Katie Teft is Thrilled to See Old Friends
By Kym Schuetz
The Grand Rapids Press
Katie Teft was a spectator during the John Hancock World Gymnastics Tour Saturday night, but Grand Rapids' most famous gymnast wasn't just one of the crowd. Teft, 16, was three spots shy of making the U.S. Olympic team in 1996. SHe's competed alongside most of the female gymnasts in Saturday's exhibition, and she counts many of them as friends. That's why Mary Lee Tracy, coach of gymnasts Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps, sent a scout into the arena looking for Katie and company during the program's first half. The scout returned empty-handed, but Katie wandered down to the arena floor at intermission in search of old friends. Tracy scurried over to the sidelines to hug Katie and whisk her backstage. "Jaycie wants to see you. Amanda wants to see yo," Tracy said, leading Katie back to the women's dressing room. "I've missed you so much. I feel like I saw you grow up." Backstage Katie was rushed by Phelps, Borden, Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, and Amy Chow - all in various stages of dressing for the show's second half. The first question each asked was, "Katie, how's your back?" Katie, a junior at Forest Hills Central High School, is pained by a herniated disk which has kept her out of competitions and exhibitions for nine months. The injury also threatens her gymnastics career. She sighs that it still hurts, but is maybe a little better. Dr. Larry Nassar of Lansing, who is also the U.S. National team doctor, is treating her, but it seems to be a wait-and-see proposition. "I'm not doing much activity other than a little diving," Katie told Strug. "Mostly just enjoying school." Katie still hopes to heal enough to compete for a place on the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. BUt she acknowledges collegiate gymnastics might be more realistic. But Saturday's exhibition didn't remind Katie of her fading dreams. Quite the contrary. She was energized by the company of friends she hadn't seen in a few months. "We heard this was your hometown so we were saying 'Katie had better be here,'" Dawes said. "Katie, did you get your driver's license yet?" Strug asked. "What year are you in school?" Katie was asking questions, too. She heard through the grapevine Borden and male gymnast John Macready were dating and was eager for deatails. But there wasn'tmuch time to chat. The tour bus left shortly after the performance for a show elsewhere. She loved the exhibition, especially a men's routine choreographed to a heavy durm beat and performed in camouflage. "I've been in exhibitions before and they're so cool," Katie said. "they're even more fun than competitions. You don't get nervous. You just try to entertain the people with stuff that looks cool." Katie said she was just thankful to be a part of it all.
