Service Wins All-Around Title as Bruin Gymnasts Take Own Meet

Tanya Service recovered from a motorcycle spill on Monday to win the all-around on Saturday and help the Bruins gain their third straight UCLA-Times Women’s Gymnastics Invitational title, thus moving from uneasy rider to easy glider in less than a week.

She scored an invitational record 38.85 in the all-around, including another meet record of 9.85 on floor exercises, to keep Bruin dominance alive in this event. “Our first peak of the year,” said UCLA Coach Jerry Tomlinson.

The Bruins, who have won 23 straight dual meets but never an NCAA championship (third last year), had a team score of 190.95 points(another record) to easily beat Cal State Fullerton (188.2) and Arizona State (188.15). Georgia was fourth (187.50) and Stanford was fifth (183.65).

For Service, who missed competing in the NCAA championships last year when she dislocated her elbow in the regionals, this week’s developments were very encouraging. Usually when she gets injured, it is in competition.

This time it was riding on the back of boyfriend (and UCLA men’s gymnast) Mike Chaplin’s motor scooter when they were rear-ended. “Lower back whiplash,” she explained after the Pauley Pavilion meet. “It still hurts.”

Not that anybody noticed. College gymnastics best athlete never to win an NCAA title sailed through the meet, capping it off with a crisp floor exercise routine. Her record-breaking score was helped by teammate Shawn McGinnis, another oft-injured gymnast, who threw what was announced as college gymnastics first “full-in.”

In fact, it was the second. McGinnis had done the double-twisting double-back somersault in a dual meet with Cal State Fullerton. “But they weren’t sure it was the first at the time,” she said. “So I guess I’m still the first.”

Her routine earned her a 9.80, which tied the record. But it only stood for minutes until Service followed with hers, nothing as spectacular but possibly more polished.

Service, who had won the all-around in this same meet two years ago with a record score of 38.60, beat Arizona State’s Karli Urban (38.40) and teammate McGinnis (38.30). UCLA’s Jill Andrews and Cal State Fullerton’s Liso Dolan tied for fourth with 37.90.

Tomlinson said his team, which normally performs in the John Wooden Center, was a “little bit hyper” in its once-a-year Pauley Pavilion performance. “Our bars performance was hyperness,” he said of some uneven scoring.