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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1981)
Going for a spin Oregon gymnasts are flying high By Terry Rhoads A Am s Oregon's women's gymnastics team shifts into high gear for the 1981 season, coach Henriette Heiny is feeling somewhat fortunate. Although injuries have already knocked out top returning gymnast Dawn Haberland and temporarily sidelined a host of others, the team's goal of a berth in the nationals is far from ruined. Heiny and the Ducks have found a simple answer — talented depth and lots of it. "We've had some bad luck," says Heiny. The Ducks finished second to Oregon State University in last year's Region 9 championships. "If we didn't have those nagging injuries, who knows where we would be at right now,” adds Oregon’s sixth-year coach. "But it shows me something. Even though we re having a lot of injuries. I’m still expecting nice scores this season because of our tremendous depth." That tremendous depth will come to Oregon, which was ranked 11th nationally last year, in the form of six new faces, including four freshmen. Haberland, who alternated with junior Women Sara Gustafson as Oregon’s top all-arounder, is lost because of a shoulder injury, probably until the Region 9 championships in late March. But the Ducks’ potential individual national meet qualifiers and talented scorers don’t end with her. Heiny, who coached the Ducks to a 20-3 record last season with wins over nationally-ranked Brigham Young University (seventh), Arizona State Universtiy (ninth) and Oklahoma State (14th), hopes the new talent is enough to challenge OSU for the regional team title and the automatic berth at nationals that goes with it. To prepare ter an attack on the Beavers and hopefully for the nationals, Heiny has put together a schedule that could decimate the Ducks’ dual meet season record and possibly give Heiny her first losing season since becoming Oregon’s coach in 1976. The Ducks have chosen to spend this winter with five of the top 15 finishers from last year's AIAW nationals and struggle for a winning record when they can go next door to their weaker Northwest neighbors and enter regionals undefeated. "You have to have top competition to improve yourself," Heiny says. “That's why I look to this type of competition. Also, I think it is the only way we can get national exposure, even at the risk of a losing record.” A bigger factor in determining if Oregon Continued on Page 6 By Doug Levy I n a year where men’s basketball seems headed for disaster, one can take comfort in knowing 1981 will be another banner year for the Oregon men’s gymnastics team. Although the Ducks have suffered heavy losses from graduation, they will have more depth than last year’s team, which placed third nationally. Randy Beard, Gene Christensen and Miki Moyal — three of Oregon’s superstar gymnasts — are gone. But back are James Yuhashi, a 1980 All-American in the floor exercise, and Kelly Crumley, who figures to be Oregon’s top gymnast this year. Add to those two solid returnees Randy Jepson, Alex Schwarz, Dino Manus, Dan Johnson, Pat Mullen, Tim Darling and Bob Leverance. Then throw in top-notch freshmen Raul Tello and Johnny Moyal and transfer surprise Brett Garland and you have a team that is well-rounded, if not spectacular. Yet for the first time in four years, Oregon may not win the Pac-10. UCLA is favored to break the Ducks’ conference stronghold, and a tough Arizona State team could challenge for second. So this could be somewhat of a “down” year for Oregon. "Our major objective this year is to finish in the top 10 (in the nation) due to the tremendous losses from graduation, whereas last year our goal was to win it,” admits coach Bill Ballester. Since the team has had only one counting meet, they are not included in the rankings, but at least a couple of gymnasts are taking a more optimistic view of the season than Ballester. "Some people are pessimistic, but I think we’ll finish in the top four or five,” says Darling. "I think we'll be fifth or sixth,” adds Leverance. Depth should be the key in every event for the Ducks. Crumley, Moyal, Tello, Mannas and Garland will be the all-around performers. Crumley is a member of the U.S. Gymnastics Federation, the team our Olympians are chosen from, so it is no surprise when Ballester says “our team will be built around Kelly Crumley." The veteran coach also says Tello is “potentially the best gymnast we’ve ever had,” and Moyal "is as good as his brother Miki." The floor exercise is set with Yuhashi, and Ballester calls Johnson and Mullen "outstanding high bar men.” On the rings, Jepson was an NCAA finalist last year, while Schwarz took second in the Pac-10. Crumley and Tello make the vault a solid event. Continued on Pago 6 MONSTER BOOKIES devour seven, get eighth one FREE! Yum, Yum!^) o The Book Department has a unique, money-saving idea for you. Buy seven books during Winter Term from The Book Department (no textbooks), and get the eighth one free. To get your free book, simply: *Sign up for our MONSTER BOOKIE SALE program at the Book Information Counter. * After each book purchase you make in The Book Department, ask us to record your purchase in our MONSTER BOOKIE file. *Nothing to lose, no slips to save—we will keep records of your Book Department purchases. *When you have purchased seven books (this includes reference books, paperbacks, hardcovers—any book not sold in the Textbook Department), we will take an average of your books purchased and round it to the nearest 95c. Voila! You get a FREE book of your choice from The Book Department for that amount. It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s a great deal! Come see us in The Book Department. *No textbooks *Cash register sales only *Qffer good for books purchased January 12 to March 21 uo BOOKSTORE 13th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30 Sat 10:00-2:00 • Textbooks 686-3520 • General Books 666-3510 • Supplies 686-4331