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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1982)
emerald sports Sara Gustafson — Ducks’ holdover from greatness By Scott Coe Ofthu En—rakl It used to be that the terms “University of Oregon” and “national-class gymnastics” went together like salt and pepper. Whether it was the men's or the women's teams, the flying Ducks could consistently hold their own against anyone in the country, with the Sara Gustaf son’s and Randy Beard's com peting against the best But those were the good ol’ days Last year's athletic budget cuts, which, among other things, eliminated mens’ gym nastics at the University al together, started a destructive snowball rolling that may com pletely wipe out Oregon gym nastics before it is finished. Both Gustafson and Beard remain on the Oregon gymnas tics scene, but in slightly differ ent capacities. Gustafson is the brightest star on this year’s scaled-down women’s team, and Beard, now graduated, is an assistant coach of the squad. This summer the women's team seemed destined for a similar fate as the men, but the eleventh-hour hiring of new head coach Gary Vanderhoef saved the team for at least one more season. Vanderhoef is operating under a one-year, half-time salary, however, and has only one-and-a-half new scholarships to offer next year. And if that's not enough, Vanderhoef was flat on his back in bed with muscle spasms for three weeks early in the season, and had to coach the team via his wife, Sue He's back at practice now, although he must wear a back brace Despite all of the setbacks that have eaten away at what was once a national-class gym nastics program, there is cur rently some outstanding talent that remains intact for the lady gymnasts. Undoubtable the best Duck holdover is is Gustaf son, the lone senior on this year's team During the four years she has competed for the Ducks, Gus tafson has seen the good as well as the bad “It’s really been funny to sit back and look at the situation, especially this year, because we've been through so much," she says "The athletic depart ment says we’ve got to win, and that we've got to raise money to go to away meets all for our sport to survive Those things shouldn’t be a gymnast’s worry." The situation is an interesting one, according to Gustafson, because all of this season's tur moil — including the abrupt dis missal of an assistant coach — has drawn the team closer together. “We know we've got to stay strong, and that we’ve got to fight together . All of the girls on this team want to be here and want gymnastics at Oregon,” she said The gray haze of this season doesn't overshadow what has already been an illustrious car reer for the former all-stater from Portland s Parkrose High School Gustafson decided in high school to compete on the prep level instead of entering the Na tional Academy of Artistic Gym 7Htt4ic ' /? TKah, Hue. & 0pfU ^APPTf '%0'U‘ZS weruftteuf. NZANS 1255 Alder St. 343-9661 Call ahead lor to go orders Photos by Bob Baker “I judge my performance by how I felt I did, not by the score they flash up, " says Gustafson, the team's lone senior. nasts in Eugene, a decision she now views as being a wise one "I wasn’t willing to make the total commitment (of going to the Academy), because I had too much of a well-rounded family life,” she says She says some former members of the academy have come away with adverse reac tions to the total commitment required by the academy’s rigid training schedule "It’s like a cult down there (at the Academy), They go to school half-time, then they’re in the gym for six hours every day Anything done to excess like that just isn't healthy,” Gustaf son says As a prep, Gustafson was a two-time all-around state cham pion In her three seasons with Oregon, she qualified for the AIAW championships twice, placed fifth in the 1980 Western Hemisphere all-around, and currently holds school records in the uneven bars (9.30), and in the floor exercise (9 40) Gustafson says the difference between her ability and that of the top academy gymnasts such as Tracee Talavera and Julienne McNamarra lies not in amount of potential, but in time spent on routines Also, the academy girls have an edge in accuracy, Gustafson says Athletes with Gustafson's ability competing for the flying Ducks seem destined to be a thing of the past Recruiting new “Sara Gustafson s" to the University is difficult to imagine with so few scholarships availa Continued on Page 9 Mortar Board Senior Honor Society Announces that it has extented its selection deadline to Wednesday, March 3, 1982. 1 Mortar Board membership is bused on service, scholarship, und leadership. Students wishing to be considered for selection must be seniors fall term of1982, with a cummulative GP/1 of 3.2. Information sheets are available at the Library next to the Professor of the Month display. Information sheets and questions should be directed to: Amy Rittenburg c/o ASIJO Office Suite 4 EMU x3724 kinko's copies Af* self ■ V-' service • computerized Xerox • reduction • 2 sided copies • binding • lamination 344-7894 764 E. 13th JL, Thurariov Fahmani 9<> 1QR9
