U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS

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

Karolyi rides to the rescue
Coach comes out of retirement to invigorate U.S. gynamstics team

By Scott MacGregor
The Cincinnati Enquirer
       

     ST.LOUIS � The United States needed a kick in the pants. Bela Karolyi was more than willing to provide it.

        Coming off their dramatic 1996 Olympic gold medal � the United States' first women's team gymnastics gold � U.S. gymnasts should have been strutting with pride and overflowing with medals at last year's world championships.

        Instead, a U.S. squad depleted by injuries went to China and placed a disappointing sixth. There was talk the U.S. team was soft and could not defend its Olympic gold at the Sydney Games, just a year away.

        Enter Karolyi, the Romanian-turned-American guru who had coached the '96 U.S. squad to the championship. Karolyi had retired from active coaching after the '96 Games and retreated to his ranch outside Houston. Last year, however, USA Gymnastics brought him back as the national team coordinator � essentially a military general hired to shape up the troops.

        Whether it has worked won't be known until the Sydney Games in September. Karolyi believes, however, that after a series of boot camp-style training retreats at his ranch, the U.S. team is significantly improved from last year. Some insiders thought it a bit much but agreed the United States needed a boost.

        �They have improved dramatically, not categorically,� Karolyi said. �They're developing a new attitude of understanding. It's a strong attitude. They look on each other with pride.�

        Said Bob Colarossi, president of USA Gymnastics: �I wouldn't have been optimistic after the '99 Worlds. But I am optimistic.�

        The poor performance at the world championships also led USA Gymnastics to alter its selection process for the Olympic squad. Since 1984, the U.S. team had been determined by the top six finishers at the Olympic Trials. This year, a scoring system will be used to rank the gymnasts, with 40 percent of the national championships score and 60 percent of the Trials score combined.

        That will give a selection committee headed by Karolyi a ranking, which they will use to select the six-member Olympic team, plus an alternate.

        It has led to much talk of potential controversy if a woman in the top six of the rankings does not make the team.

        It also has led to speculation that four of the six � regardless of their exact order of ranking � are likely to be Kristen Maloney, Elise Ray, Vanessa Atler and two-time Olympian Shannon Mill er, if she proves healthy enough to compete at the Trials Aug.17-20 in Boston.

        Former Olympian Amy Chow and Cincinnati's Morgan White also stand a good chance if they finish high enough to justify their inclusion.

        The other two hopefuls training at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, Dominique Moceanu and Alyssa Beckerman, probably would have to finish in the top four or five just to merit consideration.

        Maloney, Ray and Chow stood 1-2-3 in the all-around competition entering the finals Saturday at the national championships, but Miller competed only on the uneven bars because of a cracked bone in her right leg. She had to petition to enter the Trials.

        �The only goal I have is to put the best team on the floor,� Karolyi said. �We won't have bigger controversy than we've had before. We want to bring home the best result. There will be some crying, some complaining, but that's the sport.�