GYMN-L Digest - 15 May 1995 to 16 May 1995
There
are 13 messages totalling 389 lines in this
issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Pathetic Greedy Authors (4)
2. Moceanu
USOC Athlete of the Month
3. Mirela Barbalata
4. RESULTS OF RHYTHMIC WESTERN QUALIFIERS
5. schools
6. Recreational Gymnastics Job
Openings
7. Bank ad...
8. Mary Lou in PEOPLE
9. book
bashing
10. USAG announces
Women's Collegiate coordinators
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 23:11:03
-0400
From: ***@POSTOFFICE4.MAIL.CORNELL.EDU
Subject:
Re: Pathetic Greedy Authors
> I shall conclude by saying that
whoever bothered to write this evil book
> is
both pathetic and greedy. This book
is a sure seller, and will
> certainly be a
cash cow for a lot of people, for many years to come.
> Give the people
dirt, and they'll eat it up. It's
too bad that this blow
> to our sport will be
the result of a complete misrepresentation. How
> unfortunate
that some greedy author will capitalize upon the deadly
> combination of the media's power and people's love of dirty
laundry...
>
> Yet another person's 2 cents,
>
> Tige Young
>
On a tangental
note, isn't the other part of this book on figure skating?
It's interesting
that that sport can suddenly have a major controversy (you
know what I'm talking about) and suddenly have an upsurge of
interest, while
there's now an increase in
mudslinging at gymnastics and no one's there to
make
a defense, fans and participants not included. I don't think I've seen
too many pro-gymnastics editorial columns.
This
is probably my last post before I leave school, and convenient e-mail
service, for the summer. It's been a very interesting few months,
and
you're all very nice, polite people. See you in September...
--
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 21:02:47
-0600
From: ***@RMII.COM
Subject:
Moceanu USOC Athlete of the Month
Dominique Moceanu was named April's USOC Athlete of the Month for
her
"come from behind" victory at the
VISA Challenge. There was a
guy
named also (they always name a guy and a girl)
but I forget who --
something liike
a swimmer or a wrestler... =)
Rachele
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 00:01:52
-0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject:
Re: Pathetic Greedy Authors
Ever since broaching (or re-broaching, as
it were) this topic, I have watched
the thoughtful
discourse that has come across my computer screen. In my
initial
post, I did all that I could to keep from launching into a tirade
about the book. My hope was to hear other opinions first,
then add my own to
the fray.
The damage,
whatever it will be, is coming. What is important from our
perspective is to begin damage control before the book
actually finds its way
onto the shelves.
First,
we need to get the facts and be prepared to refute the books premises
and conclusions. Obviously, the book is nothing short of
sensationalism. It
should be a rather simple
matter to blunt the blow the book will deliver by
simple
preponderance of evidence. Since I would hardly expect the USAG to be
exactly gifted with forethought themselves, we should get
them to provide
statistics and unbiased sources of
information refuting the book at once.
Second, the source should be
discredited. IMHO Ms. Ryan is no higher on the
evolutionary
ladder than the protozoa who write for the gossip rags. It
should be pointed out that this woman is hardly an expert
and chose to do the
absolute minimum research for
the absolute maximum effect, in the hopes of
earning
some quick cash, some national attention, and improving the prospects
of what must have been a rather disappointing career.
Third,
there should be a quiet but honest admission that there are problems
and bad apples in gymnastics, as there are in any sport, but
that we are
constantly taking steps both to
minimize the effect they can have on children
and
to responsibly improve the sport. This would make Ryan look like, if not
the boy who cried wolf, certainly a modern equivalent of
Chicken Little.
Fourth, to the greatest extent possible, we should
ignore the whole thing,
according it the
non-attention that it deserves. Ignore it, and it will go
away.
Fifth and finally, Ms. Ryan has made it her
crusade to end gymnastics in the
United States. I would suggest that it is
within our power to, if not end,
certainly put a
dent in her journalistic career by discrediting her as a
journalist.
Lets tear this book apart, factoid by factoid, and present the
statistics in an unbiased way. The USAG cannot lead the way
on this, because
they will be seen to be defending
themselves. We must do this on our own.
Suggestions?
David
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 01:13:10
-0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject:
Mirela Barbalata
>One
of the guests was Mirela Schreyer (nee
Barbalata), who
took this photo [of Agache and Carnay].
Didn't
Barbalata compete thru '85 Universiade?
Mara
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 01:57:12
-0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject:
RESULTS OF RHYTHMIC WESTERN QUALIFIERS
TOP 4
Senoirs:
1.
Lori Fredrickson
2. Lireil Higa
3.
Tina Tharp/Missy McElroy
4. Sara Seiber
***
Tamara Levinson the current national champion has "officailly"
retired.
(as announced by her coach Catherine Yacmovich)***
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 07:06:00
UTC
From: ***@GENIE.GEIS.COM
Subject:
schools
Chris asked about Div. I schools with good science and
engineering
departments.
Dear Chris,
I am a collegiate judge and
a mother of teens who is keeping her eyes
open
about college these days. I have
judged all of the teams I am
mentioning plus, I
have been on all of the campuses except Santa Barbara.
(However, I have
been to Santa Barbara, and it is gorgeous.)
I think David's suggestion
of U. C. Santa Barbara was an excellent one.
Although, I think their new
coach, Randi Lane, would like to consider his
program
a little more than low-key. Another
school to consider would be U.
C. Davis. I think they
are Division II, however, there is a medical
school
at the campus. I am not sure of their rating for
engineering, but all of
the U. C.' s are pretty
strong, academically. Another school
in the greater
Bay Area is Sacramento State University. They are Div. I, but go to the
Div.
II nationals. The campus is lovely,
but I don't know how the academics
stack up. Then there is San Jose State
University. They have a division
II
team.
Again, I don't know about the academics and the campus is not as
pleasing to me as Sac State. In general, the Cal State Universities
are not
as strong academically as the U. C.
system. So, If I were her mother,
I
would be pushing Santa Barbara, first, and then
Davis. In the California
schools, she would have the pleasure of competing against
Stanford and U. C.
Berkeley. Both of these programs are trying to elevate
to "full-tilt boogie"
status, rather
than "low-key".
There are a lot of
great Division II schools to consider.
If she loves
snow, University of Alaska has
a good team and a very nice coach.
A great source
for Collegiate Gymnastics information is the Gymnastics
Insider. It is turning into a formidible
little publication on collegiate
gymnastics. It is just published during the season
(January through April).
You
can reach them at P. O. Box 753, West Jordan, UT 84084. For $18 they
will
send you all of this years issues.
You will get an overview from the
list of
recruits and scholarships available at each school in Div. I
and II,
to the coverage of Nationals and
the final rankings of all of schools.
If I
were schools cearching,
I would find it an invaluable investment.
I hope this helps your sister and
any other people on Gymn who are
thinking of collegiate gymnastics in their future.
Kathy
E.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 01:46:37
-0700
From: ***@TELEPORT.COM
Subject:
Recreational Gymnastics Job Openings
Oregon Gymnastics Academy in
Portland Oregon has job openings in its
recreational
gymnastics program.
Recreational Gymnastics Director:
Full
time job running recreational programs including hiring and
training of instructors and staff. Responsible for scheduling, location
schedules, overniters, parants-night-out.
Prior experience required.
Recreational Gymnastics
Instructors:
To work with boys and girls recreational programs. Must be
responsible,
able to work well with children and adults. Prior experience
helpfull.
Send resumes by snail mail
to:
Head
Coach, Oregon Gymnastics Academy, 14270 NW Science Park Drive,
Suite 605, Portland, Oregon 97229
or call
503-644-5800
or send by private e-mail message for me to
pass on at
***@teleport.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 06:35:21
-0400
From: ***@IC.AC.UK
Subject:
Bank ad...
I was walking around the shops today when I saw this
huge poster of a gymnast on the windows of the
"Royal
Bank of Scotland". It was a
female gymnast (don't know
who she is) doing a
Yang Bo leap. The caption goes:
"High Performance Savings" and
"Go for Gold and get a
better deal on your
savings". The poster is in various
sizes and
is everywhere, on the display window, on the
wall,
and even within the cash machine cubicle area.
Sherwin
(Sorry
this isn't strictly gym but thought I'd mention it...)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 11:36:34
-0400
From: ***@MINERVA.CIS.YALE.EDU
Subject:
Re: Pathetic Greedy Authors
David,
Your message suggests
tearing the book apart factoid by factoid and also
ignoring
it. These don't seem to be
compatible strategies. Can you
clarify?
Did you say when this book will be available?
I'm eventually (sometime
before next May
[read: graduation]) supposed to write a paper on child
labor
(perhaps also child abuse) legislation and sports (gymnastics, figure
skating, tennis) and this book could come in handy. My opportunity to
answer
its allegations. :-) Any and all
information anyone gathers
would be most
welcome.
:)
Adriana
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 12:23:36
-0400
From: ***@GAC.EDU
Subject:
Re: Pathetic Greedy Authors
As I have read the numerous comments on
this authors book
it strikes me
that many see this
attack as something new to the sport.
Over the past
23 years of coaching I have seen wave after wave of
negative comments
from all kinds of sources. Orthopedic doctors take shots at
gymnastics
all the time in publications world
wide, psycholgists, parenting groups,
and even other coaches seem to find time to slam
gymnastics.
The answer to this is the same as it has been for
years. We must all
strive to make gymnastics the best sport we can. We must sacrifice of
ourselves to create good environments for the students, and
we must be
willing to examine ourselves and our
fellow coaches and athletes
evaluating where to
draw the lines. And of course when someone crosses
the
lines we act as a group to censure this indivgual and
call for the
changes needed. Responding with hate and accusation on
works in the
authors favor, people will buy the
book to see what all the fuss is
about. Also this response lowers us and our
sport to the level of the
author, I have not
desire to do this. Publish accurate
information,
explain our positions to the
gymnastics community around us, and educate
the
general public to the reality of our sport. These are the best
ways to combat the on going assalt
of our sport.
Thanks for reading and for writing I enjoy the forum a
great deal.
Jerry C.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 15:42:05
-0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject:
Mary Lou in PEOPLE
This week's issue of People magazine (May 22, 1995
w/ the Judds on the cover)
has
an article on Mary Lou Retton and her new baby, Shayla (soooooo cute!!!).
There two things in the article I'm not
sure about:
1)
It says that Retton vaulted a Tsukahara with a double twist at the
Olympics--I
thought it was a single twist?
2) At the end of the article, it
says "Bela Karolyi,
who has been talking
about retirement
recently..." What?! Don't they
know he just came out of
retirement?
The
article also said Retton recieved
congradulations from George and Barbara
Bush (and
their dog, Millie), as well as from John Krimsky, the
executive
director of the U.S. Olympic Committe. He
told her they are holding a place
for Shayla on the 2016 Olympic team!
Ann Marie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 19:54:31 -0400
From: ***@TSO.CIN.IX.NET
Subject:
book bashing
Having just finished reading my mail, I couldn't help but
answer on this one.
Gymnastics can be a dangerous sport. This is unfortunate, but true. but
then again, a simple game of tag at grade school recess can
also produce
the same results. Having been injured both at recess
(broken hand) and in
gymnastics (stress fracture
4th vert.) I fail to see why gymnastics is being
singled
out. Perhaps it has been a slow
season for Ms. Ryan and she has
had presure from her employers to write something
sensational. Then again,
maybe she is jumping on the media bandwagon that has been
harping the dangers
of gymnastics for years. (FYI, I am a sports junkie and have
numerous other
taped sporting events that extol
the violence of that particular sport).
I think most of it is because as
Adriana pointed out, gymnastics is mostly
filled
with younger people. The American
culture is very particular about
its next
generation. It's OK if you commit some
terrible attrocity to another
adult
who is supposed to have the ability to analyze the situation and come
to a proper conclusion.
Whereas if a child is involved...need I say more?
A prime example,
one of the most frequent things I heard about concerning the
Oklahoma
bombing was the children factor.
I can help but wonder if the media would
be so rightously pursuing reforms
in "a sport with such physical and emotional strains
that no child should
have to endure", if
"children" weren't in it.
I am in no way saying that
there should be
age restrictions in gymnastics, mind you.
I think that it
should also be brought to
the public attention that on a whole, competitive
gymnasts
(both male and female) have more maturity, rational decision making
skills, and in general have more control in their lives than
most so called
adults that I know.
I also
believe that yes, there will be some negative sensationalism out of this
but with the olympics coming up,
and the US team looking to do very well,
I think Olympic medal efforts will
have a far more lasting, not to mention
positive,
impression than any book that could be published on the sport.
Just my opinion.
TTYL,
Liz
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 22:18:18
-0400
From: ***@AMANDA.DORSAI.ORG
Subject:
Re: USAG announces Women's Collegiate
coordinators
>Kathy Feldmann and Sandy Thielz have been named Women's Collegiate
>Coordinators
for USA Gymnastics.
>
>Feldmann has a
26-year history as a gymnastics professional. Most
>recently she is self-employed and works as a gymnastics
consultant,
>judge, clinician and meeting
planner.
>
>After 21-years of coaching, Thielz
recently retired as the women's
>gymnastics
coach at West Chester University. She currently serves as a
>gymnastics coach and consultant.
>
>Their
duties and responsibilities include increasing the number of
>collegiate gymnastics programs, maintaining relationships
with the
>NCAA, Athletic Directors and various coaching and sports
relations
>communities, administrating the two
existing collegiate championships
>that are
sponsored by USA Gymnastics, acting as liaison to the
>Collegiate
Coaching Committees, advising collegiate coaches on
>opportunities,
and formulating an employment network for coaching
>positions,
just to name a few.
>
># # #
>
Is there a similar position on the men's
side? I wonder!
------------------------------
End of GYMN-L
Digest - 15 May 1995 to 16 May 1995
*************************************************