International GYMNAST Magazine Online: A Wish List for 2008

A Wish List for 2008
================================================================================
Dwight Normile on Thursday, January 03, 2008
 
Another year has ended, a new one starting. For gymnasts, 2008 marks the final
year of another Olympic cycle. So as we forge ahead, it is also a time for
reflection.
With that in mind, I offer the following wishes for a more perfect world of
gymnastics in the year to come...
1. For Shawn Johnson: a bigger trophy case. I think she's going to need one.
2. For Nastia Liukin: an ankle that stays healthy. She deserves it.
3. For Chellsie Memmel: a clean bill of health during Olympic team selection.
After 2004, she REALLY deserves it.   Jade Barbosa (Brazil)  4. For Fabian
Hambüchen: that the "high-five" be officially named after him by the FIG,
because nobody does it more often to so many different people.
5. For the Chinese women: that their form and amplitude be properly rewarded.
6. For Jade Barbosa: another shot at the all-around in Beijing (and maybe an
extra box of tissues).
7. For Oksana Chusovitina and Jordan Jovtchev: continued health as they prepare
for their FIFTH Olympic Games!
8. For Morgan Hamm: a chance to show the "Airflare" in competition.
9. For Justin Spring: complete recovery from his torn ACL.
10. For Catalina Ponor: to find peace in retirement.
11. For Yekaterina Kramarenko: to find peace in competing by making the Olympic
team and sticking her vault in the team final.
Yang Wei (China)    12. For Vlasios Maras: to make the Olympic high bar final
he deserved to make in 2004 at home in Athens.
13. For Elsa Garcia: the motivation to continue competing for Mexico.
14. For FIG Men's Technical Committee President Adrian Stoica: that all the
numbers add up correctly at the Olympics.
15. For Paul Hamm and Yang Tae Young: to tie for the gold in any event at the
Olympics.
16. For Cheng Fei: to overcome the tremendous expectations of competing at home
at the Olympics.
17. For Yang Wei: see No. 16.
18. For Judges: to always score the routine and not the uniform.
19. For the Code of Points: to find a better balance between difficulty and
execution.
20. For the Beijing Olympics: that sportsmanship and performance share center
stage.