By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Their faces showed no emotion as the names of the six Sydney
bound gymnasts were called, but seconds later came the outpouring
of tears ““ both of disappointment and of joy.
In the midst of the drama of the Olympic trials, both young and
veteran gymnasts shined bright.
Two of the six athletes who were selected for the women’s
team were members of the ’96 Olympic team, Dominique Dawes
(seventh with 74.086) and Amy Chow (second with 76.205). Their gold
medal experience should balance the enthusiasm that the younger
gymnasts bring to the team.
Three of the seven USA team members will soon be freshmen at
UCLA after the Olympic Games: Jamie Dantzscher (who finished fifth
with 75.035), Kristen Maloney (third with 75.673) and alternate
Alyssa Beckerman (eighth with 73.916).
Morgan White is the fifth member of team USA. She finished
fourth with 75.374.
The last incoming Bruin at the trials was Jeanette Antolin, who
competed in a preliminary competition on Tuesday because she did
not compete at the U.S. Gymnastics championships. Antolin finished
11th in the first day of competition, ahead of Beckerman, but did
not advance further on the final day of competition. With a 71.473
she finished 11th overall.
Dantzscher put on a show for the crowd from the get-go on
Friday. She and Olympic trial champion Elise Ray, who finished with
76.839 points, dazzled the crowd with their continuously solid
performances, highlighted by Dantzscher’s 9.85 tally on the
floor.
Following the opening round on Friday, Ray had taken the lead,
followed by Chow and Maloney. Dantzscher was in fifth.
Ready for another round of competition, Dantzscher said she
wanted to do better in the next day of competition and make the
Olympic team.
And she did.
“Everyone believed in me, which helped me believe in
myself. It made me realize what I had within me,” Dantzscher
told NBC.com after the selection results.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. I’ve
never felt anything like this. And it’s better than I
thought, too.”
The selection of the team was left up to U.S. head coach Bela
Karolyi and other members of the USA Gymnastics, the governing body
for gymnastics. Though the scores from the trials and the U.S.
Gymnastic championships were other factors taken into
consideration, the scores were not required to be the deciding
factor.
After Friday’s competition, Karolyi foreshadowed his
selection by mentioning his hope for both veterans and new talent
on the team. He also said that he wouldn’t mind taking the
order that had already been established.
“(I’d hoped) to see a split participation between
the 1996ers and the new generation. But the new generation has
really, really proved extremely strong,” he said.
After the trials ended on Sunday, only 13 minutes of
deliberation were needed and the selections were made.
The selection of the athletes was based upon balance ““ a
balance of experience and skill in each event, and of course,
talent.
But even the most highly rated talent just wasn’t enough
in the case of Vanessa Atler, who finished ahead of Dominique Dawes
in seventh with 74.316.
Entering the Olympic trials, Vanessa Atler was one of the
favorites, of both the nation and of Karolyi.
“I would say Vanessa is the closest to my heart. She has a
unique talent, but talent alone is not enough,” Karolyi said.
“Unfortunately, in two back-to-back competitions, Vanessa
couldn’t prove capable of representing the country with the
expectations we needed.”
In her premiere event, the vault, Atler faltered, and she
didn’t perform as well as expected. Neither named to the USA
team nor selected as an alternate, Atler maturely accepted the
decision.
“I wasn’t having fun,” she said. “When
my name wasn’t called, I almost had a sense of relief because
deep down, I knew I shouldn’t be going. I knew I wasn’t
ready. It’s just not my day. Not my time.”
It was the right time for former Bruin Steve McCain (’97),
who finished fourth on the men’s side, avenging his ’96
struggle at the Olympic trials.
“It’s been an amazing ride and we haven’t even
gotten to Sydney yet “¦ It was so nice to come back to Boston
and take care of business. I am speechless,” McCain said in a
statement.
With an impressive floor routine, McCain showed that he belonged
at the 2000 Olympics.
“My high bar and floor were unbelievable ““ a total
out of body experience. The last two events, I felt on top of this
world,” McCain added.
With contributions from Daily Bruin Wire Reports.