INSIDE THE OLYMPICS - WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
No room for error
With only 4 inches to play with,
the balance beam takes physical and mental strength.
By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer
Published August 16, 2004
THE ROUTINE must cover the entire length of the beam and demonstrate complete balance and control.
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Watch the top gymnasts on the balance beam, and it’s hard not to come away amazed.
They twist. They turn.
They flip frontward and backward. Using hands or without.
They spin. They glide.
And what’s most amazing is how easy gymnasts make it look. Then again, many stepped foot on the beam not long after taking their first steps.
“I started when I was 4,” said University of Florida All-American Erinn Dooley, now 22. “It’s pretty much second nature.”
Each event in women’s gymnastics is unique, but the beam stands out largely because of its difficulty and the fact it’s more mental than the others. Beams are about 4 feet off the ground, 16 feet long and, here’s the kicker, only 4 inches wide.
Routines last 90 seconds, and slip ups can cost a competitor more than points. They sometimes lead to broken bones. Success takes not only an incredible amount of skill, focus and concentration, but the ability to control one’s emotions.
“Fear is a great barrier,” said longtime Nebraska coach Dan Kendig. “It’s really kind of frightening. Everybody’s a little different. People that work on high-rises walk on girders like it’s nothing. But the first time they did that, even if they didn’t have fear of heights, they still respected where they were at. Fear turns into respect. We just try not to dwell on it because your mind kind of moves toward the most dominant thoughts.”
Florida All-American Orley Szmuch started on the beam when she was 6. She has broken seven bones while competing in gymnastics, five from the beam alone. It first happened when she was 9.
“I was in a cast for a month, and the first time doing (the beam) again I was terrified,” Szmuch said. “But you’ve just got to get up and do it. . . . I had a coach that forced the fear out of me.”
The beam is as much about the head as the body. When things go awry even the slightest bit, minds can wander and gymnasts can press. That’s usually when mistakes occur.
“The danger is when you have things going on in your life that day,” Szmuch said. “You have to be thinking, constantly putting positive thoughts in your head the entire time. It’s 90 seconds of focus.”
The physical aspects are equally difficult.
Because of the beam’s complexity, all routines are first practiced on the mat. Once on the beam, “It’s almost all body control,” Dooley said.
“The keys to success are good basics, starting with good form,” she said. “Doing things with a proper start, proper finish and good positions. That’s huge because you’ve got to be able to do a little bit of everything.”
Posture is crucial.
On leaps and jumps, the emphasis is on timing and coordination. Arms and legs must work together on takeoffs and landings. During turns, the weight transfers from side to side or front to back.
It’s a lot to remember and takes years to master.
“We try to find athletes that have good basics,” Kendig said.
The straddle jump (a split in the air), back handspring, full turn, layout step (a back flip without using hands) and a series of flips, comprise a common routine. There are countless others, including the mount and dismount, all of which vary in difficulty.
Gymnasts have tricks, too. Most can’t be spotted from afar and are lost on the casual eye. Often, gymnasts use their arms to catch themselves and disguise a loss of balance by making it look like part of the routine. Another subtlety is the use of one’s toes — like fingers — to grip the beam.
The finished product can appear effortless.
The gymnasts, however, know the truth.
“It can be terrifying,” Dooley said. “But it’s exciting.”
Technique magazine and www.usa-gymnastics.org contributed to this report
[Last modified August 16, 2004]
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