U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS

THANKS TO THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER FOR THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE CGA GYMNASTICS AT THE US NATIONALS,CARLOS.

Local gymnasts advance to Olympic Trials
By Scott MacGregor
The Cincinnati Enquirer


        ST. LOUIS � First, Morgan White helped her own Olympic cause, jumping back into contention for the U.S. gymnastics team with a solid night of vaults, swings and balance beam acrobatics. Then the man who can control her fate gave her a huge stamp of approval.

        Bela Karolyi, the U.S. national team coordinator who will have the loudest voice in choosing the American Olympic team, pronounced White a strong contender for the squad after her seventh-place finish at the U.S. national championships Saturday in St. Louis.

        The three Olympic hopefuls training at the Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy � White, Alyssa Beckerman and Dominique Moceanu � advanced to the next stage of Olympic qualifying, the Olympic Trials Aug. 17-20 in Boston.

        White, the 17-year-old from Fairfield, entered Saturday's final night of competition in eighth place after a costly fall on the vault Thursday. She rebounded, however, with a strong overall meet Saturday, finishing seventh, one one-hundredth of a point behind sixth-place Amy Chow.

Beckerman, the 19-year-old from Wyoming, was fifth entering Saturday and stayed there after a good all-around night.

        Moceanu, the 1996 Olympian who moved to Cincinnati in January, competed despite ankle soreness and moved from 10th to eighth � an excellent showing, considering she has been training on her routines for only two months.

        But it was White who drew Karolyi's heaviest praise.

        �One of the most consistent athletes in the country is Morgan White,� Karolyi said. �She has proved that in many competitions, including this one. Definitely, I see her as a strong national team member who might earn her place on the Olympic team, which needs her.�

        The top 12 in Saturday's finals advance to the Trials, but only six and an alternate will be chosen for the U.S. Olympic team. The standings are critical to the Olympic selection process, because 40 percent of the scores from here will be used to choose the six team members for the Sydney Games.

        Three Olympic favorites finished first, second and fourth: Elise Ray, two-time defending national champion Kristen Maloney and Vanessa Atler. Darkhorse Jamie Dantzscher was third.

        Karolyi had high praise for the Cincinnati three and their coaches, head coach Mary Lee Tracy and assistant Terry Gray.

        �Their performance reflects their preparation,� Karolyi said. �It's the most structured, most intense program in the country, run beautifully by their coaches.�

        White conquered the vault this time, solidly but not spectacularly, scoring an 8.925 to stay eighth. She moved into seventh after scoring a 9.675 on the uneven bars and closed to a near tie with Chow after out-scoring her 9.6-9.5 on the final event, the floor.

        Beckerman, who won the national title on the balance beam Thursday, scored a 9.725 Saturday to hold her place in the overall standings. She's well-positioned to make the Olympics.

        �I couldn't have done a better job,� she said. �The strategy was to stay the same or get better. I showed I can be on the team, that I can show consistency. I'm proud of myself for that.�

        Although Moceanu is frustrated by judges downgrading her scores � she received only a 9.175 on the beam � she's happy to be moving on.

        �I'm glad everything went well,� Moceanu said. �I did my job. I did what I was prepared to do. It's a start, and I couldn't ask for more right now.�