Friday, January 31, 1997

W. GYM:

Bruins to face arduous UCSB, LSU

in prestigious meetBy Lisa Quon

Daily Bruin Contributor

In a sport where one wobble can cost you the match, gymnastics is often a sport of timing and lucky breaks.

Though the team currently stands at .500 with a record of 2-2 this season, this is no indication of its performance thus far. Notoriously slow starters, this year UCLA has started off strongly consistent on every event with only a few major mistakes.

"In the big scheme of things, we're pleased with our performances," UCLA assistant coach Mark Cook said. "We haven't hit everything perfectly clean, but we don't expect to yet. We definitely have momentum on our side."

The Bruins will have a chance to test their depth and endurance Saturday, when they host Louisiana State, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara in their first invitational meet of the year.

The UCLA Invitational is regarded as one of the most prestigious gymnastics invitationals on the West Coast.

LSU stands as the biggest threat, scoring a high 196.45 over the weekend to tie Georgia in a dual meet. UCLA lost to Georgia a few weeks ago in its season home opener.

The Bruins will also be watching out for UC Santa Barbara, whose head coach, Randy Lane, used to be an assistant coach at UCLA. The Gauchos also have three returning All-Americans in their lineup.

Even with All-American Stella Umeh out for the third week in a row with a shoulder injury, the Bruins remain confident.

"We feel great going into the meet," head coach Valorie Kondos said. "We are not overly concerned that Stella won't be competing, as this will give us a chance to test our depth."

Senior Anne Dixon added, "Everyone's been practicing really well and hitting their routines all week."

UCLA has won this invitational a record nine times, including the last five in a row.

Last year, the Bruins beat out Arizona, BYU and Fullerton, scoring 194.225 in a come-from-behind effort.

With two Olympians in UCLA's lineup and four All-Americans, the UCLA gymnastics team certainly feel they have the talent to win the meet. They hope to have the fan support as well.

Los Angeles is known for its fickle fans, so getting people to come out and support the gymnastics program has been difficult. At last year's invitational, just over 4,000 people attended.

After the meet, fans will have a chance to get their pictures taken with the members of the UCLA gymnastics team.

"College gymnastics is every bit as exciting and dynamic as Olympic gymnastics," Cook said. "And the whole experience of watching it in person is different than just seeing it on TV."

SUSIE CHU/Daily Bruin

Kiralee Hayashi