The Road to Atlanta
Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question about gymnastics at the Olympics, you're in the right place!

Index

[] It's great that you cover the sport so well. The only problem I have is that you only cover USA gymnasts. I realize that your name tells everyone what you cover but I am curious about gymnasts from other countries, I don't speak another language, and there are no places that I have been able to find that give athlete bio's or other interesting information.

... By the way, this is not just a problem with gymnastics. All the other sports are equally self (country) centered. Don't get me wrong, I am American and proud but I also realize that there are other people in the world.

It is not just self-centered... it's our job! Each gymnastics country has a federation to administrate the sport within their country. We are the federation for American gymnastics; our organization name is "USA Gymnastics." We are recognized as the official gymnastics federation for the USA by the International Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics Federation.

There are other federations on the web, and we have provided links to those federations. We do not expect, for example, the Australian Gymnastics Federation or any other federation to supply information about our gymnasts, just as we do not have information about their gymnasts. Not all federations are on the web, but we sincerely hope that the number of them online will grow each year! Not only is this good for gymnastics, but like you, we would like to read more about gymnasts in other countries!

[] Do you know who will be on the tour? I've heard that it is going to be expanded to 60 cities! Can you post the new schedule? When will it appear on TV?!!!

We do not yet know any of this information! We have "heard" that 10 or more cities will be added to the 30-city tour, but we have not received a current schedule. As soon as we know, we will post this information. Keep checking back!

[] Can you give me Dominique Moceanu's email address?

We don't know any of their personal email addresses because we do not collect this information from our national team members. We don't even know who has email addresses and who doesn't. But even if we did know their emails, we would not give them out for the same reason that we do not give out personal home addresses or phone numbers: to respect the privacy of the gymnasts!

[] Is there a way for me to find out my favorite gymnast's home address instead of sending it c/o their gym?

We do not give out home addresses.

[] I think it is wonderful that the addresses for U.S. gymnasts are available to fans on this web site! However, there are gymnasts from other countries whom I admire greatly as well, especially Alexei Nemov of Russia and Svetlana Boguinskaia of Belarus. Where can I obtain the addresses of these two gymnasts?

You can write to other gymnasts at their federation addresses. One source for addresses of other federations is Gymn. We will upload addresses for popular federations in the near future.

[] What was [Chainey Umphrey's score on rings, Dominique Moceanu's score on beam, etc etc]? The network went to commercial after the routine and never showed the score.

Never fear, USA Gymnastics Online is here for you! Introducing a new Olympics page, the scorecard; this page lists every score earned by an American gymnast at this Olympics.

[] We keep hearing the U.S. didn't need Kerri Strug's vault but would she have made the Indiv. AA with her first vault score?

First, we'd like to point out that at the time that Kerri vaulted, two Russians remained on floor and so, at the time, the athletes and coaches did not know that the gold could be won without Kerri's second attempt.

But to answer your question, without her second vault, Kerri Strug not only would not have qualified for the individual all-around, but she also would not have qualified for vault event finals.

[] Why do all the U.S. Women do vaults with blind landings? Aren't there any 10.0 vaults that are easier to stick?

All of the 10.0 vaults in the Code of Points are very hard vaults. While the Yurchenko with one and half twist, which many USA girls use, has a difficult landing, it also increases the power off the horse due to the backward entry. Other vaults which might be easier to stick are harder in terms of getting a powerful "push" off the horse.

[] Who is the women's gymnastics team captain? How is she chosen? What are her duties?

Amanda Borden was elected team captain by her teammates. She does not have specific duties but is looked up to by her teammates, fulfilling roles such as cheerleader or advisor.

[] Once again USAG is behind in reporting information. Not only is the info in your magazines old info, but it is 10pm PACIFIC TIME and the results of the Women's team finals are not published on the leading gymnastics web site. Everyone else seems to have them! It's a little disappointing don't you think?!

Our "web-staff" are all working long hours at the Games in various capacities. Unfortunately, we were committed to our Olympic responsibilities well before the USA Gymnastics website was introduced (at the American Cup, almost five months ago). Many of our Olympic days have begun at 5:30 am and ended at 11:00 pm!

Because we knew we would not be able to satisfy our web visitors with fast results, we alternatively provided a links page with connections to many other sources that we hoped could fill the void for scores.

We would love to be updating our website from the Olympics competition, with the "Quick Hit" pages that have been so popular at the meets we've covered online this year.

[] I'm writing with regards to Kerri Strug's ankle on the second/last vault in the team optional competition. Is she all right? I have heard things about a lateral sprain?

Kerri has a third-degree lateral sprain, which is a serious sprain, but she is expected to recover completely. We do not know if she will be able to compete in event finals. She has withdrawn from vault, in hopes of giving her ankle one more day to heal for floor finals, which will be on Monday night.

We are all so proud of Kerri!

[] I really like your site and I was wondering if it will be up and running in the future...? Namely *after* the Olympics is over, will it still be up?

Thanks for your compliments! Yes, USA Gymnastics Online is here to stay!

[] How could I go about ordering the men's poster you have posted? (Not the Olympic team poster.)

You can send an email explaining why you love men's gymnastics; while supplies last, the men's program will send you a free poster! [This offer is no longer available!]

[] Why are the women's team staying outside of the village? Is the stress that bad? Many people see that it is unfair for other countries and not in the spirit of the Games.

Members of the USA Gymnastics Athlete's Council (former Olympians and international athletes) and the USA Coaching staff expressed that at previous Olympiads, the Village atmosphere was not conducive to the quiet and concentration for preparing for their competition (the gymnasts begin competition the day after the Opening Ceremonies).

This situation also permitted better coordination between the coaching staff, the support team, and the athletes.

[] We are looking for the schedule for the upcoming John Hancock Gymnastics World Champion Tour 96. Who will be in it? Can you help?

The proposed Olympic tour schedule is linked on our Olympics home page. We have heard rumors that this tour might expand to sixty cities, double the original plan. We do not yet know who will perform on the tour. [Note (Aug 7 1996): While the tour planners are in the process of adding cities to the schedule, currently there are to be approximately 40 cities, not 60.]

[] Why have the team compulsories been eliminated after this Olympics? Is it just to highlight the entertainment factor?

Compulsories were voted out during the 1992 FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) Congress in Barcelona. This was done after long debate.

Points that were raised in the arguments included:

  • Given the difficulty level of the optionals, training compulsories is a difficult demand for the gymnasts.
  • Training compulsories requires additional time that makes it difficult for the gymnasts.
  • The compulsories have "served their purpose" and the developing countries no longer need this assistance in "learning the basics."
  • Compulsories gives an advantage to the strong countries and are a disadvantage to the developing countries.
  • Compulsories are "not interesting" to the audiences.
  • Compulsories are "not interesting" to the TV and sponsors.
  • International competitions could be "more concise" without compulsories.

Note, USA Gymnastics voted to keep the compulsories... as was recommended by the FIG Women's Technical Committee. USAG will keep a compulsories a part of the National Junior Olympic program and modified compulsories for our elite development program.

[] Are the athletes required to pay a "Meet Fee" to enter the Olympics? I know they pay their travel expenses, but what else do they have to pay for?

ALL the expenses for the judges and the athletes are provided for by the United States Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, the host organizing committee (ACOG), and/or sponsorship. Essentially, they do not need to pay any expenses or travel costs.

[] Could you please tell me, who is the 1996 women's world all-around champion??

The all-around and team competitions were not contested at the 1996 World Gymnastics Championships, thus there is no 1996 World All-Around champion for men or women.

[] Reports out of the Los Angeles TV station KNBC state that Chainey Umphrey has been dropped from the all-around at the Olympics. What is most surprising is that supposedly he has been dropped from the rotation on high bar, an even on which he made event finals at the recent World Championships. Can you confirm this and/or explain why the coaches came to such a decision?

While we web-meisters cannot speak for the men's program, we can tell you what we know. The goal of the men's program is to put the best team on the floor, which means selecting the best six routines on each event. While the team lineup has not been submitted (and therefore is not yet official), as noted in L.A. papers and TV, Umphrey is currently not among the six to compete on compulsory high bar or vault. The team lineup for optionals has not been selected yet. If you examine the scores from Coca-Cola National Championships and U.S. Olympic Trials-Gymnastics, you will see that the compulsory vault and high bar scores earned by the seven U.S. Olympic male gymnasts at those two competitions support the men's coaching staff decision.

[] With so many terrific gymnasts on the women's U.S. Olympic team, how will the coaches decide who gets to compete in the all-around competition?

This is indeed a difficult decision. All of the coaches have input as well as a core of advisors including selected judges and staff advisors. We are all awaiting news about the lineup!

[] Why do they have limits on the number of athletes from any one country that can qualify for the all-around competition and event finals?

This has been debated by the FIG -- The weaker countries believe that their best athletes should be represented in the all-around, even if they are not the best of the best. It is very important to these countries that their best athletes receive recognition. The structure still permits the top three medalists to truly be the top three.

[] This is a very good site, but I have a question. Do any of the athletes on this page have any e-mail addresses???

While some of the gymnasts have email addresses, we do not know what the addresses are. Even if we did, we would not be able to release their personal email addresses in the same way that we cannot release personal home addresses.

[] How does a gymnast qualify for event finals? Do compulsory scores count? And does a gymnast have to qualify for the all-around to qualify for event finals?

A gymnast qualifies to event finals by having the highest combined score of compulsory and optional routines in the team competition. All-around scores are not considered for event finals, and thus a gymnast may certainly qualify to event finals without qualifying in the all-around.

[] Does the seventh (alternate) member of the Olympic team get a team medal if the team places?

The seventh team member is a full member, not an alternate; thus, she or he will receive a medal if the team places. "Alternate" gymnasts, i.e. any beyond the seven, are not recognized by ACOG and do not receive medals.

[] With the new 7-6-5 team competition format, which gymnasts (both men and women) do you anticipate competing all-around, and who do you expect to specialize in specific events?

These decisions are made by the coaches. We do not know if they have even completely decided the team lineups, yet; the coaches certainly have not released this information. When we have this information, we will post it.

The 7-6-5 rule has certainly introduced a new element of strategy!

[] The top four from the compulsories will compete during the final session of optionals, right? Thanks!

Correct! -- for women! For men, the top six will compete in the final session of optionals. These last sessions are commonly referred to as "the medal rounds," although in a long shot, one of the teams in the earlier session could overtake teams in the medal rounds in the final standings.

[] During the Olympics, will all four events be going on at the same time? I don't want to miss any coverage, but it's hard not to when they compete simultaneously.

Yes, all four events for the women, and all six events for the men, will be competed simultaneously in all competitions except for Competition III, which is Event Finals.

[] Is it true, or just a rumor, that Svetlana Boguinskaya will be competing for Belarus these games? Is she allowed to do this, although she lives in the U.S. and has one of our best coaches, Bela Karolyi? Shouldn't she be representing our country?

Svetlana went back to Belarus much earlier this year to train with the Olympic team members. She is a citizen of Belarus, and has never held citizenship in the United States, and therefore could not compete for our country even if that was her desire.

Training in other countries is not unusual. Many foreign athletes train in the collegiate programs we have in the United States, in many sports. Additionally, our athletes have trained abroad. For example, Peter Kormann, the head coach of the men's gymnastics team, trained for a while in Japan when he was a gymnast. At that time, the Japanese were unquestionably the dominant force in the men's gymnastics arena. He returned to the United States, made our Olympic team in 1976, and won a bronze medal on the floor exercise.

[] I was wondering, what other gymnasts from around the world are also going to the Olympics? I'd like to know the athletes representing the Russian team, France, Ukraine, Belarus, China, Romania, etc.

Olympic rosters have not yet been officially released, as they do not have to be submitted by the coaches until 24 hours before the start of the event. At that time, we hope to make the rosters available on our website.

[] Are Gina Gogean and/or Lavinia Milosovici going to be competing?

Yes, both gymnasts are among the seven that Romania brought to Atlanta, and appear to be training well. However, Romania unfortunately suffered an injury to one of their stronger gymnasts, Ana Maria Bican. In warmups, she vaulted a double twisting Yurchenko and injured her knee. While we have "heard" that she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), that is not officially confirmed. We do not know yet if the Romanians will bring another gymnast to Atlanta.

[] I have tickets to Olympic Gymnastics Podium practice for Thursday, July 18th from 12 noon till 8 pm at the Georgia Dome. How can I find out the schedule for this event and when each country has the floor???

We have posted a schedule of all podium training and compulsory days on USA Gymnastics Online. We will upload start lists for team optional and individual sessions once those are known.

[] Does the alternate (Theresa Kulikowski) for the US Women's Gymnastic Olympic team travel with the team to the Olympics in Atlanta? Under what circumstances would the alternate be called upon to compete?

The women's alternate, Theresa, did not travel to Atlanta. If, within 24 hours of the start of competition, one of the seven gymnasts named to the team is not able to compete (e.g. injury), then Theresa will be substituted onto the team.

Josh Stein, the men's alternate, traveled to Atlanta. These decisions were made separately by our men's and women's program.

[] What are the duties of the USA Head Coach? Is it mostly organizational? During the Olympics are individual coaches allowed on the floor with their athletes, and are the rules the same for all countries?

There are MANY organizational duties. The head coaches are assisted by USA Gymnastics staff as well as other delegation assistants.

Of course, organization of practices, etc. are part of the work, but the USA has developed procedures to involve the opinions of all of the athletes' personal coaches.

During the competition, there are only TWO team coaches permitted within the restricted areas at one time. Additionally, for the women's gymnastics team, ONE of these MUST be a female. The coaches are able to "swap" credentials so as to allow the athletes' personal coaches to work with their individual athletes if this is necessary or desirable. They must be careful, however, to observe the two coach rule!

The same general rules (two coaches on the floor, etc.) apply to all of the teams, but the way that the different countries select, assign, and utilize their team coaches varies greatly.

[] How come there aren't more televised competitions throughout the year? It's a shame that only the Nationals, American Cup, and World Championships are shown.

This is a goal that USA Gymnastics is working on.

Even though gymnastics is very popular, it is not as easily done as you might think.

One of the problems is that it is difficult for our top athletes to be "up" frequently and for long periods. Obviously, they pace their training for the important international competitions.

[] How is Dominique Moceanu doing with recovering from her injury? I haven't heard anything in the news.

Dominique is in training with the other members of the women's Olympic team. We have heard that "things are going GREAT!"

[] Why hasn't Shannon been competing for the last couple months?

Shannon last competed in the USA Championships in Knoxville, TN where she was the All-around Champion. That competition was the first week of June, just over one month ago.

Prior to that meet, she was not able to compete at events such as the American Cup due to injuries in her forearm/wrist.

Due to the sore wrist, she petitioned to have her scores waived through the Olympic Trials in Boston. The petition was accepted, her scores held, and she is now in pre-Olympic competition training with the other members of the U.S. Women's Olympic Team.

[] Could you please describe the format for the Olympics Podium Training sessions? I'm a mom of an 8-year old gymnastics student and we'll be going to one of these sessions. We'd like to know what we'll be seeing. Is it an open time for any competitor to practice, or are there times scheduled for each team? Or is it something else all together?

During podium training, teams (by country) or combined groups of individuals "warm-up" in a separate area and are then marched out onto the performance floor. They begin at an assigned event and then proceed to rotate from event to event in "Olympic Order."

The times at each event are strictly timed, but each team may use the time in any way they desire.

It is typical that teams will attempt to do as many routines as possible at each event.

Podium training is one of the most popular sessions for gymnastics coaches to attend! -- It is a great preview of things to come at the competition.

Gymnastics is the only sport to sell tickets to training sessions. Podium training as you will see in Atlanta has been around at Worlds, Olympics, and other major competitions for quite awhile; however, this is the first time that tickets have been sold for these sessions.

[] I'm confused. I thought that the seventh gymnast on a team was just an alternate. Is there a new rule? How does this all work?

In 1996, an Olympic team in artistic gymnastics consists of seven competitive members. This is indeed a change from previous years. The new format is referred to as the "7-6-5" rule. What that means is:

  • Seven gymnasts are on a team
  • Six gymnasts compete on each apparatus
  • The five highest scores on each apparatus count towards the team total

Related points:

  • A gymnast does not have to compete in both compulsories and optionals on the same apparatus.
  • Realistically, a gymnast would need to be selected by the team coaches to compete all eight (women) or twelve (men) routines, to have a shot at qualifying for the all-around.

The 7-6-5 rule was first used at the 1994 Team World Championships. (There was no team event at the 1993 World Championships.)

There were several reasons for the change in rules. One was to allow for more interesting team strategy during competition. Also, the 7-6-5 rule allows for the possibility of specialists entering the Olympics.

[] What happened to Kim Zmeskal?

Kim remains a VERY POPULAR gymnast. We continue to have MANY inquiries about Kim!

For various reasons, Kim did not attempt to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Team. She will be an important part of USA Gymnastics for a long time...

  • She does plan to participate in the post-Olympic tours
  • She is now a member of the USAG Board of Directors and the Athlete's Council
  • She will be in Atlanta assisting the Women's Program and Women's Team in various capacities.

You will continue to hear from her and see her perform in exhibitions, tours, and pro-meets.

USA Gymnastics is very excited about Kim's willingness to "look to the long range" and participate in the sport of gymnastics.

[]USA Gymnastics' 1996 Olympic Games Homepage


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