Sea World Former UCLA gymnast Lena
Degteva is the newest addition to the "World Rhythms on
Ice" show at Sea World.
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
SAN DIEGO ““ In almost every American classroom, students
receive the exact same assignment on the first day of school: an
essay titled, “What I did during summer vacation.”
Teachers normally sift through essay after essay describing boring
family vacations.
In the case of ex-UCLA gymnast Lena Degteva’s, her essay
will turn out to be anything but boring.
Degteva has a summer job in San Diego working as a gymnastics
performer for Sea World’s “World Rhythms on Ice.”
The show has a three-month tenure during Sea World’s
“Rockin’ Summer Nights” season which lasts from
Memorial Day through Labor Day.
During the summer of 1998, “World Rhythms”
choreographer and UCLA gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field
took her gymnasts to the show. An awe-struck Degteva sat through
the show wide-eyed and afterward begged Kondos to use her talents
in the show.
“From the first time I saw the show, I wanted to jump out
from the audience and be part of the show,” Degteva said.
“I finally found an outlet where I could do the gymnastics I
love without all of the pressure and competition.”
 Daily Bruin File Photo Lena Degteva
performs on the balance beam in a meet against Stanford in 2000.
“World Rhythms on Ice” is a showcase of different
gymnastic and ice skating stunts performed to an urban,
contemporary score.
“Even though “˜World Rhythms’ has been running
for five years, it differs every single year,” said Vicky
Agostino, the show’s producer. “Performers change,
bringing in different costumes and different elements to the show,
Lena being one of the best additions we’ve ever
made.”
Degteva performs a number of tumbling runs on the elaborate
gymnastic stage, but her most impressive stunt occurs when she
grabs on to a rope about 15 feet from the ground and goes
completely horizontal while another performer spins her around in
circles.
While the crowd’s jaws dropped many times during the show,
Degteva, a 13-time All-American, doesn’t find the gymnastics
aspect of the show quite as challenging as the routines she
performed while at NCAA competitions.
“I actually enjoy the intensity level and the performing
environment that I’m in,” Degteva said. “In the
past, I often had to compete against my teammates in big
competitions. For the first time, I can be a team member and truly
enjoy it when others benefit. Now I can truly enjoy gymnastics
again.”
In the fall, she’ll be back in Los Angeles attending
design school, taking her first step toward a life after
gymnastics. For once in her life, there are no judges watching her
every move.