnast, she mu st push the shoulders forwa rd w ith force of 65% o f her body weight versus only 25% of body w eight required of the tall gymnas t. Thus, a smaller gymnast must not onl y have the same speed of travel over the horse, she must have more than tw ice as much hori zontal push as the taller gymnast in orderto ach ieve the sa me after-fl ight distance w ithout over rotat ion. Requir ing the smaller gymnast to exert a hori zontal force of 25 % of her body we ight would .dictate a lower horizontal speed and would result in a stable land ing at the di stance of only 2 .0 meters from the horse .

Fi gure 3. il lustrates more c lear ly how landing di stance depends upon height in the situation w here the gymnasts have the sa me hori zontal and verti cal push in relation to body weight. A lthough the li ne is not perfec tl y strai ght, it does indicate a direct relationship between the gymnast's height and the di stance of after-fl ight, i .e., the after-f l ight di stance is proporti onal to the gymnast's height.

In va ults invo lv ing somersaults du ring the after-fli ght , thi s sa me princ iple aids the shorter gymnast in completing the rotation . For handspring fronts and Tsukaharas the gymnast needs all the rotati on she can get during the after-fli ght, making the ex tra rotation obtained by the shorter gymnas t an asset rather than a liability. For thi s sa me reason, the ta ll gymnast can be expected to find it harder to do the somersa ulting vaults. Additionall y, the short gymnast ca n reach the horse w ith grea ter verti ca l ve loc ity beca use she can have the board c loser to the horse . Th is grea ter verti ca l speed assists in rotat ion and passage over the horse.

From the above considerati ons it ca n be concluded th at: 1. The shorter gymnast has a definite di sadva ntage in performing the

handspring c lass of va ults if an absolute length of after-fl ight is required . ot only must the shorter gymnast have the sa me hor izontal speed as the tall gymnast, but she must pu sh fo rwa rd off the horse w ith a fo rce more than two times larger in relati on to body weight. It is fo r thi s reason that short gymnasts should not, in general, be expected to achi eve the same length of after-fli ght as the tall er gymnast. Thi s is contrary to the judging ru les presently being used for the compul sory va ults. The biomec hanics of the situation ind icates that after-fli ght di stance should be proporti onal to a gymnast' s height , e.g. one and one-hal f body lengths.

2. The tal l gymnast has a di sadva ntage in Tsukahara s and handspring front va ults because of the lesser ro tation obtained w hen pass ing over the board and horse . Thi s makes it more d iffi cult for them to compl ete the necessary ro tation rlur ing the after-fli ght. •

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JUDGING AND COACHING WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS

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Carolyn Osborn Bowers, Jacquelyn Klein Fie, and Andrea Bodo Schmid

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• Interpretation of 1980 FIG Code of Points

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For each event, the authors describe technique, composi­tion, penalties and deductions, and new trends. Numerous sequential drawings illustrate correct and incorrect techniques, points for evaluation, and how to determine mistakes. Skill analyses and accompanying illustrations clarify the criteria used by judges to interpret each event and help both gymnast and coach understand how performances are rated so appropriate training goals can be set.

JUDGING AND COACHING WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS, second edition, is the most authoritative and comprehen­sive book available on the subject. If you would like to purchase a copy, please fill out the order form below and return it to us with either your personal check or charge card information.

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~GYMNASTICS~~"" The Off;.;a' PUb';BA C K UiSSUES·ast;.s Fede,at;.. ~

I I I I

Gym-tiC-Sties l~v" News MARCH/APRIL 1978 MAY/JUNE 1978

VOL. VII, NO.2 VOL. VII, NO.3 USA vs. Japan 1978 The CSSR Cup East 1977 Chunichi Cup, Berlin Tournament of Nat ion a I Eli t e Champions, Roma-C h a in p ion s hip s nian Invitational, 1978 1978 Dial American Cup

JULY/AUGUST 1978 VOL. VII, NO.4 1978 National Elite Women's Champi-

.onships, Champi­onships of the USA color pictorial Mos­cow, Riga & Hun­garian Invitationals, 1978 MRG Cham­pionships

MAY/JUNE 1979 VOL. VIII, NO.3 Championships of the USA, TBS Invita­tional, Moscow News and Riga 1979, Champions All-London, MRG National Champion­ships, Czechoslo­vakia Gymnastics Invitational

MARCH/APRIL 1980 VOL. IX, NO.2 1 9aO American Cup, American Cup Color Pictorial, 1980 Inter­national Mixed Pairs Championships, Modern Rhythmic Jr. & Sr. Nationals

Pictorial & Results

NOVEMBER/DE­CEMBER 1978 VOL VII, NO.6 1978 Strausbourg World Champion­ships , Taiwan Gam es, Straus­bourg Color Pictorial

NOVEMBER/DE­CEMBER 1979 VOL. VIII, NO.6 Special 20th World Gymnastics, Cham­

j pionships Issue­Reports/ Standings & Fina/s/ Color Pic­torials

MAY/JUNE 1980 VOL. IX, NO.3 1980 Championships of the USA, Modern Rhythmic National Championships, 1980 Olympic Team Post­er, DDR Invitational

Complete your Gymnastics Library with back issues of the most comprehensive periodical on American Gymnastics ...

MARCH/APRIL 1979 VOL. VIII, NO. 2 1979 Dial American Cup Report & Pic­torial, First Mixed Pairs Gymnastics Championships , 1979 Dial National Invitational

JANUARY/FEBRU­ARY 1980 VOL IX, NO.1 1979 Chunichi Cup and Tokyo Invitational, US Men's Team Re­port, Pictures from World Champion­ships, 1980 1 st Na­tional Elites, Qualifi­cation Meet

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PAGE 30

USGF CALENDAR JUNE

4-6 USGF RHYTHMIC NAT'L. CHAMP. TULSA, OKLAHOMA (W)

1-9 ENNIA GOLD CUP THE HAUGE, NETHERLANDS

5-7 GOLDEN SANDS VARNA, BULGARIA

11-13 USGF JUNIOR OLYMPIC NAT L CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR GIRLS TULSA, OKLAHOMA (W)

12-17 ANTIBES AND ORLEANS FRANCE

25-27 USGF JR. OLYMPIC NATIONALS FOR BOYS, TULSA, OKLAHOMA

JULY 6-16 MACCABIAH GAMES

ISRAEL

17-21 KLONDIKE JR. TEAM INV.

(M/ W)

EDMONTON ALBERTA, CANADA

19-30 WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

24-29 NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL SYRACUSE, NEW YORK

AUGUST 4-10 S.A. CUP

SOUTH AFRICA

13-15 3RD ELITE ZONE MEETS

26-30 J AP AN JR. GIRLS INV. TOKYO & SAPPARO, JAPAN

27-29 2ND ELITE NATIONALS ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

SEPTEMBER 17-19 USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM TRIALS - FORT COLLINS, CO.

*24-27 USGF CONGRESS FORT WORTH, TEXAS

OCTOBER 21-24 RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS WORLD

CHAMP. MUNICH, GERMANY

NOVEMBER 1-8 POLE STAR GAMES

RA V ANIEMI, FINLAND

22-29 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MOSCOW, USSR

DECEMBER 2-6 CHUNICHI CUP

JAPAN

11-13 COCA COLA INT'L. LONDON, ENGLAND

13-25 JUNIOR INT'L. INV. HUNGARY

USGF CLASSIFIED MADISON, WISCONSIN TURNERS is soliciting resumes for head coach-supervisor-manager for its gymnastics program. Large, wel l equipped facility enrolls 300-400. Job would include scheduling, supervision , teaching and coaching boys and girls and budget responsibilities. Salary negotiable. Send resume to Madison Turners, Inc., 21 S. Butler St ., Madison , Wisconsin 53703 .

r---------~~~-~------------------------

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USGF GYMNASTICS

1981 USGF CONGRESS

September 24 Through 27, 1981 Register with the USGF and make your Hyatt reservations early.

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'81 USGF Congress Activities '81 USGF Congress Activities

Men and Womens' Technical Clinics and Demonstrations Panel Discussions Sports Medicine Walk-In Information Clinic Films and V ideo-Tapes - Gymnastics Competition and Instruction Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics USGF Associations' Meetings Artists Gallery (Interested Artists Please Contact USGF Office) General Assembly. Banquet and Awards Gymnastics Products Exhibitors

United States Gymnastics Federation P.O. Box 7686, Fort Worth, Texas 76111

'81 USGF Congress Speakers Bela and Marta Karoli - Former Romanian National Coaches James Garrick. M .D. - Chairman. USGF Sports Medicine Committee Thomas Tutko. Ph.D - Chairman. USGF Sports Psychology Committee Jerry George. Ph.D. - Chairman. USGF Bio-Mechanics Committee George Lesmes. Ph.D. - Chairman. USGF Exercise Physiology Committee Masayuki Watanabe - USGF Mens Program Director R. Scott Crouse - USGF Womens Program Director Peter Kormann - Athletes Advisory Counsel . . . and many others as confirmations are received .

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