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Meet the U.S. men's gymnastic team
Meet the U.S. women's gymnastic team BOSTON -- Gymnasts with the top four all-around scores at the U.S. Olympic trials in Boston on Saturday were guaranteed berths on the team for Sydney. Additionally, a nine-person committee, headed by coach Peter Kormann, chose the remaining two spots based on needs in individual events. Teams can use five of their six gymnasts on each apparatus and count four of those scores towards the team total. Gymnasts must compete in all six events in order to be eligible for the all-around competition. Kormann has the option of using specialists on specific events and has indicated that only trials winner Blaine Wilson is sure to compete on every event in Sydney. Here's a look at the six U.S. male gymnasts who will compete in Australia: Blaine Wilson, 26: Wilson is the best of the U.S. men's team by a mile, the steadiest, most versatile gymnast the team has had since the Peter Vidmar-Bart Conner-Mitch Gaylord days of the early 80s. Wilson is known as a bit of hothead, having been thrown out of practice by every coach he has ever had, yet he is also a good team player who would rather win a team medal than an individual one. Sporting tattoos and a tongue stud, he says that gymnastics helped straighten out his life when he was a troubled teenager in Columbus, Ohio. Wilson placed fourth in the all-around at the 1999 World Championships in Tianjin, China, and has a fighting chance to be the first U.S. male to win an Olympic all-around medal at a non-boycotted Games. "I don't think there's any gymnast in the world Blaine can't beat," says Kormann. At 5-4, Wilson seems slight by comparison to teammates, yet he is a medal contender on rings because of his sequence of strength moves (many gymnasts these days instead emphasize swing moves to get bonus points). If he can control the rotation on his dizzying handspring double front vault, he can win a medal there, too Paul Hamm, 17: Paul and twin brother Morgan are the first set of twins and second set of brothers to make a U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. They'll turn 18 on September 24, during the Sydney Games. Morgan says of Paul: "He's more Type-A, kind of bossy. In the gym he's always talking about what to do." Kormann could conceivably use Paul in all six events, giving him a chance to make the all-around final. He does a tricky full-twisting double layout for his first pass on floor, but his landings aren't as steady as his brother's. Sean Townsend, 21: A junior at San Jacinto College in Houston, Townsend was raised singlehandedly by his father, Frost, from the time the boy was 4 until he went off to live with a coach at age 15. Frost drove an 18-wheeler to support Sean's gymnastics. He could be an all-arounder, too, but for a dicey pommel horse set. His high bar routine includes two Kovacs release moves (double back over the bar), the second one in combination. Townsend and Wilson are the team's two best vaulters. Stephen McCain, 26: McCain stuck it out at UCLA after the men's program was dropped. He has always suffered from a confidence problem and all but self-destructed at trials in '96, when he was good enough to make the team, but placed 12th. Kormann is unlikely to use him as an all-arounder and will probably elect to substitute for him on pommel horse. Morgan Hamm, 17: Look for Kormann to use Morgan as a specialist on floor exercise, where he posted the highest four total scores during the U.S. nationals in St. Louis and the Olympic trials in Boston. He has intricate combination passes the judges like and he rarely misses a dismount. He also does a layout double for his final pass at a point in the routine when most fatigued gymnasts would tuck it or pike it. John Roethlisberger, 30: In his third appearance at the Games, Roethlisberger will be the fourth man over the age of 30 to represent the U.S. in gymnastics at an Olympics and the first since 1960. Though Roethlisberger is an acknowledged team leader, his beaten body clearly showed residual signs in Boston of the four surgeries he's had in his career. It hurt to watch him tumble, though he somehow pulled a 9.45 out of his hat on Saturday after previous scores of 7.95, 8.75 and 8.30 at nationals/trials. Kormann could use him on pommel horse, rings and possibly high bar. When USA Gymnastics president Bob Colarossi announced that Roethlisberger had made the team, the gymnast broke down into tears. Roethlisberger is a likeable, dedicated athlete who would make a deserving flagbearer at the opening ceremonies.
Brian Cazeneuve is a Sports Illustrated writer-reporter who covers the Olympics and is a frequent contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his Sydney 2000 Mailbag.
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