Oregon daily emerald., January 10, 1979, Section B, Page 6, Image 13

Halberg leads strong, young team
Gymnasts hope to reach nationals
By JACK CONDUFFE
Of the Emerald
In a team of freshmen, with just a sprin
kling of sophomores, being a senior tends
to make one stand out. Gymnast Wendy
Halberg calls this year her most fun as a
member of the women’s team.
As a senior, and as the team's co
captain with sophomore Sharon Blan
chard, Halberg says she has “a little bit of
responsibility” in trying to keep team
spirits up. “But, like everybody else, I’m
there to work out and have fun,” she con
tinues.
Last year, Halberg was the team’s
mainstay, leading her teammates to a
fourth-place finish in the AIAW northwest
regional championships. She won the in
dividual title on the uneven bars — her
favorite event — and placed sixth in the
all-around competition.
This year the team, bolstered by a
strong recruiting year, is looking for a win
at the regionals and a trip to the national
meet in March.
“This is the most fun year partly be
cause of the idea we have a chance for the
nationals,” she says.
Halberg says she enjoys the competi
tion she gets from new team members
Sara Gustafson and Dawn Haberland
who were last year's Oregon prep gym
nastics champion and runner-up.
“I feel a lot more pressure than I ever
have before,” Halberg says. “It makes it
more exciting in the gym. I really thrive on
competition.”
After a meet last Saturday, coach Hen
rietta Heiny made special mention of Hal
berg, who competed in three everts with a
hand injury before being puHed out of
competition in the beam. Heiny called
Hatberg’s effort “heroic.”
Halberg says tieiny is a greai coacn.
‘There aren’t many like her. In four years,
I’ve never seen her get angry. She has a
great way of getting you self-motivated.”
Halberg has seen a lot of changes in
women s athletics during her four years.
She says Title IX is the biggest.
“We have weight training equipment at
Mac Court. We re issued sweats and
leotards we never had before. We have a
trainer at every practice.”
Scholarships are a big factor. “I have a
full scholarship. Last year I had a partial
scholarship,” she says. “That’s what
brought our program to the potential to go
to the national meet —the scholarships."
“i just hope we don’t follow some of the
problems the men’s program has," the all
around gymnast says.
One such problem is recruiting. Halberg
says recruiting regulations will probably
get more stringent in women's athletics.
She also says the increased competitive
ness of women’s gymnastics is causing
some problems.
“I think pretty soon they’re going to
have to do something,” she says.
“Women’s gymnastics is changing be
cause they are having to do more and
more difficult things. It takes away from
the grace.
“Our body build is such that we ll never
be able to do some of the strength things.
It makes for more injuries for women,” she
says.
Halberg isn’t quite used to her role as
the only senior on the team. “It’s funny for
me to be the senior instead of the little
person on the team, ” she says.
It hasn't hit me that I’m the only senior
on tiie team. It hasn’t hit that I won’t have
the team next year.”
«K*o by PMck
Wendy Heiberg, the only senior on the women s gymnastics team, gets her hand
taped by trainer Lee Shevenell before competing in three events with the injury si a
meet last Saturday, an effort coach Henrietta Heiny catted "heroic."
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