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2000 T.J. Maxx Tour of World Gymnastics ChampionsWritten November 2000 © Stephanie SchneiderLocation: Mellon Arena (Pittsburgh, PA)
Date: November 17, 2000
My mom and I arrived at the arena well before it started because I wanted to watch warm-ups and hopefully get some good pictures. While we were waiting for the doors to open, we saw just about everyone that was going to be performing. It was cute how they would see everyone waving at them, and they would just give us a little smile and a wave back. It kind of brought back a lot of memories from trials; it’s just impossible to describe how it feels to see someone in person that you’ve admired for so long. Anyway, when we got inside, Jamie Dantzscher and Vanessa Atler walked right past us! We told them hello, and then Morgan White walked by. I kind of wanted to stay right there in hopes of seeing more gymnasts, but we went to find our seats. They were in the fifth row right in the middle of the arena right in front of the floor. I was so happy; I don’t think we could have gotten any better seats :). There was no one out on the floor though; I guess they had warmed up earlier or something because we never actually got to see anybody until the actual show.
This show was a lot of fun. It made me realize just how much the professional side of our sport has grown in the past four years. This tour was worlds better than the 1996/1997 tours. Without the pressure of competition, the athletes really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I thought it was so great to see Vanessa and Morgan out there having a great time after all they must have gone through in the past few months. I also thought it was neat to see Jamie and Vanessa together again; it’s obvious that they’re still such great friends.
Though many of the women on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team decided not to tour, there was still plenty of talent on hand. I was most excited to see the Russians: Yelena Produnova, Svetlana Khorkina, and Alexei Nemov. All three brought many of their Olympic elements to the tour. Produnova did her piked tkatchev on bars, Khorkina did most of her Olympic winning bars routine, and Nemov did two Kovacs on high bar. They were definitely the three most skilled of the show. I was surprised to see Produnova who had cut and dyed her hair blond.
I also loved all of the group numbers that the U.S. did. They had such great choreography and music. The U.S. women have a lot of style; sometimes that’s not real evident but they really showed it here. The athletes that stuck out the most in my mind were Jamie and Vanessa. They are just so much fun to watch.
The U.S. men’s Olympic team did a group routine on just about every event. Often they would have 3-4 gymnasts on the apparatus at once, and the stuff that they did was really neat, certainly not something you would see at a traditional gymnastics competition. They did a floor routine to the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” which was hilarious, but they actually looked really good doing it.
Rhythmic gymnasts Jessica Howard and Mila Marinova, as well as trampolinists Jennifer Parilla and Ryan Weston were showcased here as well. These two disciplines often don’t get the attention that artistic gymnastics does, but they really impressed me here. Rhythmic gymnasts are so artistic, and to see it in person is just amazing. Jessica Howard’s routines were among the most enjoyable of the show, in my opinion. And trampoline, what can I say, it’s incredible!
One of the more moving moments of the night was when the gymnasts brought out some Special Olympians and guided them along to the music, “Proud to be an American.” They received a standing ovation. Towards the latter part of the show, Dantzscher, Atler, and Khorkina did their individual floor routines, which were all amazing. During their routines, I snuck down to the front to try and get some better pictures, and no on even said anything! These security people must be nicer than the ones in Boston. :)
I’d have to say Blaine Wilson was probably the crowd favorite; he definitely got the loudest cheers. The gymnasts did a short autograph session afterwards, and after I finally got down front, I managed to get autographs from Sean Townsend, Paul Hamm, and Kurt Thomas. One thing I noticed was that Paul and Morgan’s bios weren’t on the same page in the program. I wonder how many people handed Paul Morgan’s page to sign or vice versa. I also got a picture of Sean and a couple pictures of Jamie and Vanessa who were signing right near me but I didn’t manage to get their autographs (oh well, it’s not like I don’t have them already :) ). As the gymnasts were leaving the floor, someone threw a teddy bear to Jamie, and she went over and gave them a hug. I thought it was really cute.
All in all, it was a very entertaining show, and I couldn’t believe how fast the two hours went by. It was nice to see everyone having so much fun after all the pressure of the past four years and for many, the Olympic games. I hope professional gymnastics continues to grow because it is truly enjoyable and a great way for the “older” athletes to continue doing what they love to do.