DAY 2 : THE SEOUL GAMES : American Women Should Fare Well in Gymnastics

At the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Salt Lake City five weeks ago, national champion Dan Hayden was rumbling along in second place with five of six events out of the way, and he was a shoo-in to make the U.S. team.

He tried a difficult release move on the high bar and missed. Half-point reduction. Up on the bar again, he had no alternate move to fall back on and he missed again. Another half-point reduction.

Before Dan, who had had a separated shoulder popped back into place earlier in the evening, finished his routine, his score was all the way down to 8.3.

He finished in eighth place and was off the team. Men’s coach Abie Grossfeld groaned, “I never saw a guy drop off a team from second place before.”

But maybe the monumental tumble will prove a portent of what awaits the men at the Olympics. The U.S. squad is not strong, probably no better than the aggregation that finished ninth in the World Championships last year.

Making matters worse, bright and early Sunday morning the U.S. will begin the compulsory segment of the competition in the first of three sessions. In gymnastics, the earlier you go, the lower the scores.

Undaunted, Grossfeld says, “I didn’t think we’d win in Los Angeles, but we did. Here, I think we have a shot at a medal. I think we’re at the level of the East Germans and they’re talking about them having a shot at the bronze.”

The coach compares his team quite favorably to the gang that won the gold medal in Los Angeles. Perhaps this squad has the potential to be that good. But the Peter Vidmar-Bart Conner-Mitch Gaylord-Tim Daggett-Scott Johnson-Jim Hartung juggernaut got a break in the schedule, going last in the compulsories, grabbing a lead, then hanging on to upset China and Japan.

With their poor draw and the world champion Soviets added to the field, the Americans may take a tumble similar to the one Hayden took at the trials.

While veteran coach Grossfeld and his charges are one big happy family, the same cannot be said on the women’s side.

What can be said, however, is that the women are simply a much better team and, at the ripe old ages of 15, 16 and 17, most are still improving.

After months of sniping from the sidelines and following an embarrassing performance by his pupils at the trials, coach Don Peters quit. Instead of a new coach taking over--Bela Karolyi nominated himself and seconded the motion--it was decided the women would have no head coach. Instead, the personal coaches of each gymnast would serve on equal footing as the U.S. coaching staff.

Before he packed his bags, Peters said the quality of the performances at the trials was far superior to the disappointing showing at the World Championships. “We are solid right down the line with no noticeable weaknesses in any event,” he said.

There’s no way of telling what kind of an effect all the politics and bickering have had on the team members, but Kelly Garrison-Steves is firm on the point.

“We’ve been going through this for so long,” says the housemother for the group, 21 years old and married, “that it has no effect whatsoever.”

Besides a strong, consistent team, one that has a very good shot at the bronze medal behind the Russians and Romanians, the U.S. women should do well in the individual events with leader Phoebe Mills a dark horse for a medal in the all-around.

The women finished second four years ago, and Mary Lou Retton took the all-around. Anything resembling that showing this time could make even the constantly ebullient Karolyi too excited to speak.