gymn Digest Sun, 31 Jul 94 Volume 2 : Issue 155

Today's Topics:
2nd Place AA
ABC coverage (2 msgs)
A little about myself
AP & other wire reports
delay on address
eating disorders
GG, women's team
GG, W team again
Goodwill Game Competitors
Goodwill Games (womens team comp)
Goodwill Games Coverage
Goodwill Thoughts
Gymnastics at CMU..
Gymnastics Coverage / Commentators
Henrich
Henrich's funeral
Henrich/Bulimia/etc.
Jennie Thompson
Karolyi On Henrich
List of AA & EF Qualifiers???
Michelle Campi
More Henrich Info (from the Chicago Tribune) (2 msgs)
More Info on Henrich
Non-Goodwill Gym On TV
Proposed NCAA Women's Changes
Results: GG, Women's team
TBS coverage
UNIVISION broadcasts before ABC
US Goodwill Games TV Schedule (2 msgs)

This is a digest of the gymn@athena.mit.edu mailing list.

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Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 17:04:31 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: 2nd Place AA

"Fabrichnova finished second with 39.025 and Miller was third with 38.875."

Susan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 18:45:20 EDT
From: <***@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: ABC coverage

Well, I just finished watching ABC's coverage of the first 2 rotations of
women's team finals. First of all, I wonder if it occurred to ABC that not
everyone has cable and will be able to watch the last 2 rotations (I hope!) on
TBS tonight? It seems a pretty silly way to cover the event, and I feel bad for
all gym fans who don't get TBS. It would be more logical to cover the whole
event, even if you do end up duplicating some TBS coverage. I'm already
frustrated by ABC's coverage, but I would be just beside myself with irritation
if I didn't get TBS. So why am I frustrated? Well, it would have been nice to
have seen at least ONE Romanian, considering they ended up finishing second,
and since this is all taped coverage, you'd think ABC would know that. I also
would have liked to have seen some Chinese and Spanish girls, and the
individual competitors (Piskun, Chusovitina, Kuznetsova, etc.) If it hadn't
been for Sherwin's post, we wouldn't have even KNOWN there were individuals!
>From what we saw, it looked like Russia, Ukraine and the US were the only teams
there, until ABC would flash the standings, and there was Romania - always in
2nd or 3rd. SO SHOW US SOME OF THEIR ROUTINES! I just hope TBS does a better
job tonight... I was also surprised that Kathy Johnson would make such a huge
blunder to say that Shannon was reigning world champ on bars, when Shannon
didn't even make bars finals in Brisbane! Perhaps Kathy meant Shannon was
reigning world AA champ, but it sure came out sounding like she was world
champion on bars. And, of course, the mispronunciation of the ex-Sovs names
drove me crazy. I just don't understand why commentators don't bother to ASK a
native Russian speaker (and there are certainly plenty of them around in St.
Pete!) how to pronounce the names. It's just common courtesy, if you ask me. So
for the record, it's Ko-chet-KO-va and KNEEZH-nik, and the initial "K" IS
pronounced (otherwise it wouldn't be there! Just 'cause English uses a silent
"k" doesn't mean Russian does). Okay, I feel a little better now having gotten
that off my chest. I hope TBS's coverage won't create a need for further
ranting!
Beth

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 21:09:54 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: ABC coverage

What disappointed me most is that the coverage startd out quite well. They
went straight from one routine to another without the fluff. Unfortunately,
it didn't last...

>Well, it would have been nice to have seen at least ONE Romanian,
considering they ended up finishing second,
and since this is all taped coverage, you'd think ABC would know that

It seemed to me as if they had 8 rotations (2 times 4 in each rotation) with
the US, Russia and Ukraine in one 'flight'; and Romania, Spain, China and the
individuals in the other. I still do think they could have fit the Romanians
in. I was particularly looking forward to seeing Ghimpu again!

>I hope TBS's coverage won't create a need for further
ranting!

All of Beth's rants seem well deserved, but as this is ABC, we knew that in
advance :(

Mara

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 22:05:35 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: A little about myself

Hello, my name is Jessica, I am 12 years old and am a former gymnast
at Gymagic Gymnastics in Sacramento, CA. I was a level 9 when I quit 18
months ago. I love the sport of gymnastics, and hope I can keep in touch
with it by gymn. I live in Davis, CA, and do miss the sport a lot.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 13:52:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: ***@netcom.com
Subject: AP & other wire reports

Beside gymn I have been following the swimming at goodwill.
Seeme the filter for the pool went haywire and the water turned nearly black.
The pool got nicknamed "the black lagoon". Competition resumed as soon as
visibility reached 2 feet. The swedes refused to swim in that stuff so they
resigned. The guy who has been winning, has been nicknamed
"the creature of the black lagoon"

Though it would be funny to share. Now back to gymn !

Sad to hear of the death.
Out here in the bay area it has touched off a storm of controversy about
how gymn is bad because it forces young girls to do bad things to their bodies.

Mixed press reports , some say it was her fault, others blame the sport
because it went on for several years and was not solve imediately.

It has been pointe dout that interest in womens gymn has skyrocketed in response
to the younger ages. Is there really a tie here ? Or is it a coincidence that
womens gymn is getting younger while the audiences rise in numbers ?
Anybody able to tackle this one ?

To our new biomed person :

Has anyone studied the effects of heavy training on preteen girls bodies?
What about their skeletons ? Are there deformations ?

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 1994 06:35:18 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: delay on address

USA Gymnastics is still looking for the appropriate address -- ie, no,
I didn't forget. They should get it sometime today, they said. I'll
post it ASAP.

Rachele

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 19:53:47 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: eating disorders

> I would also hope that everyone refrains from making nasty comments about
weight gain in former gymnasts. Some mention is nice, just so we all have a
mental picture of what the person looks like. As a person who gained plenty
of weight after leaving gymnastics, I don't think it's very positive or good
for younger competitors to hear degrading comments about Kim Z. or any others
who have gained weight

This is an *excellent* point. Kim has been a major victim lately, as has
Henni Onodi (after her picture appeared in IG earlier this year). It really
is nothing but nastiness.

Mara

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 14:41:42 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: GG, women's team

Some small tidbits from the AP wire:

The competition is being held at the Lenin Sport and Concert Complex.

Aside from listing the team scores, this particular AP report only
says that the USA team had a "mixed" performance and that Miller
"disappointed on her favorite routine of beam" but got a 9.95 in the
floor ex, the highest mark of the night on all apparatus. (I wonder
if she's gotten a new routine yet?)

Rachele

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 15:11:00 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: GG, W team again

Yes, more Goodwill Games news:

>From Reuters:

-The worst Russian score on floor was 9.775 (I don't know who.)

-"The Americans performed indifferently throughout."

-Chinese gymnast Dinli Fun (what a great name) fell on her left elbow
from the uneven bars while warming up and had to withdraw.

-Lu Li, CHN, currect world champ on UB, only scored a 9.575.

>From the AP wire:

Miller's scores: 9.725 VT -- two slight missteps.
9.675 UB
9.525 BB (the AP wrote "9.525 on the beams")
9.950 FX -- highest score of the night

Dina Kochetkova had 39.15 points; Miller was third with 38.875. And
no, of course they don't say who was 2nd.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 16:09:53 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Goodwill Game Competitors

As suspected neither Gogean nor Milos is competing for Romaina (heard much
earlier that they were sending a "B" team) and the recently operated on
Vitali Scherbo also is out (even when there was an appearance fee involved
... he must be crushed!!!). More surprisingly absent (according to this
article anyway) is Ivan Ivankov. Hmm?

Susan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 20:55:21 BST
From: ***@ic.ac.uk
Subject: Goodwill Games (womens team comp)

Hello everybody! I've just finished watching the Goodwill Games
womens team comp live on TV from the German Sports channel DSF,
so I thought I'll put in a few words about the meet. The commentary
was in German and I don't know German so all the following impressions
are my own only and please forgive if I got any facts wrong!

First some general impressions: It was better than I thought! Maybe
because the 'Soviets' treat this very seriously (being in home ground
and all) and sent full strength teams to the meet. Here are the teams:

Russia : Dina Kochetkova, Svetlana Khorkina, Oksana Fabrichnova,
Elena Grosheva
Ukraine : Liliya Podkopayeva, Irina Boulakhova, Oksana Knizhnik,
Tatiana Malaya
USA : Shannon Miller, Jennie Thompson, Mariana Webster,
Soni Meduna
Romania : Andrea Cacovean, Ana Maria Bican, Angela Ghimpu,
Ionela Loaies
China : Luo Li, Zhang Li, Jin Yu
Spain : Monica Martin, Veronica Castro, Elizabet Valle

Individual Participants:
Russia : Evgenia Kuznecsova
Uzbekistan : Oksana Chusovitina
Belarus : Elena Piskun
Kazakstan : Irina Evdokimova
Belgium : Vanessa van de Plas

Her are the rules: (from what I see and think so it may well be
wrong!) Only the top three scores count for each team in team
comp (therefore some teams only sent three representatives) but
a team can have all four of their performers perform on the same
piece of apparatus. (e.g. all four Romanians did their VT, but
only three did the FX... Cacovean didn't). The individual participants
did their routines to try to qualify for the AA and Apparatus finals
(I think).

The TV coverage was alright, lots of close-ups which I like, but they
don't seem to give us the scores very often. In fact I have no idea
whats' happening score-wise during the whole competition. I won't go
into much details describing the routines since they're more or less
the same as Worlds'94 and Europeans'94 (and the German commentary didn't
help me at this point!) The comp organisation was a bit iffy I think,
there are a lot of long pauses when there is nothing happening in the
arena with gymnasts waiting by their apparatus ready to perform.

So here are some general thoughts, I particularly concentrated on the
Americans since I believe that is what most of you guys would like to
hear about?

Jennie Thompson was in tears before the comp began. She sat on her VT
warm-up and that was what she did in her first competition vault.
Things didn't improve as she put her hands down on her second. Her
vault was 1/2-twist Yurchenko, BTW. Miller took two large steps in her
first VT for only 9.575 (One of only TWO scores that I have in the whole
comp!) but her second was better with one step. Meduna began her run-up
only to be called back because the 'green light' was not on. (I heard
Nunno said 'Wait for the green light.')

Boulakhova fell off her beam, and so did Chusovitina. Ana Maria Bican
did a nice looking double-twisting Yurchenko for VT. It has not been
Andrea Cacovean's year. She got stuck in her bars mid-way through and
had to stop-and-go, and she fell off her beam in the flick-layout to two
feet combination. Maybe that's why she didn't compete on FX because
that was her last piece of apparatus and she had no chance of getting
into the AA? Khorkina also fell off her roundoff-layout combo on BB.

Jennie Thompson's second piece wasn't much better as she sat on her
dismount from bars. In beam though she did OK with a standing full-twist
back somi, and a full-in dismount. No problems there. Miller's BB was
iffy with a big wobble at the end of her flick-layout-layout, and two
large steps back on her full-in dismount.

Ionela Loaies looks more beautiful by the minute... oh sorry, back to
the gymnastics... Only saw her FX and VT and they're kind of alright,
no thrills job. Angela Ghimpu has a face that looks like wanting to cry
all the time... then at one point she laughed. Weird. Bican was much
taller than I remember her but she's pretty good, with a nice double-
twisting Yurchenko on VT.

Podkopayeva was classy as always, and Knizhnik looked really good. If
only she can loosen up a little, she seemed very tense throughout.
Boulakhova was OK and Malaya only did two routines, but her bars was
excellent (Marinich; Jaeger; full-in back-out dismount).

Piskoun was more or less the same as Europeans, but she didn't fall off
this time and did a good double-twisting-Yurchenko vault. Oksana 'still-
going' Chusovitina was more or less the same too.

Fabrichnova has a new FX (I haven't seen her FX for over a year so it's
bound to be new) with new music sort of pop style. She has a good BB still
too. Khorkina was still very different from all the others with her long
lines and very different skills and routines. Kochetkova's routines were
the same as in Worlds and Europeans. Grosheva too still had a good bars.
Kuznecsova looks like a junior and only did BB (and she wear a different
leotard than all the other Russians). BTW, the Russians are wearing the
white/red/blue leotard and only Kuznecsova wear the black one that they
used in Worlds and Europeans'94.

The Spanish didn't thrill much. They all seem quite big. They were bottom
(out of the six) from start to finish.

The Chinese did nice bars, but had one or two of them being stuck in the
middle of their routines. They only showed Luo Li's beam so I didn't know
what their general qualities on that piece of apparatus is.

Last rotation and Jennie Thompson did a nice floor (three whips to double
twists (or was it triple?); full-in pike; and triple twists for dismount).
And Shannon Miller did the same old floor of hers but very well this time
to score a high 9.95! (The other of the two scores that I got!)

The team results:
1. Russia
2. Romania
3. Ukraine
4. USA
5. China
6. Spain

(I didn't even have the scores for these!)

For the individual standings after the team comp, they didn't say, all
I know is the positions after THREE pieces of apparatus was
1. Kochetkova, 2. Fabrichnova, 3. Bican, 4. Grosheva, 5. Podkopayeva.
(I think) but Miller has FX as her last piece so don't whether she'd
moved up to the top five...

Anyway hereth ends a very iffy report (due to lack of understandable
commentary to help me) but I hope this'll help those who couldn't see
this meet to get a fairly good idea of what had been going on.

More to come tomorrow for the womens AA.

Sherwin

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 18:45:04 -0400
From: ***@cykick.jvnc.net
Subject: Goodwill Games Coverage

I suppose it's time to "fire away" at the TV coverage - again. Although I
haven't been able to watch all that much of the TBS coverage (although
virtually everything has been taped thus far), I did watch this afternoon's
stuff on ABC. Sorry to say, this is not ABC's finest work by far:

- How long did it take for Bart & Kathy to get around to providing SCORES???
Then again, maybe they were working with the folks from German TV. ;-)

_ To add insult to injury, did anyone catch either commentator IDENTIFYING A
SINGLE VAULT??? I found it frustrating hearing Kathy (often) saying
something
like, "She does this vault so well." WELL, WHICH VAULT IS IT?

- Although we've often discussed how difficult it is to watch a meet
because so
many things take place simultaneously, this coverage seems much more
disjointed than usual. And I'm not even placing the entire blame on "the
usual stuff" - breakaways for features and other competitions. Maybe it's
just me.

Anyway, that should be enough to start things off...
Helena Robinson
htr@cykick.jvnc.net

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 23:40:55 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Goodwill Thoughts

Well Shannon has put on about 5 pounds that she really needed - she was
downright skeletal there for a bit - and physically looks healthy (a tan and
everything <gasp of shock>) but just seemed ... well ... out of it ... as did
all the Americans. Nerves seemed high with this young team. I'm a bit
surprised since I've seen all of them separately looking pretty good and
you'd have thought that a "team" spirit would help calm them since they all
train together every day.

I am truly ticked that all of Steve's gymnast do that oh-so-cheap back dive
quarter turn (the Milosovici oak tree thing <g> ... not a true Omelianchik
which is a 1/4 turn swing to hip"catch" crosswise on the beam) not once but
*twice* in each of their beam sets. What's even worse is that they don't even
do it well. U-G-L-Y!

BTW Kathy, Shannon does *NOT* do that vault (Yurchenko layout - or in
Shannon's case *piked* - 1/2) "better then anyone in the world." I am
constantly annoyed how they point out every little fault on the foreign
athletes and the American's only make "little errors." I don't mind pointing
out faults (obviously <g>) but be consistent about it please. 99% of the TV
audience get 100% of their information via TV commentators and if they're
inaccurate how will they (meaning John/Jane Q. Public) ever learn to judge
who's the best for themselves?

Also a broken toe (meaning Jennie Thompson ... and this is nothing against
her I just hate it when commentators make endless excuses for the athletes)
is so common ... not that it doesn't hurt ... but geez ... I mean when
*didn't* Bogie have at least four? That'll teach her to point her toes while
running (Svetlana that is). Her feet must be as pretty close up as her hands
are (Eeek!).

Another note on Jennie ... I totally agree with Kathy that she (Jennie) can't
be allowed to brood over her performance today. She does have a lot of talent
and I question the thought process behind making her a Sr. so young (what
does that really gain her since she can't compete in Worlds or Olympics
anyway ... to me it would seem wiser to keep at small Int'l meets in the US
and abroad and build to the big ones). She can't let this haunt her in the
future and the media shouldn't dwell on this as a major failure but just a
first step in her Int'l career.

The Russian's were amazing!! They were not only lovely but consistent (who'd
a thunk it? ... Trevor Low's classic line after '93 Jr's "Khorkina was
stunning ... beautiful ... but she couldn't step off a bus without falling
down") Grosheva's Jagger and Tkatchev were the best I've seen since Fan Di in
'89 (and Grosheva's was piked making it an "E" vs a "D" ... which is what
the straddle is worth now)

I really like Bican - and to a lesser degree Ghimpu - more then the average
(or should I say "typical?") Romanian.

Fab's disco music has got to go ... but her dance was okay ... considering
what she had to work with.

Grosheva's Thomas (the double twisting laidout front) is downright amazing.
It was higher and cleaner then most girl's front fulls. I don't think I've
ever even seen Neil do it that well (sorry all you Brits out there)!! She
doesn't really have "dance" as such (a lot like Khorkina) but she moves
beautifully ... very fluid.

Khorkina's tumbling looks much improved (stunning triple twist and that is
the best front pass going ... front full into front layout step-out) but
while her body line and extension (oh those leaps!) are incredible she looks
bored and distracted during her "dance" (mostly looking around and aimless
posing ... she kinda' walks from point to point). A girl with this bod,
line, and attitude (not to mention some Russkie ballet training) should
really move more comfortably on the floor. Does her pike position scare
anyone else as much as it does me? She is *so* stiff legged.

Is Kochetkova's routine getting dorkier or is it just that all the other
Russians are so much better now? She is *it* for sticking landings though.

Edwikomova really doesn't get the credit for that layout front vault that she
deserves. Way cool. Has any other girl ever attempted that? The only other
person I can even think of doing that vault is Novikov.

Piskun is still improving. That's truly what I like best about this gymnast.
Every time I see her she's better then the last time I saw her. I really
can't think of any other gymnast - ever - that I can honestly say that
about.

Knischnik is quite powerful considering that concentration camp physique of
hers (can you say "Rhythmic" boys and girls?). She may have only done a tuck
full-in mount and a double tuck dismount they were high and easy for her and
you could tell that she is capable of much more. From a distance with her
hair in a bun she looks like a '78 Kathy Johnson.

BTW, Castro was *not* second in the Jr. Euros (Letita Begue of France was).
Bart is on drugs. That also explains why he can't even pronounce names I've
heard him say correctly before (Coq au vin? ... maybe he's hungry)

Speaking of Spain ... they are really improving. Their form and hand
positions rival the best in the world (toe point to die for ... they must
have a whole class devoted totally to breaking their feet over and over so
that they can do that) Mercedes Pacheco - whom we did not see here - has
some super duper keen bars (bronze ... I think ... in Euros).

I'm ticked that they cut away from that cool little Russian kid (with that
punch into immed. slow front walkover/something-or-other ... what would you
really call that?) Kuznetkova <sp?> on beam to show Soni on floor. Nothing
against Soni, it's just that her set is nice but not all that unique and
innovative ... unlike my spelling :-)

About the coverage ... TBS is "feeding" the world and they're playing 3 on
(US, UKR, & RUS) and 4 off (CHN, ESP, ROM, & Mixed) which is why I'm sure we
didn't see the others in ABC"s limited time. I'm surprised that ABC so
drastically chopped the coverage. I mean they had the control, so to speak,
and yet still appeared so utterly clueless. I think the public would have
been far better served if they'd whipped up a condensed - *complete* -
highlight reel for ABC and leave the more in-depth stuff to TBS. ABC's
coverage looked like they had no idea where they going with it. TBS's
handling of the last two rotations was pretty good. Of course by that time
we'd already missed China on bars and beam and other assorted stuff I would
have liked to see.

If Bart says "the competition is fast and furious" or Kathy says "I can't
tell you how hard that move is" one more time I'll scream. Dear lord it's
only the first day and I'm already this bitter ... what to do ... what to do?
;-)
Finally Shannon's floor ... very nicely done. Exceptionally clean on all the
landings but the difficulty wasn't anywhere near Grosheva, Khorkina, Pod, or
others. It was done as well as I've ever seen Shannon do it but a 9.95 was
really out there considering that Khorkina got a 9.85 for twice the
difficulty (though admittedly she had more fudged landings and misc. other
deductions). I just frankly don't think that Shannon's set should be worth a
9.95 compared to some of the others we saw. She is in desperate need of a
new set.

Waiting to hear what the rest of you thought ...

Susan

PS- I like how they said Baryshnikov "immigrated" to the west ;-)

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 00:17:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: <***@gateway.us.sidwell.edu>
Subject: Gymnastics at CMU..

Once of the universities I'm considering applying to for next fall is CMU,
(Carnegie Mellon University) however I believe that they have no
gymnastics program there. I was wondering if anyone on the list either
goes to CMU and can give me more information, or lives in Pittsburgh and
could tell me about nearby (perferably walking distance) gymns. I would
like to go there a great deal, and I would prefer it if I could
participate in gymnastics while there. They seem weel equipped in every
other way, but someone really should mention this flaw to them ;).

Thanks.
------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 23:34:17 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Gymnastics Coverage / Commentators

I'd have to agree with everyone else's comments on the poor coverage by ABC.
While they did show a little bit of the Romanians and Chinese on TBS, it was
far too little.
Also, Kathy Johnson drives me nuts! She is completely obsessed with toe
point, although she was more restrained than usual today. Also, when a
gymnast makes a mistake, she'll rarely say what exactly what went wrong. For
example, when Shannon missed her double layout on bars she simple fawned over
Shannon and how incredible it was that she pulled it around (which is true)
but she never said why she had a problem.
Actually, there's a second purpose to this note. My father is interviewing
Tim Dagget next week. He (my father, not Dagget) writes for the Insider
section of TV Guide among other things and he'll be writing on the US
Nationals (the articles have to be written many weeks before they're actually
published). It's not yet certain who will cover the meet with Dagget. It may
be Elfie Schlegal - I usually butcher her name - but that isn't definite yet.
I was wondering who you'd like to see be the female anaylst? Also, what do
you think of Dagget? I personally think he's the best one out there. Bart is
pretty good too, but he's paired with Kathy "Toe Point" Johnson, so that sort
of colors my perception of him. I like Elfie, too. She's not awful. But I
think Tim does fine on his own. True, he gets far too excited sometimes, and
he definitely has phrases he uses too much like "Shades of Kim Zmeskal!" But
overall he's pretty good.
What do you all think?
Lee :)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 02:22:37 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Henrich

First off let me say that I have the utmost repsect for Christy and my heart
goes out to her family and friends.

There really is no "light" side to this tradgedy but the San Jose News
headline read "Gymnast Henrich *Ties* At 22"

Not really "funny" but I thought we needed something at least vaguely amusing
to bighten up our mailboxes. Rather ironic considering her '89 Bars finish
(no way Silivas deserved a 10.0 for that ... nice Stalders do not a routine
make)

Susan

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 1994 19:49:27 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: Henrich's funeral

Notes on Henrich's funeral, from an AP wire story:

-It was at St. Mary's Catholic Church today (Friday, 7/29/94). About
250 people attended.

-Joseph Moreno, her fiance of four years: "Besides being a gymnast,
Christy was an artist, a decorator and a wonderful cook, although her
favorite hobby was shopping. Despite everything you have heard, please
believe that she loved life, she loved living... Please remember the
wonderful person that she was, not the disease that took her away."

-More Moreno, about Christy's parents "Know this -- Sandy and Paul
loved and cherished their daughter. They did everything they could
for her."

-Some lyrics from "I Believe in You," a song he wrote for Henrich last
year when she appeared to be beating the eating disordrees.

A product of our country
Pushed too far
You've got to be Extra-Tough, little lady,
Now look this way and grin.
Remember to hold your head up high,
And hold the pain within;
Survival on desire
Until it did you in.
So much regret;
After all we've been through,
I still believe in you.

The Rev. Chuck Tobin, a family friend, said the diseases were "a
raging fire that seemed to control not only her body, but to take over
her very person." He also said she was: "number one as a woman, a
daughter, a fiancee and a friend... This disease can nibble at the
heart of the family. You can always think, `I could have done more, I
could have been there more.' But you are called to grieve, and then to
stand up and say no to the guilt. You are called to say `I will go
on, I will run the good race, too.'"

Tobin also said Moreno wrote a letter to President Clinton, who is
visting Independence, Missourri, on Saturday to push health care
reform. The letter asked Clinton to help Americans fight all
addictions. Tobin: "Will we simply look back and say `What a shame,
what a waste?' Why can't we learn about all the addictions, why can't
we learn from this family, who has so much to tell us?"

Tobin told Moreno he should celebrate his "wedding covenant" with
Henrich, and that "I know the loss is great. But that sickness no
longer has any control over her. ... She can now eat and drink at the
living banquet."

Henrich was buried after a brief ceremony at St. Mary's Catholic
Cemetery in Independence.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 31 Jul 94 00:02:00 UTC
From: ***@genie.geis.com
Subject: Henrich/Bulimia/etc.

What sad news about Christy Henrich. ( I don't log on often, so I am a
bit behind the times.) It is a senseless and tragic death.
I don't believe that Christy Henrich was the first gymnast to die from
bulemia. I recall that years ago ('76, '80 or earlier) a gymnast was
supposed to be demonstrating the new compulsories at the National Symposium,
but instead she was in Los Angeles dying of anorexia/bulemia. I vaguely
recall that her name was Donna or Diane ???
The pervasiveness of bulemia in gymnastics is debatable. When some
artistic judges worked a Rythmic meet here, we were shocked at the bodies of
those girls. When we commented on the possiblity of anorexia we were
repelled with blatant denial and comments about "that is how they have to be
to compete internationally." Some of these girls were shockingly thin.
I wonder whether the responsiblity for anorexia/bulemia lies in the
sport or in the mind-set of the person in the sport. Anorexia/bulemia is
not just the domain of gymnastics. Recent literature has connected
anorexia/bulemia to depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I read
recently that a study has shown success in treating it with Depakote
(generic valproic acid).
Oddly enough, I had seen this work last fall. A friend who was being
treated for depression and OCD was also mildly bulemic. When the doctor
changed the meds to include valporic acid, the bulemic behavior stopped. I
never connected the two until I read this research study. Tragically, this
information is too late to help Christy Henrich, but perhaps it will help
someone else. While medicine is not the only solution for the emotional
problems of anorexia/bulemia, at least it can keep the person alive while
they work it out.
The other factor that cannot be ignored is the type of coach that is
insensitive and insulting. Bela Karolyi is not the only one. I have seen
plenty of them on the lower levels of gymnastics. Hopefully, the USAG
educational programs will have some effect. Otherwise it is entirely up to
the parents to protect their child from a negative environment. They have
to share some of the responsiblity for continuing to put their child in an
emotionally dangerous situation. Parents often ask me for recommendations
for coaches and I often recommend coaches in their area that will not make
their child an Olympian, but will make her feel like one. That seems a lot
more important to me. But, I am still amazed that some parents will keep
their child with an abusive coach (and not a very good coach at that!)
rather than move them to a different club or change sports.

Kathleen

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 22:39:37 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Jennie Thompson

Kathy Johnson made a good point in regards to the US Gymnastics 'community'
putting excessive expectations on Jennie Thompson.

'94 and '95 *should* be learning years for Jennie. Perhaps it is even better
for her not to get too much attention yet.

Shannon Miller is a good example. Up through the '91 Nationals, she was
known for high difficulty but major consistency problems. IMHO, being in the
'91 Worlds made the difference. Supposedly, the same is true of Daniela
Silivas at '85 Worlds.

Btw, THANK YOU TBS!!!! (for actually showing the 'other group')

Mara

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Jul 94 21:43:38 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Karolyi On Henrich

Via the AP wires and Jim Litke's column ...

Note: I found this the exact sort of thing that gives the public the wrong
idea about gymanstics in general. Youth athletes does not equal evil
dictators in sport ... though they do obviously occur. These gymnasts are not
"normal" kids in any sense of the world. They are - for the most part -
driven and insanely singular mided little girls. This article says what
we've all heard before "that coaches pressure kids to be champions" While I
have no doubt that some coaches push kids to hard the champions we see want
it *BAD* ... their reasons may not be all that mentally sound but they do
want it. You can not "force" someone into greatness. End of sermon.

Susan

PS-I hope Karoyli chokes on his own BS!

PPS- I have removed the much re-hashed and rather gory details of Christy's
demise.

-They perform at the Olympics every four years: wisps of girls, smaller than
the apparatus they work on, trying always to be smaller still. What happens
to them in between the Games is often ignored. For most of the last
half-dozen years of her life, gymnast Christy Henrich was one of those girls.
Away from the spotlight her life became a spiraling descent, a desperate
quest to disappear.

-On Tuesday, two years removed from top-flight competition but still beset by
the twin demons of anorexia nervosa and bulimia -- starvation and vomiting
whatever food is eaten -- Henrich succeeded in the saddest way imaginable.

-Two years ago, the U.S. women's team averaged 16 years old and 83 pounds.
During that same span, the TV audience that gymnastics pulls in has swelled
in inverse proportion. If we demand age limits on competition, we'll get
them. It's not enough simply to blame an athlete's parents or coaches or
agents, or even a sport's administrators for allowing kids to get hurt -- or
worse -- providing entertainment for a grownup audience. After all, they are
only taking their cues from the rest of us.

-Whatever else it has done, Henrich's death has thrown into stark relief once
more the paradox we have allowed women's sports like gymnastics and figure
skating to become: pressure-packed enterprises driven by huge dollars and an
insatiable appetite for younger, smaller, cuter competitors to chew up and
spit out.

- [Karolyi] "My immediate reaction is that it's a personal tragedy, a social
tragedy, a tragedy for our sport, but not the first one,"

- [Karolyi again] "Who is to blame? I do not want to point my finger
specifically, because in this case there is a victim. "Instead I will ask:
Who is it drives these girls so, that turns them into tools in order to
collect such rewards? What kind of society tells girls they must be skinny to
the point of craziness, then pushes these weight-loss programs to cheat
people and push them into such a frenzy? "Who is it," he asked, "that creates
the Jennifer Capriatis and the others who run away from sport and turn into
monsters while they are still young girls?"

-Karolyi said society as a whole should take some of the blame for Henrich's
death.

- Karolyi excluded himself from the long list of suspects. However, stories
abound about how Karolyi would taunt pupils about being fat, about how some
of the girls at his academy sensed their usefulness ended at about the same
time their figures began to ripen.

-Too conveniently, perhaps, Karolyi appears to have excluded himself from the
long list of suspects in this instance. Certainly, he and his peers are not
blameless.

- But it's not just the coaches, judges and other officials that athletes
are under pressure to please. It is the rest of us who demand to be dazzled
by ever-tighter, ever-more reckless circles, somersaults, jumps and spins.
The rest of us who prize precociousness and femininity in increasingly
smaller packages that can be neatly tied off with ribbons and smiles spanned
by braces.

- [More Bela] "I have believed for a long time that there is an optimal age
for these girls, but it is not the same for all of them, Of course, a small
body performs some maneuvers easier than a taller one. But it's a natural
phenomenon that strength and grace should increase with age, also.

- [Karolyi]"In my own experience, two of the best students I ever had, Mary
Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci, had to go through puberty and it made a very
specific mark of time on their bodies. But they kept their weight [Nadia's
weight "steady"???? ... this is about as accurate as his autobio] and their
temperament steady. That shows me it is not always a problem to be in top
form. And so, myself, I would not discourage anybody, no matter what is
involved, from seeking their opportunity."




------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 21:09:46 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: List of AA & EF Qualifiers???

Does anyone have a list of AA and/or EF qualifiers?

Mara

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 19:53:44 BST
From: ***@ic.ac.uk
Subject: Michelle Campi


> Two 1992 Olympic gymnastic medalists, Dominique Dawes and Michelle Campi
> [huh?], will be joined by 120 of the nation's top female gymnasts in
> competition for the national title.

Ha. As far as I know, Michelle Campi returned to the gym to 'train' for
the first time last week since the accident. She said she did a glide kip
on her first day back, and logically she's going to take things slowly to
ease back into the swing of things. She said her back was sore but was
holding up well.

Sherwin

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 1994 05:56:35 -0700
From: <***@pollux.usc.edu>
Subject: More Henrich Info (from the Chicago Tribune)

Susan posts:

----
-U.S. Olympian Cathy Rigby twice went into cardiac arrest. Christy Phillips
slit her wrists in a failed suicide attempt. Olympians Cathy Johnson, Nadia
Comaneci and former Bela Karolyi student Erica Stokes have all battled the
disease.
====

Is it a female problem? Have there been (famous atheles or otherwise)
males with Anorexia? There must be but perhaps it predominantly
afflicts women compared to men.

Anil.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 14:12:52 BST
From: ***@axion.bt.co.uk
Subject: More Henrich Info (from the Chicago Tribune)

>Is it a female problem? Have there been (famous
atheles or otherwise)
>males with Anorexia? There must be but perhaps it predominantly
>afflicts women compared to men.

Surprisingly enough Dennis Quaid (the famous actor) admitted
the other day he had sufferred from Anorexia. He had decided
to lose some weight for his part in the film 'Wyatt Earp'
but he still thought he was too fat and he just kept
losing weight.
Eventually he realised that he weighed less than he did
when he was a teenager and so he began putting on weight again.

Clive

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 21:27:50 PDT
From: ***@eworld.com
Subject: More Info on Henrich

Why is it that Karolyi's comments in rachele's last post remind one eerily of
some soviet spin-doctor explaining that the USSR's invasion of Afganistan was
a tragedy, but one brought upon not by the invader, but by the world
situation as a whole?

On advice of my attorney, I will leave it at that.

David

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 02:49:12 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Non-Goodwill Gym On TV

ESPN is replaying it's coverage of the Peachtree Club Int'l Invite that took
palce Feb. 11 '94 in Atlanta. It airs on Tuesday (the 2nd. of Aug.) at 1 AM
PDT.

Susan

Hmm... as I type this it's 10 AM in St. Petersburg and the women's team comp.
is getting under way. The fact that I know this doesn't mean that I'm
obssessed does it. Nah ... couldn't be ;-)

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 17:19:38 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: Proposed NCAA Women's Changes

To All:
It had been asked what the other regional sites are for the 1995 Women's
NCAA gymnastics season. They are University of Michigan, University of
Nebraska, Towson State and Oregon Sate. The Northeast regional site has not
yet been chosen.
--- Ronald

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 14:36:50 -0500 (CDT)
From: <***@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: Results: GG, Women's team

>From the AP wire, the results of the Women's Team Competition at the
Goodwill Games:

Team
1, Russia (Oksana Fabrichnova, Yelena Grosheva, Dina Kochetkova, Svetlana
Khorkina), 117.375 points.
2, Romania (Ionela Loaies, Andreea Cacovean, Angela Ghimpu, Ana Mariya
Bikan), 116.000.
3, Ukraine (Tatyana Malaya, Irina Bulakhova, Oksana Knizhnik, Liliya
Podkopyeva), 115.650.
4, United States (Marianna Webster, Joplin, Mo.; Soni Meduna, Colon, Mo.;
Jennie Thompson, Wichita Falls, Texas; Shannon Miller, Edmund, Okla.), 115.375.
5, China (Fun Dinli, Chzhan Li, Lo Li, Din Yui), 112.650.
6, Spain (Veronica Castro, Elisabet Romero, Mercedes Pacheco, Monica
Martin),
111.275.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 23:27:36 EDT
From: <***@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: TBS coverage

Well it certainly was better than ABC's!! (But I guess that isn't too hard
to accomplish...). It was funny, it almost seemed as if they'd read the gymn
posts - suddenly we started to hear the names of vaults, and lo and behold,
there were the Romanians, the Chinese, the Spanish and the individuals (true,
not the most thorough coverage of them, but at least we SAW them). And I was
very pleased to see that someone from TBS managed to find an announcer who
pronounced the Russians' names right :). It was during the little "up close and
personal" piece on the Russian girls. He got EVERY name right!! Now, Bart and
Kathy, why weren't you listening? For that matter, I found it very amusing
after Knizhnik's bar routine, you can very clearly hear the Russian announcer
introducing Dina Kochetkova on vault (and obviously pronouncing her name
correctly), and 3 seconds later either Kathy or Bart pronounced it wrong! Can't
they hear the announcer in the arena? I really don't think you need to know
Russian to be able to pick out the names. I mean, I don't speak any Japanese,
but when I watch tapes from Japanese TV I can pick out the names. Oh well...
It's too bad they cut away from Kuznetsova's beam; I would have loved to see a
replay of that cool move she did (and a score would have been nice too...) But,
then, I wonder who has control of the camera and what routines are shown?
Anyway, though it had its flaws, TBS's coverage beats ABC's by a MILE. I was
very happy they showed all the Russian girls on floor, and 2 of the 3 Romanians
who did floor. I am rather mystified by Shannon's score, though. Now I AM a fan
of hers and really like to see her do well, but I don't quite understand how
she could outscore the Russians, especially Khorkina, when her tumbling was
nowhere near as difficult. If this meet were being held in the US, I'd get it,
but this is happening in RUSSIA! Very odd...
Since you've all probably gathered I have an obsession with Russian names,
I thought I'd pass on what some of them actually mean. "Knizhnik" means a
Biblical scribe or a lover of books (it comes from the word "kniga" = "book").
"Fabrichnova" comes from "fabrika" = "factory," or the adjective "fabrichny,"
meaning "factory-made" or "having to do with a factory," or (as a noun)
"factory worker." "Grosheva" I assume comes from "grosh," which means "half aa
kopek," "penny" or "farthing," - basically something not worth much. Not too
appropriate for Elena, that's for sure! "Podkopayeva" I am guessing comes from
the verb "podkopat," which means "to sap" or "to undermine." "Malaya" is the
adjective "small" - well, that one seems to fit okay! A "kochet" is a
"rooster," but I don't know for sure if that's the source of the name
"Kochetkova," but it seems plausible. The other names (Khorkina, Bulakhova), I
don't know the source of. Anyway, I found some of these slightly amusing, so
just thought I'd pass them along. They aren't quite as funny as "Gorbachev,"
which means "hunchback," or "Khrushchev," which is "a large European beetle."
What names for the USSR's former leaders to have! But my all-time favorite
Russian surname has to be "Vnebrakov," which means, literally,
"out-of-wedlock." How'd you like to be saddled with a name like that! (I don't
know of any gymnasts with that name, but there is a Russian politician named
that - I can imagine the jokes during his election campaign!) Well, that's it
for the Russian trivia. If any of the men competitors have funny names, I'll
post them later this week.
Anyone know why Chusovitina is competing and Galieva isn't? Or why Belarus
didn't send a full team? (They had one in Brisbane.) Just curious.
Beth

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 12:34:41 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: UNIVISION broadcasts before ABC

On the west coast, at least, Univision will be broadcasting the Goodwill
gymnastics an hour before ABC will. It will be broadcast in Spanish, of
course (according to TV Host, an unreliable source) :).

La viga de equilibrio es ancho cuatro pulgada: Translation: the beam is
four inches wide :> (Well, it's close, anyway. I don't really know much
Spanish.)

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 02:03:32 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: US Goodwill Games TV Schedule

Remember all times are EDT ...

SATURDAY, JULY 30 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Boxing Finals; Track and field: Men's and
Women's Relays, Men's Triple Jump, Decathlon; Wrestling Finals; Gymnastics
Preview

SATURDAY, JULY 30 - ABC, 3:30 PM: Triathlon; Women's Gymnastics, Team
Competition; Boxing Finals; Wrestling Finals; Women's Volleyball, USA Game

SATURDAY, JULY 30 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Triathlon; Women's Gymnastics, Team
Competition; Boxing Finals; Wrestling Finals; Women's Volleyball, USA Game

SUNDAY, JULY 31 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Triathlon; Women's Gymnastics, Team
Competition; Boxing Finals; Wrestling Finals; Women's Volleyball, USA Game

SUNDAY, JULY 31 - ABC, 2:30 PM: Men's Team Cycling; Women's Gymnastics,
All-Around Competition; Women's Volleyball, USA Game; Wrestling, Bruce
Baumgartner

SUNDAY, JULY 31 - TBS, 9:05 PM: Men's Team Cycling; Women's Gymnastics,
All-Around Competition; Women's Volleyball, USA Game; Wrestling, Bruce
Baumgartner

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Men's Team Cycling; Women's Gymnastics,
All-Around Competition; Women's Volleyball, USA Game; Wrestling, Bruce
Baumgartner

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Women's Gymnastics Finals; Women's
Volleyball, USA Game; Women's Cycling; Synchronized Swimming Finals

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Women's Gymnastics Finals; Women's
Volleyball, USA Game; Women's Cycling; Synchronized Swimming Finals

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Women's Three-Meter Springboard Diving
Competition; Men's Gymnastics, All-Around Competition; Short Track
Speedskating

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Women's Three-Meter Springboard
Diving Competition; Men's Gymnastics, All-Around Competition; Short Track
Speedskating

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Men's Gymnastics, All-Around
Competition; Men's Pairs and Technical Figure Skating; Women's Volleyball
Semifinals; Figure Skating, Ice Dancing Compulsories

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Men's Gymnastics, All-Around
Competition; Men's Pairs and Technical Figure Skating; Women's Volleyball
Semifinals; Figure Skating, Ice Dancing Compulsories

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Men's Gymnastic Finals; Men's One-Meter
Springboard Diving; Figure Skating, Women's Technical Program, Ice Dancing
Original Program

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Men's Gymnastic Finals; Men's One-Meter
Springboard Diving; Figure Skating, Women's Technical Program, Ice Dancing
Original Program

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Figure Skating Pairs Competition; Men's
Gymnastics Apparatus Finals; Men's Three-Meter Springboard Diving; Woman's
Volleyball, Gold Medal Match

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Figure Skating Pairs Competition; Men's
Gymnastics Apparatus Finals; Men's Three-Meter Springboard Diving; Woman's
Volleyball, Gold Medal Match

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 - ABC, 4:30 PM: Women's Figure Skating Free Program;
Gymnastics Mixed-Team Apparatus Competition; Women's One-Meter Springboard
and 10M Platform Diving Competition; Women's Basketball Semifinals; Rowing

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Women's Figure Skating Free Program;
Gymnastics Mixed-Team Apparatus Competition; Women's One-Meter Springboard
and 10M Platform Diving Competition; Women's Basketball Semifinals; Rowing

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Women's Figure Skating Free Program;
Gymnastics Mixed-Team Apparatus Competition; Women's One-Meter Springboard
and 10M Platform Diving Competition; Women's Basketball Semifinals; Rowing

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 - ABC, 1:30 PM: Men's 10-Meter Platform Diving Finals;
Figure Skating Champions Exhibition; Gymnastics Mixed-Team Finals; Soccer;
Ice
Dancing Finals; Women's Basketball, Gold Medal Match; Rowing; Closing
Ceremonies

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Men's 10-Meter Platform Diving Finals;
Figure
Skating Champions Exhibition; Gymnastics Mixed-Team Finals; Soccer; Ice
Dancing
Finals; Women's Basketball, Gold Medal Match; Rowing; Closing Ceremonies

MONDAY, AUGUST 7 - TBS, 12:05 AM: Men's 10-Meter Platform Diving Finals;
Figure Skating Champions Exhibition; Gymnastics Mixed-Team Finals; Soccer;
Ice
Dancing Finals; Women's Basketball, Gold Medal Match; Rowing; Closing
Ceremonies

-posted by Susan

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 02:04:39 EDT
From: ***@aol.com
Subject: US Goodwill Games TV Schedule

Oops and one more ...

FRIDAY, JULY 29 - TBS, 8:05 PM: Boxing Finals; Track and field: Men's and
Women's Relays, Men's Triple Jump, Decathlon; Wrestling Finals; Gymnastics
Preview

-posted by Susan

------------------------------

End of gymn Digest
******************************