GYMN-L Digest - 26 Sep 1995

There are 7 messages totalling 259 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

1. Departure of USA Worlds Team
2. T.V. Times
3. When a dream dies
4. ESPN TIMES!!!!!
5. Rhythmic Worlds - AA (Individual and Groups) (Day Four)
6. GYMN Teams.
7. Olympic Tickets

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 18:37:13 -0600
From: ***@RMII.COM
Subject: Departure of USA Worlds Team

|
| I thought Mary Beth Arnold was the alternate. Does this make Monica
| Flammer the alternate now? When do they leabve (or have they already)?

For the most part, the USA team left on the weekend of the 17th of
Sept. They were going to have a one week training camp in Fukui (I
think) before going onto Sabae.

Rachele

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:41:06 -0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: T.V. Times

we also freaked, because we thought they had decided not to broadcast it.
Glad we were wrong. NJ

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:56:53 -0400
From: ***@AOL.COM
Subject: When a dream dies

To all:
I've been reading everybody's reports on the tickets they received, and I
must say that I've been disappointed along with you.
Raul, a friend of mine, and I each sent in identical orders, each
of us putting more then $3,000 in ticket orders on our credit cards. When he
got our letters in yesterday, I got $600 in tickets, and Raul got $500 in
tickets.
We got a few smattering of events, but overall, he and I were extremely
disappointed.
I particularly was devastated to learn that between us, we didn't get
opening ceremonies -- something I've wanted to attend since I was a child. I
was so moved to tears by this fact that when I got my ticket order in last
night, I sat down and wrote a column about it for the newspaper at which I
work.
The following is a copy of that column:
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How do you cry when a dream dies?
That was the question facing the Olympic gymnast who was in tears before
me. I was at the World Gymnastics Championships in Indianapolis, the night
after the first day of competition. In the dark corner of one of the hallways
of my hotel, the gymnast sat on the floor, hugging his knees.
Just two days prior, I had watched him and the rest of his team from
Morocco march out into the Hoosier Dome in grand style - to indoor fireworks,
confetti, rousing music and the cheers of 40,000 people. I specifically
remember the Moroccon team, because that country certainly isn't know for its
gymnasts. The fact that a team was sent at all was quite a feat.
Later that day, after the opening ceremonies had long ended, I went to a
McDonald's for a hot fudge sundae. Inside the restaurant was the entire
Moroccan team. I was stunned to see a team up past midnight the night before
competing.
An interpreter sat at the table with them, and I jokingly asked why the
team was there so late. One of the gymnasts, through broken English, replied,
"Hot fudge sundaes." I laughed and nearly cried with joy as I realized that I
and this team from a country I'd never seen had something so simple in
common.
That night with the team in that McDonald's was a magical one, and before
the night ended, I asked the team to sign the bag my hamburger came in. That
bag remains one of my most prized possessions.
The day of competition, the team from Morocco placed poorly, in the very
bottom. It's not that they were a bad team; it was that their level of
gymnastics was so low compared to other countries. Still, though, the team
seemed happy to simply be part of this week-long, festive event.
That night, though, the Moroccan gymnast sat on the floor of of the
hallway, his eyes red with tears. His country had apparently decided that
because his team had placed last, he and the team members would be
immediately flown home so the country wouldn't have to spend any more money
on hotels and food.
Even though my new friend couldn't speak English, the pain in his face was
universal. There would be no more days of exploring the U.S., no days of
signing autographs, attending banquets and certainly no closing ceremony.
His eyes begged at me: How do you cry when a dream dies?
My journey to those championships began when I was but a teen, watching
Mary Lou Retton vault to the Olympic title. That love of gymnastics led me to
a love of the Olympics and the Olympic dream. I wrote about the Olympics in
high school and dreamed of attending the opening ceremonies of an Olympics.
Every time I run up a large flight of stairs, I fantasize of carrying the
torch. I have the opening ceremonies of the past few Olympics on tape, and I
cry when the torch is lit, then get teary-eyed when it is blown out. And a
few years ago, I touched the torch as it was bicycled through a town in which
I was working.
When I heard the Olympics were coming to Atlanta, I ordered my tickets the
first day they were available. This likely would be the only time in my life
that the Olympics would be so close and affordable. I had to act or never
see my life's wish come to being. For the past three months, I have dreamt of
sitting in the stadium when the torch is run in and the crowd roars with
cheers.
Yesterday, my Olympics ticket order arrived in the mail. Tickets were
chosen at random, and I was on the short end.
No opening ceremonies.
I crumpled to my chair and clenched my fists on air. No lifelong goal
achieved. No running of the torch, no roar of the crowd, no utter joy of
elation.
Instead, I have a white sheet of paper that sits on my desk, saying the
ticket system was random and fair.
How do you cry when a dream dies?

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:02:42 -0500
From: ***@VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU
Subject: ESPN TIMES!!!!!

Date sent: 26-SEP-1995 20:02:02

So when is ESPN supposedly broadcasting this tongiht?????
I've been wathcing for three hours and have goten tnoghing but volleyball
and other shit. I need a time so I can tape! Thanks

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Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 18:53:45 GMT
From: ***@YUCCAMAN.DEMON.CO.UK
Subject: Re: Rhythmic Worlds - AA (Individual and Groups) (Day Four)

In yesterday's digest, Sherwin said....

S> Oh dear, my VCR stopped before the competition finished so
S> these "results" are to the best of my knowledge and many
S> of the scores are missing :(

Unlike Sherwin, my video didn't conk out :) Here's the rest (well the ones
German channel DSF showed anyway !!!)

Individual All-Around:

=1. Maria Petrova (BUL) 39.800
=1. Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) 39.800
=3. Larissa Lukianenko (BLR) 39.700
=3. Jana Batyrchina (RUS) 39.700
5. Amina Zaripova (RUS) 39.575
6. Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) 39.550
7. Diana Popova (BUL) 39.125
8. Magdalena Brzeska (GER) 38.850
9. E.Serrano (FRA) 38.475
10. E.Pavlina (BLR) 38.025
11. A.Cid Tostado (ESP) 38.000
12. A.Stoica (ROM) 37.950
13. K.Pietrosanti (ITA) 37.900
14. V.Frater (HUN) 37.450
15. I.Germini (ITA) 37.400
16. K.Sroka (GER) 37.350


After the results were announced, there was another interview with Maria
Petrova - in English again :)

DSF - DSF Presenter
MP - Maria Petrova

DSF - Congratulations Maria, for a very good competition, and did you ever
expect the success ?
MP - So, so

DSF - So, fifty, fifty.....
MP - Yes

DSF - You had to share the success with Ekaterina. Are you angry about
this ?
MP - No I'm very happy because I have a very hard conquoration. She's a very
nice gymnast. I'm happy.

DSF - I think you're now under pressure for the Olympic Games as a third time
World Champion. Do you think ?
MP - I don't want to think now about the Olympic Games. I need just a very
big vacation, just to have a break.

DSF - Your expectation for tomorrow, for the finals ?
MP - I'll play for the public, with pleasure, with all my pleasure, just for
public.

DSF - Thank you for coming and congratulation and see you tommorow. Thank
you very much.
MP - You're welcome.


Following up Sherwin's thought's about Olga Gontar, I believe she is
definately injured. When any of the Belarus gymnasts took to the floor, the
commentators seemed to always mention Olga, especially with Eva (?) Pavlina,
who presumably took Olga's place in the team.

My German is really poor, so I can't guess at the precise nature of the
injury Olga has.

Rob

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:34:50 -0600
From: ***@ZEPHYR.MEDCHEM.PURDUE.EDU
Subject: GYMN Teams.

Anyone know if Gogean will be making the trip to Sabae? She did poorly at nals.

She fell off BB and UB, but won BB in finals. Was that comp. the decision
maker for Sabae?

Jeff


P.S. Why was Chow replaced?

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Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 21:46:16 -0400
From: "***@ACPUB.DUKE.EDU
Subject: Re: Olympic Tickets

>
> > Did anyone out there actually get their Olympic Tickets? I got a
> > packet full of information today telling me I did not get them. Just
> > wondering if Fairtix worked in favor of anyone else.
>
> We got our packet yesterday, but all we got was soccer. I thought this
> was kind of strange; I really wasn't expecting to get, say, the women's
> all around finals, but I didn't think that men's podium training would be
> *that* popular. Besides, we had some baseball games and other stuff as
> alternate choices, but we didn't get those either. Did anyone else
> request podium training and *not* get it?
>
> Lisa
>
>
We asked for more desirable gymnastics events ($3600 worth), and got
nothing. We figured that the people in charge probably commandeered most
of the tickets, leaving a minimal number to be doled out. It would be
interesting to know if any peons got gymnastics.

Hardee

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End of GYMN-L Digest - 26 Sep 1995
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