Karthik007’s Blog

Bela Karolyi promotes Chicago for the 2016 Olympics, tells of upcoming stars and rips into rules that make routines, well, routine.

Bela Karolyi blew into Chicago on Thursday, bringing his usual over-the-top enthusiasm, so infectious everyone gets his message even if the gymnastics coach who fled Romania 27 years ago still speaks so breathlessly and with such a heavy accent his words need to be translated from English to English.

Who better than Bela to hype both the first major gymnastics competition in the Chicago area since 1983 — the American Cup, next Feb. 21 at the Sears Centre — and the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid.

Before Bela went onstage, he sat down for a few reflections on the past, present and future of U.S. women’s gymnastics, a future being plotted during a national team training camp taking place this week at the Karolyi Ranch outside Houston.

In 2004, we came back so proud (with a team silver and all-around champion), just like this time. Two weeks later, we had the national team camp, and all unknown little faces, hiding behind each other, and young coaches, they were so intimidated with the responsibility. Marta (his wife, the national team coordinator) came to me and said, “There’s something wrong. It’s like somebody died in here.” I told them what had just happened was over, you are the ones now, the one who can turn the sunshine on yourself. Get in, step up and take advantage of it.

Now is the same situation. But remember, in 2004, we lost all the team. Now we hope to have at least three continue. (All-around champion Nastia Liukin, all-around silver medalist Shawn Johnson and Samantha Peszek.) Nastia came to the team camp this week and told the girls the same thing she heard from me: “Your turn is now. Work hard and you can have the same satisfaction.”

You should see the little Jordyn Wieber (13, of Dewitt, Mich.). You would not believe it. What tumbling. What stability on the beam; she is glued on the thing. She’s a diamond. And Rebecca Bross (15, from the same Texas club as Liukin). But I hate to go through names because in 2004 I was hesitant to even mention Shawn Johnson even though she was just like the little Wieber kid.

In order to be a coordinator, you have to step out from direct coaching. In my mind, Kim Zmeskal (the first U.S. woman to win a world all-around title) would be a first-class leader. She is smart, calm, has the necessary diplomacy and technical knowledge. But she is very much involved in coaching now with a great kid (Chelsea Davis).

It is still ’84 (when he coached Mary Lou Retton to the all-around gold.) It is hard for anybody to understand where we came from and what kind of misery I had to endure until at least getting back in the gym. And then all the blame: The Karolyis are crazy, they don’t know anything about American kids, it’s not like under Communism, they will only do what they want to do, not what needs to be done. When you hear the same crap every day, it is very frustrating.

Finally, with this ’84 victory of Mary Lou, who was totally out-of-type (physically) for a gymnast — the all-around American kid, solid, muscle-filled, with a big smile and a big attitude — that was kind of retaliation.

Absolutely not. This is a sport where the young ones have a great opportunity to be great at 14, 15, 16, and older athletes can have their place, be great performers. The combination makes the sport good. It is a crime to eliminate the younger generation. And by doing it you leave the opportunity for all this cheating and all this controversy.

The problem is this stupid code of points (scoring system), which has them all doing like robots the same crap. Kill it. Let them loose. Let the older athletes have a chance to mesmerize you, make you feel like you are at the theater.

It’s the same. You see the gymnastics floor routines, and you want to cry. The same tumbling passes, the desperate try to somehow add up points, no smiles, blank faces, so much concentration, so much stress. Same thing on vault, bar, beam. Same routines, on and on and on. The only difference is who falls.

I watched a figure skating competition a few months ago, it was a very nice competition, and I watched three routines, and that was all I needed. I didn’t have to watch any more because I was going to see the same thing for seven more people. That is how you kill your sport.