Poetry in Motion and En Route to the Olympics : Rhythmic Gymnasts Among U.S. Best

Five times a week a group of petite, somewhat twig-like girls meets at Studio West in Rolling Hills. Attired in fancy leotards and colorful tights, the girls use graceful ballet movements to warm up.

They then perform acrobatic routines while waving colorful ribbons, jumping through a hoop or balancing a ball.

The girls who leap, roll and dance to music are part of the West Coast Waves rhythmic gymnastics team. Their ages range from 8 to 15 and several are top-notch competitors in their division.

Jolie Barretta started the group five years ago. The former gymnast at Cal State Long Beach and assistant coach for the UCLA women’s gymnastics team, ran recreation gymnastics classes at Harbor College, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Palos Verdes High.

She noticed rhythmic gymnastics was becoming popular among her younger students and decided to start her own group. The next step for Barretta is to make the sport as popular in this country as it is in Japan and Europe.

“In 1983, I was an observer coach and saw the Bulgarians and North Koreans,” Barretta said, “and they were just incredible. Their athletes are all tough and very strong in this sport.”

Alla Svirsky, who brought rhythmic gymnastics to Southern California in 1975 and hired Barretta as an assistant in 1983, says the United States has a long way to go before it can compete with other countries in the sport.

Svirsky came to this country from Russia 13 years ago. She’s coached gymnastics since 1964, including the USC women’s team for six years.

Now she coaches half of the U.S. national rhythmic gymnastics team and runs the Los Angeles School of Gymnastics in Culver City.

“In Europe it’s the royal sport,” Svirsky said. “In Russia I’d have 6,000 kids that wanted to participate and I’d have to choose 20. It was part of (physical education) classes in high school and college. The sport needs publicity in this country. It can be big in two months if they showed it every night like they do with basketball.”

Most people are used to seeing artistic gymnastics, which is practiced in the NCAA and in the Olympics. Rhythmic gymnastics didn’t make its Olympic debut until 1980 as an exhibition sport. It wasn’t an official event until the 1984 Olympics.

Artistic gymnastics includes the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

Rhythmic gymnastics includes smaller and more detailed motor movements without the injury risk involved in artistic gymnastics. Categories include the rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon.

“I used to see it as something girls who couldn’t do traditional gymnastics did to stay in shape,” said UCLA women’s gymnastics Coach Jerry Tomlinson. “But the national (rhythmic) team used to practice in our gym and I really learned to appreciate it. It really isn’t as easy as it looks or people think it is.”

Members of the West Coast Waves can attest to that. They are one of six junior rhythmic gymnastics groups in the South Bay, but the only one that competes on a national level. The team works out about four hours a day and travels all over the country to compete.

“You really have to work hard,” said 13-year old Lily Garcia, who has been involved in rhythmic gymnastics since she was 8. “Slacking off is not going to get you anywhere.”

Waves’ Assistant Coach Sandi Shannon-Conley says that at the beginning, it was difficult to make the kids serious about workouts.

“At first, they just wanted to play all the time,” said Shannon-Conley, who was a four-year member of the U.S. national rhythmic gymnastics team. “They put in a minimum of 20 hours a week, so we do have to make it fun and exciting to make them want it. I mean, these kids sacrifice friends, family and even vacations.”

The hard work has already paid off for the older team members. The Waves’ class-one team has won five regional, four state and three national titles in the children’s division (ages 9 to 12).

Current children’s national champion Franca Abbatiello, state and regional champ Bianca Sapetto, regional compulsory champ Vanessa Vander Pluym and state hoop champ Lily Garcia make up the multi-talented squad.

Franca, 11, has won state and regional titles as a beginner two years ago. Last year, she moved up to the top children’s category (class one) and won the national title at Shelbyville, Ind. This year she won the junior state and regional titles.

Bianca, 12, placed third at nationals last year, but won the state and regional titles. As a beginner, in class three, she swept regional, state and national titles. She was also the regional champ in class two.

“She’s just very creative,” said Barretta. “Not only is Bianca one of the most artistic kids you’ll see, she’s also extremely intelligent and she’s very strong.”

At 15, Vanessa is the oldest on the team. Last year she won the class-three regional and state titles and this year she qualified for the senior nationals after a solid performance in regional competition.

Barretta believes all of her class-one athletes can qualify for the U.S. national team April 9-10 at the national meet in Northern California. Except for Lily Garcia, it will be the first time her gymnasts compete in the junior category.

“I think we’re right on target,” Barretta said. “We have perfect timing for the 1992 Olympics. This summer, we’re going to work a lot on elevating the level of skills.”