1ST CALL TO THE HALL : Trend-Setting Olga Korbut of the Soviet Union Was a Natural Selection as the Initial Inductee Into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oceanside

They giggled and then gasped.

The pint-sized athletes who greeted Olga Korbut at the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Wednesday afternoon were not yet on earth when the Soviet, then 17, revolutionized women’s gymnastics.

It has been 16 years since the Summer Olympics of Munich, where Korbut--diminutive even by gymnastics standards--single-handedly brought awareness of her sport to a general public delighted with her daring tricks and refreshing style.

“At the time, I didn’t know what my performances would do for my sport,” Korbut said through an interpreter.

Since Munich, much has changed. Korbut is married to rock star Leonid Bortkevitch, who was the lead singer of the band “Pesniary” (Songsters), which sold 45 million records in Russia.

And she has a 9-year-old son, Richard, who is home in Minsk filming his fourth movie.

“He studied gymnastics for 2 years,” Korbut said, “but he is more interested in music and acting now.”

While Korbut does some coaching, her duties at the Palace of Sports in Byelorussia mostly involve recruiting and performance enhancement.

“I travel through my country and look for potential gymnasts,” she said. “I’m more of an administrator now.”

Korbut is working on another project, a book.

“My first book was very general, just about me,” she said, “but my next book will be very specific, more oriented toward gymnasts and athletes who have an interest in the sport.”

Korbut said Russian athletes suffer from post-competition problems the same way Americans do, and her book will address the issue.

“When you retire,” she said, “nobody needs you, nobody wants you, you have no one to turn to, you have no options. You have to change your whole psychology.”

Korbut and her husband will be in the United States until Nov. 16. She said she wants to generate interest in the book and make contacts in hopes of opening gymnastics centers here.

“I’m still working on it,” she said. “I would have to come (to the United States) for a long period of time and return periodically to check the progress.”

Korbut is proud two gymnasts from Byelorussia were on the winning Soviet team in Seoul--”They are the first gymnasts from my (republic) to make the team”--but said she is worried by the sport’s progression.

“I don’t like the way gymnastics looks now,” Korbut said. “They concentrate more on tricks rather than on grace and movement. I know people accuse me of starting that, but when I competed, I concentrated on grace, not just complexity.”

And she agreed with those who said 10s (a perfect score) were awarded too frequently in Seoul.

“I wouldn’t have given one 10,” she said. “That’s not right. To get more points (gymnasts) have to do harder tricks. It just gets more and more complex. They forget about the beauty.”

Korbut is the first gymnast to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and will accept a special plaque Saturday night at the United States Gymnastics Federation Coaching Congress in Anaheim.