Katie Teft Not Bitter
Former Great Lakes gymnast looks forward to making 2000 team
The gymnastics portion of the Olympic Games began Sunday, and Grand Rapids' Katie Teft wasn't there. But she could've been. Teft finished eighth at the Olympic Trials two weeks ago. Only the top six qualifiers from the trials made the Oympic team. Injured stars Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller were given the other two automatic spots because their scores from the national championships were good enough to put them on the team. The former Great Lakes Gymnastics Club member has no complaints, according to her coach, John Geddert. "I think she's as good as a couple of kids who made the team, but I don't think she is better," Geddert said. "For the U.S. team, they have the best team on the floor. To put her in front of Olympic judges that are not used to seeing her would not be beneficial to the U.S. winning a medal" Geddert said he had no problem with Moceanu and Miller being given spots because they would have made the team if they had competed. But gymnastics is one of the few sports where you don't have to earn a spot on the team at trials. "It's a bone of contention with a lot of people," Geddert said. "We do it on the basis of putting the best team on the floor in Atlanta. Whether that is fair or not is not open to debate." Teft didn't like the decision, but understood why it was done. "I didn't think it was fair," Teft said, "but they still had to show that they were ready to compete in the Olympics, and it's a strong team." It might be the strongest U.S. team ever, according to Geddert. "Every kid on the team is a star in their own right," he said. "The U.S. has a shot at the gold in their own country." He said competing in front of the friendly crowd is a big advantage. "There will be 40,000 fans screaming for them," Geddert said. "It has an effect on the judges and it has an effect on the gymnasts' performances. They are going to be tumbling higher than they ever were before. They are going to be one motivated group." Geddert said America's main competition would come from China, Romania, and the Ukraine. As for individual stars, he pics Moceanu and Romania's Alexandra Marinescu. "If Moceanu is healthy, she could carry that torch," Geddert said. "But she is the question mark because of her legitimate injury, a two-inch stress fracture in her leg."
"Marinescu is going to take that role also. She is a Nadia Comaneci type, an Olga Korbut darling-type that will please the judges." Geddert said the trend in gymnastics is going away from the younger athletes. "The sport is changing," Geddert said. "It used to be that way because that was the trend at the time. They wanted the little kids who were young and cute."
"The training techniques of the time catered to the younger kids. Now we have the knowledge and training to keep the kids around longer. Before it used to be work, work, work and now it's quality work, and that caters to the older athlete." That hurt Teft this year, but will help her when the 2000 Games come around. "We were really pleased with the trials," Geddert said. "She was the youngest one in the competition. The powers that be basically said to Katie, 'Your time is coming. There's always the year 2000.' I don't know if they were doing it just to make her feel good, but I don't think so."
"She obviously doesn't have the established name. She is going against kids who have been on Olympic teams. Three of the seven on the team have already been on Olympic teams and the other four have been on a World Championship team.
"The trials basically positioned Katie for the next quadrennial. She and the others will make the nucleus of the next Olympic teams." Teft had an outstanding trials. She scored a career-high of 9.625 on vault, tied a career high with a 9.825 on bars, scored a 9.625 on the balance beam and had a career high 9.7 on the floor. "I think I did very well," Teft said. "I just had that one little mistake on bars, but other than that..." "There were 17,000 to 18,000 people there, Geddert said. "She started out as the new kid on the block, but as the weekend went on, the crowd was behind her. "Nothing ever seems to faze her. I know she was disappointed but there were kids who had less of a chance of make ing the team and they were sobbing." Teft has nothing to sob about because she has a bright future. "I think I could've been out there," Teft said. "I missed it, but I'll be out there in 2000."
from the Lansing State Journal
