USGF News - April 1973 by USA Gymnastics

APRIL

NEWS

DEBBIE FIKE (left) OF CALIFORNIA, and ROXANNE PIERCE (right) WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A. vs HUNGARY Action shots from the USA vs Hungary competition, at Penn. State University. 1973

GYMNASTICS FEDERA ·ION UNITED STATES OF". AMERICA

The United States has just experienced a fantastic phenomenon - THE USGF- sanctioned tour of the USSR girl's gymnastics team to the major areas of the U.S.A. Sponsored by Faberge - makers of men's and women's colognes, after-shaves, etc., - the tour very nearly failed to materialize due to some rather questionable action by one of the USGF's newest member associations. Nonetheless, Fabeq~e came to Tucson, and visited with us here, and, in the interest of helping them to put together something never before done in Amerfoa, the USGF agree~ to Sanction the appearance ...... AND HERE THEY CAME. Ho~ston, and the Astrodome, - a fantastic facility - and a crowd ... get this ... a rather disapp<;Jinting crowd of only about 12,000. That seemed to set the pace for the tour however, and only at Buffalo, following the show in Houston, was there a small crowd ... BuffaJo-had about 8,000 spectators. Then to Los Angeles and, in the Sports Arena, a crowd of 15;300; then to Miami (Convention Center North); Philadelphia (The Spectrum) and, finally, to Madison Square Garden, in New York. ·r. .•

IN NEW YORK - THE LARGEST CROWD TO EVER WITNESS A GYMNASTICS EVENT IN THIS HEMISPHERE - 79,694 PAID - SAW THE USSR GIRLS' EXHIB ITION - TICKET PRICES TOPPED AT $9.00 PER SEAT - GROSS GA TE WAS PROBABLY (estimated) NEAR $140,000.00. ONE NIGHT .... AND NO COMPETITION I

. Mayor Daley, of Chicago, had, in the meantime, contacted Faberge and insisted the USSR team come to Chicago. A deal ·was struck and they appeared tliere Monday Night, March 26th . . A triumph of a tour, and a new era for gymnastics. Faberge did a great job, as did Spencer Marketing advertising agency (first time ever for a company-sponsored tour of this type in the - USA)....:. might be a thing of the future, BUT the real sales person was OLGA KORBU T! Almost overshadowed by the appearance of the USSR exhibition team have been several other milestones for gymnastics in the United States. · The HUNGARIAN OLYMPIC TEAMS toured the USA and, while they did so, the excellent team from RUMANIA also toured_ The two visiting teams never crossed paths, but each was involved in one official match, and the remaining stops were unofficial matches or exhibitions; apparently. enjoyed by all concerned. It was the first time for two teams at one time, and many universities and clubs went out of their way to do an excellent job of being host - and gracious they were. Crowds were excellent at every stop. (See following pages for further information) The JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TEAM came to the United States even while the USSR team was on the East Coast, and they began a tour of Western cities, meeting a younger level of gymnasts at each stop. They were in San Jose, Chico and Los Angeles, California; Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Chicago, Illinois. It proved to be great experience for our younger, developing gymnasts.

Romanian, U.S. gymnasts come together By NEIL CAWOOD Of t he R egi ster -Guard

Out they marched, the United States a ll-star gymnastic team behind its flag, the Romanian national team, walking with pointed steps behind its blue, yellow and red ba nner. Four hours late r, they lined up on the floor of McAr th ur Court Sunday night, bouquets of flowe rs presented to the fema le com petitors, a w a r d s made, national pins exchanged, and a sinall Roma nia n ba nner presented to the Americans. It was an international gymnastics meet, complete with a ll the trappings, protocol, and ta lent necessary to make such an event successful. The United States All-Sta rs, augmented by a seven-ma n Uni vers ity of Oregon contingent, took a cl ose 218.50 to 218.25 victory in the t ea m competition, but the estimated crowd of 5,000

wasn' t there to cheer the Yanks aga inst the Reds. Rather it was apprecia tion night ; · an a ppreciation of anothe r culture, ·af si mpl e a thletic ability, of pure grace. Indi vidua ll y, the most admired was proba bly Dan Grecu, a 23-yearold physical education student from Bucharest, who won two individual events and captured the all-around title with 55.20 points. Grecu went through the floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vaulting, pa rallel bars and high bar without scoring less than 9.00 in any of them. Bren t Simmons, from Iowa State, finished with 55.10 total points, also winning two events, a nd tying Grecu for the honor of gaining the evening's h i g h e s t individual score, Simmons sco red 9.50 in the high bar and Grecu had a 9.50 in the rings and a 9.45 in the parallel bars .

A little provincial pride was added by a couple of Flying Ducks, one of six entered on an individual basis. Bob Rikli scored 9.40 to win the floor exe rcise and Joe Percival was also given a 9.40, in the pommel horse, for another fi rs t place. Both received u n a n i m o us 9.4 scores from all four judges. When a R om a n i an competitor walked over to shake Percival's hand after his performance, Pe rcival gave the slightly confused E astern European a "soul shake." While the men were cheered for their strength, speed and coordina· tion, the girls gave everyone a lesson in graceful, flu id charm in three exhibition events, fr ee exercise, bal· ance beam and uneven bars. The girls may have been perform-

ing on a non·scoring basis, but it was all business to them neve rth eless. When Elena Ceampelea, the 26year.old former Romani3.n four·time all-around champion, slipped up during the uneven bars, she ran off the mats and put her head in her arms, hiding the tears. But tears were the exception. It was a time of appreciation. The entire meet will be televised tonight, beginning at 9 o'clock on Cable 12. FLOOR EXERCISE - 1, Bob Rlkll, Oregon, 9.AO. 2, Petre M'" al uc. Romania. 9.20. 3 {lie), Nlcolae Oprescu. Romania ; Dan Grecu. Roma n· ia, 9.15. 5. Dave Butiman, Iowa State, 9.10. 6, Steve Posner, California, 9.05. 1, Brent Sim· mons, Iowa Slate, 8.9S. 8, Steve Roskam, Oregon, 8.80. 9, Constantin Pelrescu, Romania, 8.75. 10, Mircea Gheorghlu, Romania, 8.65. 11, Ted Mart i, Michigan, 8.45. Gheorghe Paunesco. Romania. did not llnlsh, Injured ankle. POMMEL HORSE - l, Joe Perciva l, Or· egon. '9.40. 2. Butzman, 9.20. 3, Paunescu, 9.10. A, Grecu, 9.05. 5. Greorghlu, 9.00. 6, Pelrescu,,

8.90. 7 (lie }, Marti and Simmons, 8.80. f, Mlhaluc. 8.60. 10, Posner , 8. 10. 11 , Mlt)al Bors, Romania, a.05. 12, Roskam, 7.35. RINGS - 1, Grecu, 9..50. 2, Buhman , 9.35. 3, Opr8scu. 9.30. A (tie}, Simmons; Kevin Corne· llus, Oregon ; and Bors , 9.25 . 7, Mlhaluc, 9.IS. 8, Roskam, 8.80. 9, Petrescu. 8.15. 10, Posner, 8.10. 11 , Gheorghlu, 8.65. 12, Marti , 7.85. VAULTING - 1, Si mmons, 9.25. 2 (fie), Marti and Greg Maxwell , Oregon, 9.10. A, Grecu, 9.00. S. Posner, a.95. 6, (tie}, Mlhal~'C and Oprescu, 8.90. a, Butzman, a.70. 9. Bors, a.60. 10, Gheorghiu, a.SO. 11 , Pelrescu. a.AS. 12, Roskam, 8.30. PARALLEL BARS 1, Grecu, 9.'5 . 2, Simmons, 9.lS. 3 (tlel. Oprescu and Butiman, 9.20. 5 (tie) , Mlhaluc and Gheorghlu, 9.15. 7, ·eors. 9.10. 8, Marti , 8.90. 9. Roskam, a.85. 10, Pelrescu. 8.65. 11, Posner, a.s5. 12, Tom Phll· lips, Oregon, a.35. HIGH BAR - {lie) , Simmons a nd Pelrescu, 9.SO . · J, Mlha luc, 9.30. ' Ille) , Marti and Posner, 9.20. 6, Grecu. 9.05. 7, Warren Welseth, 8.85. 8, Butiman, 8.80. 9, Roskam, 8.75. 10, Oprescu, 8.55. 11 , Greorghlu, 7.95 . 12, Bors, 7.80. ALL AROUND - 1, Grecu, 55.20. 2, Sim· mons, 55.10. 3, Sulzman, 5'.lS. A, Mlhaluc, .S...30. 5, Posner, 52.55. 6, Marti, 52.30. 7, Roskam, 50.85. CAii others competed In less lhan six events) . TEAM SCORE U.S.A. All ·Stars 218.80, Romania, 218.25.

•

( Register-Gua rd phot.os by Steve Elle r )

Romania's Dan Grecu flips off the parallel bars while Ileana Coman performs on balance beam Grecu, the top gymnast in his country, was all.around winner with 55.20 points; Miss Coman , other Romanian gals participated in three exhibition events.

ASU tests O IY-m,_P-i~ t~om _

nasts host Rolnania s

ASU's men's gymnasties .team hosts the Robinson said the meet will have an inRomanian Olympic team at 7:30 _tQnight in Sun •· ter'national flavor with the playing of the national anthems of both countties, an exchange of gifts Devil Gym in what coacb DOn Robinson calls the best gymnastics show ever in Arizona. between the competitors and Olympic-style award ceremonies following each e)'.ent The meet r~presents . the first international competition for ASU. gym team. . . · The Romanians are currently winding up an The Romanian mert, fourtbi>Iace finishers at international tour, performing in the Unit.eel States the Munich Olympics, will compete against the under the direction of the U. S. · Gymnastics . Sun Devil gymnasts in dual meet (onnat · with · Federation. Robinson is the federation's technical exhibitions by the Romanian women present.eel at director for Arizona. .intervalS throughout the "!eet. Robinson 'said he has no socres from past ·performances of the Romanians, but .a judge travelling with the team indicated to hiIIi that the ASU team should do well in the dual competition. "The Romanians are all strong all-around performers," said Robinson. "But our specialists should beat them." Tickets are priced at $2.00 for · general admission and $1.00 for ~tudents. Tickets are - available at the ASU ticket office and all Hanny's Stores. ·

ASU gymna~ts fall to Romania TEMPE - The Romani.an Olympic gymnastics t e a m topped Arizona State University, 162.8H58.15 last night in

a dtlal meet. Arizona State's Myron Tuck· er took first in floor exercise with 9.45 and first in vaulting with 9.0 !8J The Romanians were paced 0 by Dan Grecu, who captured .~ the all-around with 54.90 a,nd ~ first in the still rings ~& with 8.8 anli second on the r:n with 9.3, second in· vaulting ~ with 8.8 and second on the ·1 sidehorse with 9.2. 1

Ceampelea Elena, performing here on the balance beam, will perform as part. of the Romanian Olympic team which appears tonighr·1n Sun Devil Gym. The ASU gymnasts host the Romanians in a meet starting at 7: 3.0.

f I i;i1w

I:.... I

. w

· :

Rumanian Olvmlllc Team 162.15. Arizona stale 1511.15

Floor Ex - M. · Tud<er-G. Alexl!nCM' (ASUl 9.45. Horse - s. lsll..,.,, (ASUl · 9.4. Rings - D. Greru CRl 9.3. V~ l l· · Ing - M. Tud<er (ASUl 9.0. Parallel Bars - D. Grew (R ) 9.45. Hiii!> Bar - C. Pelresa.> {Rl 9.65. Al l AroundI D. Gt-eai {R) 54.90. ·

'I'EMPE (Ariz.) DAILY NEWS, Monday, March 5, 1973

Romanian G mnasts Top Robinson's Devils The camaraderie among the gymnasts was perhal>s the meet's most outstanding feature. Following each everot the top three place finishers would meet in the middle of the floor exercise mat · and raise extended hand clasps to the crowd. They laughed and joked with each other throughout the meet and applauded their opponents vigorously. Following the meet the team members met at the Romanian . end of the gym to trade gifts from their homes while Robinson presented the foreign coaches with souveniers of their own. "When we asked them how they felt about the reception we gave them and the facilities for the team they answered 'prima','' Robinson explained. "That's Romanian for 'number · one'." A dinner at a local Romanian restaurant for the coaches highlighted the extra-curricular activities during the stay.

•

AT MEET TONIGHT- Members of the Romanian Olympic gYJ.Ilnastics team arrived in the Valley yesterday to be greeted by members of the Arizona State gymnastics team and athletic department heads. The visitors were given Western hats among other gifts and <left to right) Mircea Badulescu, the men's coach, Maria Simionescu, women's judge and Nicolae Vieru Cfar right) Secretary General of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, tried on their gifts along with ASU coach Don Robinson. The Romanians will meet Robinson's A-State team tonight at 7:30in Sun Devil gym. Jan Young photo

INTERNATIONAL GYMNAST ICS

NATIONAL RUMANIAN TEAMvs. EAST STROUDSBURG STATE COLLEGE presen~ ed : ,y ESSC GYMNASTICS and

sponsored by the HEAi . H / !, D PHYSI CAL EDUCATION MAJORS' CLUB KOEHLER FIELDHOUSE Wednesday, February 2 1, 1973 - 8:00 PM.

Flying high Ileana Coman , 1971 vau lting champion of Ruman ia, flies high in a·vau lt during an exh ibition by the Rumanian O lympic gymnastics team a·1 East Stroudsburg State College Wed nesday night. A to~c· I 2,000 per:>c,ns atten ded. Story, picture, page 16. (George Arno/ -.hoto)

•

CHUNICHI CUP - RESULTS COMPETITOR

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Karin Janz Nina Dronova Luidmila Tourisheva Joan Moore Rice I Iona Bekesi Kim Chace Luibov Burda

COUNTRY East Germany DDR USSR USSR USA Hungary USA USSR

Beam

Floor

Bars

9.65 9.60 9.70 9 .55 9.45 9.40 9.40

9 .60 9 .75 9.55 9.55 9.5 0 9.50 9.60

9. 75 9.70 9.70 9 .35 9.45 9.40 8 .35

Vault

9.80 9.70 9.75 9.40 9.40 9.15 9.55

Al l-Around

38.80 38.75 38.70 37.85 37 .80 37.45 36.90

Wednesday Februarv 14. 1973

THE IND/ANA STATESMAN

Hungarian gymnasts perform next .week BY MARIAN BELT

s ekes i was a member of the 1068 Olym pi c Team, the 1970 Wor ld Championship T eam and Outstandi ng women gymnasts the · t 971 Olympi c T eam to champion of Junior and Senior wi II be par t of the attraction as Muni ch.Shewas the firthpl ace all National Championship Indiana Stat e Univers ity hosts the around win ner in th e 1971 Hungarian Olympic Gymnastics Compet it ion. European Champi onshi p and placed fiflh on the uneven parallel bars in the Muni ch Ol ympi cs . Monika Csasza r became a member or the Hunga ri an Nationa l T eam in 1971. . Pre vious ly, she wo n seve r al national and int erna ti onal Junior 1 Chamoionshi p Meets. Csaszar became a fi nali st after placing fourth on the balance beam. Kristina Medveczky, winner of th e nat ional Junior Championship Mee t s.- became a member of the Hune<!,rian National Team in 1971 and since has competed in several internationul Juni or Championship mee t s with honorable r ecords. Marta Ke leme n has been a member of th e 'Hunga r ian Nation-al T eam since 1970. She participated in the 1970 Wor ld ChampionshipMcet in Ljubljan a, wher e the team fini shed in sixth plac e. Aniko Kery ha s won severa l Junior National Champi onship ALL AROUND VERSATILITY--Junior P aul titles. In in t ernat ional Blasko demonstrates his abilities on the pommel competition, shC plated hi ghl y in the floor exer ci se events. horse. (Photo by Carl Walters) Zsuzsa Nagy won the National High Schoo l Champion title seve ral tim es and participated in th e 1970 World Championship Meet in Ljubl jana A ll of the previously mentioned members were part of the Olympic team that capt ured the Bronze medal at Munich in 1972 . . .. . Gabriella Bunzsak has won man y Junior National Champi on titles for her performance of the balance beam and fl oor exerci se. Agnes Banfai has been the champion of the · Hungarian National Mast er's Level Championship Meet s four time s. She was a member of the Olympic Team for Mex i co in 1968. She has won severa l international meets and placed we ll in the 1960 European Championship Meet as an all around. She could not participate in the Olympi c Games in M~nich due to an iniui'v .

Statesman Sportswriter

T eam Monday and Tu esda y nights . One Of the women to be fea tured wil l be Il ona Bekes i,

DOW!< T O BUSINESS--Susan Schell, a man '. r om Denver, Colo., practices her graceful and powerful balance beam routine. (Photo by AVC)

Hungarian Mell Win By .02·5 Over. ISU

International Gymnastic Match Competition Hungary vs U.S.A. Men and Women February 23 and 24, 1973 In cooperation with The Hungarian Gymnastic Federation The United States Gymnastic Federation The Pennsylvan ia State Unive rsity

Mu rie l Gros°'e'"

Brent Simmons

HUNGARY = = = = = = = = - - -····.,-:-..=::;c:--=:..-:= \! s

Men's

All-Around

r- ··-·

utrnGARY

BANREVI

A. =

Competition

S. SARKANY, I. 2. STOUT, R.

Judges :

•J.,

···- ··---

3. WEILER, W. . 4. ZIVIC, T .

66 ,

~-~-=~~1

'::~=:·~)

I 8 . 70

8 . 45

9.20

9.30

8 . 85

9.20

8. 65

8 .65

7·-r-fv ~ ~

5 . ---- - ------

~ Tot a l j'~ I\ I(\1 :! I\ ~

i Place

9. 30

9 . 20

9 .25

9. 15 11 53 . 15

54 . 15 'I

BERCZI

-rr

i s3. oo

8 . 85

8 . 95

9.10

8 . 25

8 . 50

9.3 s

MAGYAR

9. 30

9.7 0

9.15

9.10

9 .45

9 . 65 ! 56 . 351

MOLNAR

9.00

9.40

9.45

9.40

9. 50

9. 35

KISS

11 I

56. 10 I I

POLSZTER

9.10

7.85

9.10

8 .55

45.10

45.70

46.00

[~--1

er~ . ~...,

l \

9.45

9.55

9.35

9.30

9.05

8 .20

9.05

9 . 00

CROSBY

9.50

9.15

9.30

IVICEK

9.20

8.55

KRUEST

9;.10

WEISS

8 .90 .

Sr/ADO

Team Totals

u. s. A.

·- J

AVENER

BU'fZlfAN

SU.~~ONS

Team Totals

I146.30

45.00

~·-;i

/.,,...\

8.95 ·

46 . 45

9.3 5

52 . 90

46 ~ 9 0

1275.1~

n=fl fl\

To t a l

Plac e

9.40

I s6 . 4o

9.15

9. 40

53. 8 5

9.30

9. 30

9.45

56.00

9.40

8.85

9.40

9 . 30

9.10

9.55

9.40

9~35

8 .25

9.15

8 . 80

45.20

46.75

54. 70

9.55

I 56 . 05

9.50

8.9 5

54 . 15

45.90 46.85 ' 47 .10

2 78 .

U. S o A.

m mGARY

===-=---=-= =- --------,-=·,.,,, v s

Penn sy lva ni a

S. NAGY, V.

Judo e s:

St~ t e

011 __~.R~~~~V._.~ &

Un i ve r si ty ,

s~ru:;J)AY 24

2 . F IE, J.

r> .·,r[:-{;·I ':·:::,' Ii ' hat~al

l!UEGARY

FEBRUARY 1973

I Place

L EANP.=A=I=-=-====-c-=oT~ .~~~ -~ . 30 9~o 5 t~;:~y3 7~~~·:1 ~ ij !f--1'1' _ _B_E_KE_s_1___ • _ _ _ _ IL9.50 9 , 60 9 . 55 9.65 38.30 l

1--·- - · - - - - - - - --

'·- - - - - '

CSASZAR

I!' 9.3o.

9.t~s

1---------·- - - - -·I I

9.oo

9 . 6o

37 .35

!'!

1----KE_'_L_EHE_H_ _ _ _ _ _ 9. '•0

9. 4 0

9. 15

9 •35

j! 9.40

9.55

9.45

9.6o

I3s.ooll

--N-A-GY-------119.15

9.25

8 , 80

9 . 40

36.60r

MED'J'ECZKY

'•

1 ~-~

!! 3 7 • 30

GALL

=====*=======t======l=====;;,:=====.-q - - - '

·1

Team Totals

S. A.

1147.05

. . .. .

r-T fr-)·:- rbTIX'...T

.., .'

· '~·'-

L :i

· --~

47 . 601188.15

-'1 lf

..i' --- . Ii Total i Place

8 . 60

8.90

9.35

26 . 8511

9.35

9 . 50

9.45

37 .45 !

8 .9 5

9 . 25

9 . 15 . 36.6011

9.60

9 . 50

8 . 65

8.55

9. 00

I! 9 . 30

9.25

9 . 30

l ~_:o

CARR

CHACE

I 9 . 15

FIKE

47.30 46.20

i 9 . 25 I

,, MOORE RICE

9.60

PIERCE

9. so

THEIS

FI ZELL

Team Tot a ls

I·

I 46 . 80

45.75 46 .5 5

37 . 351

19 . 40 ~ 36 . 45 I

I 37 . 30 - j -

9 . 45

46. BO! 185. 90

11 6

HELLO TO A RUSS\AN

P\X\E

heroi ne of la st summe r's Ol ymp ics ac-

knowledged them with her mos t enchanti ng smile. "I expected a wa rm \ve lcome," she gushed. "But not this war m." ~! iss Korbut's repertory of soari ng flips and hea rtbrea king fo ils in Munich turned on viewers around the world last year - but American tele vision audiences seemed particularl y susceptible to her magic. Of tlie thousands of fa n le tters she

h;:1 s received since then, Ol ga admits , the

, 路ast majori ty have been from the U.S . And now th e American love affair with

the pix)路ish star is in fu ll flower, as Olga :md fh-e teammates sweep through a triumphant tour of seven U .S. cities.

'Super-Big': Whe ther jaun tilv donn ing a Stetson in Te.\as, gu lping hot dogs 0 11 a Olga: Love affa ir in full bloom

S.rn ta \ lon ica beach or waving: to chee ring ca pac ity crowds fro m Buffalo to Los

OLGA MAKES

rekindling the flame of :\h rni ch in Houston an<l Buffalo, Los Angeles an d i\ l ian.i....\ nd as the to ur co ntinues through Philadelph ia, \Vashington an d New York

Ange les, Olga has had no d iffi cult y

AMERICA FLIP eL face was pale and her sparklin g H eyes were reddened by a nagg ing cold ; her 83-pound sprite's body was bundled in a bulky fur-trimmed coa t. But as Russian gymn as t Olga Kor but, 17, bounded down an airplane ramp in Los Angeles las t week, no thing could ca moufl age the charm that seems to burst from her in spite of herself. In the wailing crowd, a bubblin g grou p of Beverl y Hill s teen -agers sported T shirts with the imprint, "Olga Korbut Fan Club." The tin y

this week. she will leave thousands more gasping and c heeri ng at he r electrif ying perfor mances. Purists ma y point out that grou p leader Lu dmilla Touris路 c he \路a-who performs w ith class ica ll y trag ic, ballerina be aring- and teammat e T amJra Lazako vi ch are fi ner all-around gy mrM"i ts; an d all the Russ ian gi rls have \ \ Oil thei r share of appla use on th e balan ce beams and une ve n bars of Ame rica . But Olg.1 is unque stionab ly th e ce nter of pub li c ;.1dulati on. As c ne Beve rly Hills fan said, "She has been -; upe r-b ig since

the Olvmpics

he was

e ol the sma ll -

est and the youngest-and she stole the whole show." Olga's Los Angeles performance was a typical scene-stealer. The announcer had scarcely had time to warn the yo uthful c rowd to watc h for her famous back som-

ersault when she launched into it-and fell from the bala nce beam. With a resolute expression that recalled Munich, she tried twice more, fin all y succeeded-and drove the fan s into a frenzy. Then she was wiggling a nd dancing through a glorious assortm ent of flips and tw ists, as the crowd expl ode d in staccato cheers.

When she wasn't performing, Olga cheerfull y fi elded the sa me questions in every city. ( Although she took three years of E nglish and spoke eloquentl y to Western reporters in Munich, she h as been required to speak through an interpreter.) The most impressive sights, she decided, were Niaga ra Falls and the Lyndon 13. Johnson space center in Houston. As for her hosts, she added , "\Ve are overwhelmed by their wa rmth toward us." When someone as ked if there was wOme n's lib in Russia, she re-

plied coyly, "That is not a question to be as ked , but observed." At times during all the questioning, Olga has appeared tired and a little bored; but she and her teammates have always seemed to rall y to produce outstanding shows, in and out of

the a renas. And by last week, to the delight of her young American admirers, Olga even revised her list of highlights of the trip: "N iagara Falls and the skyscra pers ," she re ve ale d, "and those won-

derful fan- club T shirts at the airport."

Tht New Yort. Times/Larrt Morris

Olga Korbut performing on the uneven parallel bars at the Garden last nigl)t

Olga Overshadowed; 19,694 Don't Care By GERALD ESKENAZI The magic of a tiny Soviet teen-ager named Olga Korbut attracted 19,694 fans lo Madison Square Garden last night -the largest crowd to see a gymnastic event in the Western Hemisphere. · There was all idolatry by the pre-teen-aged girls in the audience - and some of the

more carefully groomed men -that hadn't been evident since Judy Garland's time. Yet Miss Korbut was hardly the best gymnast on display. Indeed, when she took her turn on the balance beam, she fell off at the start and then slipped toward the end. But flash bulbs popped while she was on, and banners un-

furled ("Shake it up Olga!") when she finished-in tears,

as she was at the Olympic Games last summer.

The most controlled of the five Soviet women was Ludmilla Turischeva, who may

be the world's finest , female gymnast. Screeches for Olga On the floor exercises, the

ballet-like movements in which the athletes can wander, Ludmilla wasn't as exuberant as Olga. But Olga wasn't as perfect as Rusiko

Sikharulidze, who performed a sensuous, muscular routine to "Malaguena." Still, when the eohibition ended 90 minutes after it started, and the roses were tossed to the crowds, it was

little Olga for whom the girls screeched.

One

youngster

about 12 years old dashed to the runway .holding a balloon in the shape of a catchup bottle to present to Miss

Korbut, who has been · known to douse pancakes with

catchup .. At a luncheon, Miss Korbut received the "Wide World of Sports" trophy from the American Broadcasting .company as the top athlete of 1972 for her captivating performances in the Olympics. The award, of course was limited ,to those

competitors who actually performed on the TV show. While the tapes of Olga's crowd-appealing tumbles and back-flips were instant-replayed for the thousandth time, the 20-year-old Miss Turischeva applauded politely when others did, and smiled when Olga smiled. Eight-City Tour "She's only been smiling the last few days," said an official of Faberg~. the cosmetics concern that is un-

derwriting the eight-city tour that ends Monday night · in Chicago. "I told her that she sh·ould be happy, even if' th.- public doesn't appreciate how good she is. She's the one that knows what she's really accomplished." While millions · of Americans have become ,enamored

of Miss Korbut, most of them don't realize that it was Ludmilla who captured the allround gold medal at Munich . She also won three other medals-a gold as a member of the team champion, a silver for the floor exercises

and a bronze in the vau lt. At a morning workout in the Garden even the 300 children of Soviet Union officials working in this country ap plauded more lustily Miss Korbut's more ambitious at-

tem pts (that didn'. t always work out perfectly) than they greeted Miss Turische- ~ va's faultless gymnastics.

Ludmilla, now the oldest v member of the troupe, was the youngest Soviet woman P gymnast at the age of 16 in ~

~~ch

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ti ~} became the youngest mem ber d• on the national squad. c In 1970 she won the. <li world's championship and in w 1971 captured the European a 1 title. No · Untoward Incidents 'w The major in terna l prob- w !em on the r:urrent tour has ~; been keeping the six women he happy. In va riab ly, Miss Kor- in but is asked to do the posing m debut until 1967, when she

alone . However, Faberge has ci been unwilling to cooperate with the press following airport news conferencees, but

has granted A.B.C. special privileges in speaking to the girls. A Faberg~ official explained that "A.B.C. is picking up part of the tab." There have been no interw national

incidents

the

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trip, but there have been threats: by the Jewish De- ' tense League. One of the .

~~~r fi~!ii~ii~1~~ ~la~~~ie~h~~a~ 1j

has toured here on its : own-withou t an Embassy spokesman or an aide from

the Kremlin. As a precaution, Faberg~ look out a SI -million insur- Ui ance policy from Firemen's

Fund American to protect le: each arena against poss ible spectator injury or damage as a result of rio tin g or activist groups.

st' A1

RESULTS OF FIRST ELITE QUALIFICATION ROUND January 26 and 27, 1973 Re sults - All-Around - (70.00 to qualify for Elite Championships in Seatt le.) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10.

Debbi e Hill Nancy Thi es Kyle Gayner Cole Dowaliby Betty Miller Robin Bleamer Colleen Stu ri al Conni e Israel Pam Simone Lisa Cain

71.70 71.50 71.15 70.80 69.05 68 .75 68.60 68.55 68 .55 68 .05

*al ready qualified Final Trial * " new qualifier* new qua I ifier*

( 13 others below 68 .00)

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/; :f U.S .G.F. DATES TO REMEMBER Women's Junior Nationals Women's Senion Nationals

April 12-24 April 26-28

Men's U.S.G.F. Championships Mideast Regionals

April 27-28 *

U.S.G.F. Championships of the U.S.A. for Women (Seattle, Wash.)

Mav 3-!J

U.S.G.F. Championships of the U.S.A. for Men (Penn State)

May3-5

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Men's Elite All - Around - Wh ea ton Coll ege - t o select th e mideast t ea m (top 6) to compete in the U.S.G .F . F inal

C ~amp ionships

at Penn State on

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May 4 - 5. T w o Sessions: Friday, April 27 at 7:00 P.M.

(Olympic Com pu lsor ies)

Saturday, April

28 at 7:00 P.M . (Optional s). To ent er you must be a U .S.G.F. member - payab le with entry fe e - must have res id ence in or

attend

·v~~-•JJ

schoo I in mideast

reg ion - Illinoi s, Ohio , Indi ana, Michigan, M in nesota, Wisconsin.

(Cannot co mpete in more than

one reg ion al) . For further information write to Bud Williams, Wheaton Coll ege, Wheaton, Illi nois 60! 87.

. .:.::::--.~ . --F--

World University Games Moscow 1973 Next August in Moscow, ·U.S. collegians will represent this country at the World University Games. Under the auspices of the Internat ional University Sports . Federation (FISU), summer and winter Games are held every other year. Men and women representing over fifty nations compete in basketball, volleyball , fencing, gymnastics , swimming and diving, wrestling, water polo, and tennis at the summer Games, and in Alpine and Nordic skiing, figure skating , and ice hockey at the winter Games. The 1973 Games come on the heels of the Winter World University Games hosted by the U.S. last February at Lake Placid, New York. In those Games, American athletes made a respectable showing, winning ten medals and scoring in the top six places in the 75-meter Nordic jump , Nordic combined, both men's and women's cross country

relays , men 's, women 's, and pair's figure skating, as well as ice skating, women's slalom, men's downhill Alpine skiing, and ice hockey. While that was a pleasing performance, the U.S. hopes to do even better next August when the Soviet Union hosts the summer Games. Funds are needed to send our team to Moscow. The United States Collegiate Sports Council (USCSC) needs your help. For further information, write: United Sta!es Collegiate Sports Council P.O. Box 50850 Tuscon, Arizona 85703 Contributions to the USCSC are deductible for income . tax purposes. Those who · contribute are presented with attractive pins or patches to be worn on uniforms or jackets.

Official World University Games ,Pins and patches are available at the lower front door for $2 each.

Championship of the U.S.A. Team and Individual Competition World Games Compulsory Competition Thursday, May 3rd, 7:00 p.m. Optional Exercise Competition Friday, May 4th, 7:00 p.m. Individual Finals Saturday, May 5th , 7:30 p.m. Officials FIG Executive Member Frank Bare Tucson, Arizona Technical Chairman Frank Cumiskey, U.S.G.F., Tucson , Arizona Director of Meet Edward Czekaj, Director of Athletics, Penn State

Regions Participating in Championships East West Mideast Midwest Penn State will host the championships. Qualifying Round For: World Student Games - Moscow, August 15-25, 1973 International match competitions involving our national team.

In November 1972, USGF presented Master of Sports Awards to Fran k Cumiskey and Gene Wett stone.

•

STUTTGART73

Deutsches Turnfest 12. bis 17. Juni 1973

USGF NATIONALS UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR WOMEN U.S.G.F. NATI ONAL ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR WOMEN: MAY 3 Âˇ 4 - 5, 1973.

Entries :

All qualified entries shou ld be sent to

Meet Director, USGF Nationals Mr. Eric Hughes, Gymnastics Coach-University of Washington Seattle, Washington.

The United States Gymnastics Fede ration, sha ll provide All-Around awa rds to the top six womeri, based on the composite scores obtained as a resu lt of th e compulsory and optiona l scores obtained th e first two da ys of competition. Individual event awards, based on the first two days, and the fi na l days pedormance shall be awarded tothe top three ind.ividuals in ~ach event. Further, the top six women, plus one alternate shall be named All-Americans and their names sha ll be so noted on the 0fficial records of the USGF and advertised appropriately in their publications. Girls, having qualified through their appropriate USGF Regional meet, shou ld forwa rd thei r entries immediately to Mr. Hughes at th e address above. Any questions shou ld bed irected to Mrs. Shirley Bryan , 421 West St.James Place, Chicago, Illin ois 60614. Âˇ

ENTRY

FORM

1973

name (address) (State)

(City}

(Telephone)

Meet which qualified me for entry:

. (Birth Date)

SEND TO:

Dr. Eric Hughes, Gy1TY1astics Coach University of Washington Seattle, Washington

USGF Number:

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