U.S. Hoping for a Karolyi Revival

Bela Karolyi, summoned out of retirement to revive prospects of the U.S. women’s gymnastics program, got his first look at some of the athletes last month.

He didn’t particularly like what he saw.

“To be honest, I wasn’t pleased,” he said. “The shape wasn’t what is required for a world-class team. With small exceptions, the physical strength was not there. But every beginning is hard.”

Today at Karolyi’s ranch near Houston, about 30 elite gymnasts are gathering for the first of a series of intensive monthly training camps meant to rebuild a team that, for now, is a longshot to win a medal at Sydney only four years after having won the gold in Atlanta.

“Somewhere we lost team unity. That was most obvious during the last World Championships,” Karolyi said of a U.S. team that finished sixth in China last October. “When we had to perform as a team, something was going wrong.”

Only 14 to 16 of the gymnasts at this camp will be invited back for the second as Karolyi, the national team coordinator--but not officially the coach--focuses on getting the best prospects in shape.

Three 1996 Olympians attempting comebacks will be at the camp, among them Amy Chow, 21, who was in Las Vegas on Friday to compete in the first event of the American Cup series, an international competition that will be televised Sunday.

Jaycie Phelps, 20, another of “the Magnificent Seven,” announced a comeback attempt last month.

By far the most intriguing effort to return to the world stage is that of Dominique Moceanu, 18, who has overcome family turmoil and is training in Cincinnati with respected coach Mary Lee Tracy.

But a growth spurt, weight gain and the implementation of a more demanding “code of points” are among the obstacles Moceanu faces.

“Dominique is an athlete who has proved in the past she is a very spectacular, very attractive and very effective performer,” Karolyi said. “The only question in my mind is, will she [be able to] come back to top shape and be able to perform up to the new criteria.

“She needs to learn a lot of new combinations. Time is short. My concern is how fast and how able she will be to catch up to the new demands.”

Even some of the new prospects are making comebacks--among them Vanessa Atler of Canyon Country, who in 4 1/2 tumultuous months has left her longtime coaches, stumbled to a 31st-place finish at the World Championships, undergone two ankle surgeries and moved to Plano, Texas, to train under a new coach.

Yet Karolyi was enthusiastic after watching Atler, 17, resume training as she recovers from the operations.

“I’m extremely, extremely pleased with what I see in this young lady,” Karolyi said. “What impressed me most was her attitude. She’s in much better shape than when I saw her in December. If everybody else in the country had the same kind of desire and mood like she is in, I would be the happiest camper in the world.”

Atler, Kristen Maloney and Elise Ray--a surprising eighth at the worlds--are among the new guard. Jeanette Antolin, 18, of Huntington Beach and Jamie Dantzscher, 17, of Palmdale, also are attending the camp.

Still, Karolyi has an appreciation for what he calls the “old-timers”--the 1996 Olympians.

“I’m thrilled and excited because they can bring maturity, prestige and the work ethic that was so important in 1996--the burning desire to be successful,” he said.