GYMN-L Digest - 4 Mar 1995 to 5 Mar 1995

There are 9 messages totalling 356 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. UB question (2)
  2. Highbar profile
  3. Intro
  4. Shannon quote ?
  5. #27 Pan Am Games Trivia Quiz
  6. your comments
  7. replies to American Cup stuff
  8. Lots of stuff

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 00:30:31 -0800
From:    ***@ENG.SUN.COM
Subject: UB question

This is something that I started wondering about while watching the
American Cup today (extra credit for those who spotted Nancy and
Rachele.  Guess you'd have to know when to look and whom to look for!)

Here's my question.  I know (or think I know) that there is no dorsal
grip requirement in the women's code of points.  But the announcer
always makes a big deal about it when one of the girls does an invert
giant.  What kind of scoring incentive is there for someone to do this?
Is it a difficult skill on uneven bars?  It seems like the girls are
for the most part flexible enough.  How come it's not done more often?

Okay, *three* questions. ;^)

-George

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 00:34:45 -0800
From:    ***@ENG.SUN.COM
Subject: Highbar profile

In honor of John Roethlesberger, who had what I thought was a very
elegant highbar routine, here's a profile (skill-name corrections
actively encouraged!)


back uprise
free hip
wrong-way Endo
1/2 pirouette
wrong-way Endo (to mixed grip)
pirouette (to dorsal grip - is there a real name for this sequence?)
eagle giant
1/2 pirouette
giant
giant
hop full
giant
hop full
one-armed giant (3)
Gienger (straddled)
Finne stem (I love these!)
Endo
front double (tucked) over the bar with 1-1/2 twists
Stoi...

Nice sequences, I thought.  I like the way he fills the invert
requirement.  You hardly notice he's in that position, as opposed
to the usual manner which is usually a jam-dislocate, which is
cool, but it's nice to see variations.

-George

p.s. It's funny how Roethlesberger's scathing criticism of the press
reported by Rachele was reduced on TV to "You said the American men and
you don't get any respect..."  Gymnastics is such a funny sport!  Not
that there's a direct comparison, (though I'll make one anyway ;^) but
TV would jump at the chance to broadcast a key football player talking
trash about the press, not have Hannah Storm paraphrase, "Now, Deion,
in this morning's press conference you expressed disappointment that
the sports writers have not been as duly appreciative of your
versatility on the gridiron as you might have hoped..."

Guess you hear it all on gymn... ;^)

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 10:15:56 -0500
From:    ***@MINERVA.CIS.YALE.EDU>
Subject: Re: UB question

On Sun, 5 Mar 1995, George wrote:

> Here's my question.  I know (or think I know) that there is no dorsal
> grip requirement in the women's code of points.  But the announcer
> always makes a big deal about it when one of the girls does an invert
> giant.  What kind of scoring incentive is there for someone to do this?
> Is it a difficult skill on uneven bars?  It seems like the girls are
> for the most part flexible enough.  How come it's not done more often?

The short answers:

1)  The incentive?  It's a D.  If she's fulfilled her other requirements,
she can get 0.1 bonus for each.  Plus 0.2 connection bonus regardless if she
does two in a row, plus more connection bonus if she has other C's, D's,
or E's combined with them.

2)  Is it a difficult skill to do on UB?  Yes.

3)  Now the long answer:
Most of the girls are flexible enough to get into the position (like the
old eagle hang), but I think not strong enough to stay in it through a
giant swing.  Differences from HB are the size of the bar (girls can't
wrap their hands all the way around; makes it harder to hang on) and the
space between the bars (can't stay stretched the whole way around; makes
you lose momentum), and it's harder to get into the position in the
first place.  At least from a jam, I think because of the strength it
takes to do it well enough to get into a position where you're vertical
enough to get the momentum to get all the way around.  Might not be as
hard strength-wise to change into the grip in a handstand like Powell
does, but I think it takes more flexibility.  Anyway, nobody take this
as gospel (like you ever do) because I never did one; I'm just
extrapolating from what I do know.

:)
Adriana

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 10:46:00 -0400
From:    ***@GEMS.VCU.EDU
Subject: Intro

        Hi!  I'm new here.  My name is Christina, I'm just a lowly
high school student living at home with my parents (and counting the
days until college, believe me).
        I did gymnastics for 10 years (4-14), but never got very far.
I stopped at Level 7 Optional, because I was bored and I needed a
change.  Now, I've been away from it for almost 3 years, and I've
started to miss it. 8-(  I haven't really been following very closely
during that time, but I'd love to catch up on the up-and-comers, and
what's been happening during my "leave of absence".
        In the future, I'd like to be involved in gymnastics in some
way, either coaching or judging.
                                        Christina

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 13:43:49 -0500
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Shannon quote ?

During the American Cup profile on Shannon, the reporter asked her what she
thought about those who said her gymnastics career was almost over.  Shannon
said something like, "That's what they said at last year's Nationals, and I
came back this year and won."  What is she talking about?  1995 Nationals are
in August.

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 17:15:12 -0500
From:    ***@AOL.COM
Subject: #27 Pan Am Games Trivia Quiz

Ok Gymners, time for PAN AM GAMES TRIVIA [cheers from the assembled crowd..]

Thanks for questions to:

#1, 7-Julius
#2, 5, 6, 8, 9-Adriana
#3-Julius & Adriana
#4-Brian

Enjoy!!!

Mara
*********
1.  Which female gymnast at the 1991 Pan Ams won the apparatus  gold medal in
the same event that cost her the AA title?  Which apparatus?

2.  What man who competed at four Pan Am Games finished in the top two
all-around three consecutive times?

3.  Which gymnast won the only gold in the women's event NOT won by a US
gymnast in '87?

4. Which 1991 gold medalist is now a star at Alabama?

5.  A question of perspective . . . Which gymnast placed surprisingly close
to the medals at 4th all-around at Indianapolis '87 and four years later in
Cuba placed disappointingly out of the medals at 4th all-around again?

6.  Who scored a rare Pan Am 10.0 on PB at the '91 Games in Cuba?

7.  Which gymnast who had never finished any lower than 3rd in any US
Nationals failed to qualify top 3 for AA finals?  At which games did this
occur?

8.  When was the first time the Puerto Rican and Cuban flags, which are the
same but with the colors reversed, hung next to each other at Pan Ams?

9.  Who was the first female gymnast to throw a double back at Pan Ams?

10.  A gymnast at Indianapolis '87 unknowingly competed while ill.  Who was
it and what was the ailment, and how did the gymnast find out?

And our special bonus question from a twisted member of Gymn [who shall
remain nameless - you know who you are...]

Bonus:  He has the best skintone in the world...

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 19:59:14 -0500
From:    ***@WAM.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: your comments

Adriana,

I have some comments on one of your latest posts :

Here's one of your statemets on Eileen Diaz :

>On a personal note, I
>find it very weird and discomforting to see a girl I've never met
>compete on my team.

I don't understand your position...i'm pretty sure you competed for
puerto rico but are you trying to say that you actually know every
member of there team since you stopped competing? What is so
discomforting about the fact that you don't know her?????

Here is another comment you made:

3) Nyeste reminds Elfi of Onodi?!  The resemblance escapes me...except
maybe for the usual hyperextended Hungarian elbows...

Actually i missed the intro and even before elfi said it i made a mental
comment that the movements reminded me of Onodi.


One last comment were  you the one who referred to the american cup
as the scAM cup? if so what was the reasoning...i've seen the telecasts
for the past couple of years and i haven't really seen a contender
other that a US women who should have won. Perhaps you can fill
me in on a particular instance. OUt of curiosity are the judges
only from the US for this event?????

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 21:49:09 -0500
From:    ***@DELPHI.COM
Subject: replies to American Cup stuff

Replies regarding American Cup comments/questions:

Adriana:
> Did I see wrong, or did she [Dolgopolova] do
> the exact same series of handspring layout front-full twice?...really

Yes -- she began with a double layout, then had a high piked full-in,
and then had two passes of front handspring, layout front-full.

> 2) Eileen Diaz having dual citizenship.  Is it possible that an announcer is
> so uninformed as not to know that Puerto Ricans are US citizens?

It's not the announcer's fault really... the bio that was
distributed by USA Gymnastics says "Both of Diaz's parents
are Puerto Rican, and she has dual citizenship... in 1994,
she decided to compete for Puerto Rico and won their
National Championships... now Diaz competes in U.S National
competitions for experience only."  Her previous international
experience is listed as the 1992 International Junior
Invitational and the 1991 Copa International.

> 3) Nyeste reminds Elfi of Onodi?!  The resemblance escapes me...except

Well, I didn't hear the announcer say this, as the others on
press row, and more than one of us also noted the resemblance.

George:
> American Cup today (extra credit for those who spotted Nancy and
> Rachele.  Guess you'd have to know when to look and whom to look for!)

And Susan S., Beth S., David Michaels, Lani, John Courtney,
Debbie Poe... all Gymners that I know were within fifteen
feet of me.

> hop full
> giant
> hop full
> one-armed giant (3)
> Gienger (straddled)

Not sure about that... I have "hop full, hop full to one arm,
one-arm giant, one-arm  pirrouetting giant, one-arm Jaeger
(regrasp with two hands)".  Can anyone check the tape...
if not, I'll see what I can find out.

> thought about those who said her gymnastics career was almost over.  Shannon
> said something like, "That's what they said at last year's Nationals, and I
> came back this year and won."  What is she talking about?  1995 Nationals are
> in August.

Many think of American Classic as the re-ranking nationals
for the women.  At Classic, she made a comment that she came
in "second last year" and so was happy to win ... except she
didn't come in second the year before at the American Classic.
She was only doing exhibition.  Her reference to "second last
year" at that time was a reference to the 1994 Nationals.
When she said she came back this year and won, that is a
reference to her 1st place at the American Classic.

> referred to the american cup
> as the scAM cup? if so what was the reasoning...i've seen the telecasts
> for the past couple of years and i haven't really seen a contender
> other that a US women who should have won. Perhaps you can fill
> me in on a particular instance. OUt of curiosity are the judges
> only from the US for this event?????

Some people refer to the American Cup as the ScAm Cup
because over the history of the event, Americans have almost
always won the women's and quite often the men's, and not
everyone agrees with the results.  (For instance, we've already
heard at least two opinions that Bican should have won over
Powell.)

Judges: for the women, there were 5 USA judges, and then
one each from: SWE, ROM, CAN, LUX, AUS, MEX, UKR.  For the
men, there were 11 USA men and then one from GER.

Rachele

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Date:    Sun, 5 Mar 1995 20:59:33 -0600
From:    ***@TTACS.TTU.EDU
Subject: Lots of stuff

First off I have a few questions:

1.Does anyone know how or what injury Dominique Dawes has suffered?

2.Can anyone describe the following skill to me:
        -Rulfova on beam-is it a full twisting straddle down?  If so why was it
         named this?
        -Shaposhnikova om bars
        -Chanae turn(sp) in the new compulsary floor

Also, I too watched the American Cup this weekend and was very disappointed
in the scoring for Ana Maria Bican on floor.  Part of the scoring may be the
last time I saw her compete was at the Goodwill Games and I must say she is
much improved from then.  Could it be these judges saw her then and therefor
did not expect such woulderful routines from her?  Or is it just the biased
judging?  I realize it is difficult to not be biased, but I think the Floor
scores from American Cup were far more than just the averaged biased you see.

Misti

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End of GYMN-L Digest - 4 Mar 1995 to 5 Mar 1995
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