Leaping Into Contention

The stands were empty, yet Raj Bhavsar heard echoes of the roars that filled the Arrowhead Pond in August when the U.S. men’s gymnastics team won a world championship silver medal.

“The karma is definitely still here,” he said Wednesday. “I feel it.”

Paul Hamm sensed it too. “I remember coming down the elevator just the other day and almost getting nervous again, because it felt so familiar,” said Hamm, who was crowned the world all-around champion at Anaheim. “I should have a great performance because I am so comfortable here.”

But even Hamm, who this month added the U.S. title to his resume, won’t be complacent at this weekend’s Olympic trials. Competition among the U.S. men and women for spots on the Athens team promises to be as fierce as it was at last summer’s world championships, when the U.S. teams continued their renaissance from a medal shutout at Sydney.

“We’ve reached the point where making the team is almost like saying, ‘I’m going to win a medal,’ ” said Peter Vidmar, a member of the triumphant U.S. men’s team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. “The women’s team has definitely got a shot at a gold medal, let alone just a medal, and the men’s team has a legitimate shot.

“The trials are always unbearable, but it’s a nice position to be in as a country, when we’re this good.”

Competition begins tonight with the men’s all-around preliminaries and continues Friday with the women’s all-around preliminaries.

The men’s all-around finals are Saturday; the women’s finals are Sunday.

The top two men, as calculated by taking 40% of their score from the U.S. championships and 60% of their score from the trials, will get berths on the Athens team. Four additional members and two alternates will be chosen by the men’s selection committee, decisions that might not be made in Anaheim.

Instead, the men might hold a selection camp and a preparation camp before the mid-July deadline for USA Gymnastics to nominate athletes to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The top two women’s trials all-arounders will be nominated but must prove their readiness at a selection camp July 13-18 in Texas.

Martha Karolyi, the women’s national team coordinator, defined readiness as “you’re able to perform your routines at any moment in any conditions. Your routines, technically, are clean. You’re confident you’re able to handle it.”

She added, “This competition is very, very important. It really, really gives us a good idea of who will be on our team.”

Although the process doesn’t allow for a ceremonial send-off Sunday, the women said they’re fine with it because it’s similar to selection procedures for previous major events and it puts weight on consistency.

“I don’t think the Olympic team should be based on one competition,” said Tasha Schwikert, a 2000 Olympian. “The selection committee and Martha are very smart, and we’ve seen she’s done a very good job with this team this whole quadrennium....

“Martha, I don’t think she plays favorites. The goal for her is to put the best team on the floor, no matter what. I respect her very much, and she’s proven she does it.”

Hollie Vise, who shared the uneven-bars world title with Chellsie Memmel last year, has a sore back and will compete only on the uneven bars and balance beam. Memmel, recovering from a broken foot, and Nicole Harris, who also broke her foot, have petitioned to attend the selection camp.

Jason Gatson of Upland, who sat out the U.S. meet because of a sore back, will compete in four of six events. Blaine Wilson, recovering from biceps surgery, said he planned to compete in all six events.

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The trials will be broadcast in-house at 87.9 FM, with John Roethlisberger and Shannon Miller as announcers. Fans may bring radios but must use headphones. Radios will also be available for purchase.... Tim Ryan, the Pond’s general manager, said he expected the arena will make “a small profit” after seeing ticket sales surpass $1 million. “From our standpoint we will deem it a phenomenal success,” he said. He estimated the event will generate $15 million locally.