Gymnastics

HAGERSTOWN - From the front row of the bleachers, 4-year-old Mitchell Unger's eyes went wide. "Woooow," he said. "Now that's what I call a ladder. " The object of his fascination was a pair of 18-foot ladders being hoisted into a vertical position by a male gymnast, who then hoisted himself between them and began to climb. The ladder act was a crowd favorite Wednesday night at a show by the University of Maryland's Gymkana troupe, which traveled from College Park to perform at the Hagerstown Community College Athletic, Recreation and Community Center.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Nicole Burd says the best things about her cheerleading team are the friendships and camaraderie. "We're all so close, it's like a big family," said Nicole, 13. She and the other girls identified teamwork as the reason why they won a national championship at the end of March, although that win seems to have been kept in perspective. "It's not about winning. It's about having fun," said Nicole, who lives in Waynesboro. Eighteen girls ages 14 and younger from Waynesboro's Rainbow Gymnastics represented the junior team of Rainbow All Starz at the Cheer and Dance Extreme "National Championships by the Sea" in Virginia Beach, Va., on March 29 and 30. "This is our fourth national title, our first junior national title," said Barb Hafer, cheerleading coordinator and coach of the senior team.

TNT Gymnastics and Cheer will host an open house from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at its studio, 930 Eldridge Drive, Hagerstown.  For more information, call 301-766-4411.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- China was stripped of a bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics on Wednesday for fielding an underage gymnast, with the women's team medal now going to the United States. The International Olympic Committee acted after investigations by the sport's governing body determined that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible. Dong's results from Sydney were nullified in February by the International Gymnastics Federation.

The Top Five Jazz quartet The Lee Konitz New Quartet will perform. 8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at Shepherd University's Frank Center, off University Drive, Shepherdstown, W.Va. $22. Call 304-876-5785, email friends@sufom.org or go to www.sufom.org . Gymnastics and circus acts The Gymkana Troupe from the University of Maryland will perform gymnastics and circus tricks. 7 p.m. Friday, March 29, at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center, Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown.

BEIJING (AP) -- The Chinese men stood on the podium biting their medals. Yes, guys, they are real. And yes, they are Olympic gold. The bronzes around the Americans' necks must have been just as tasty. China's triumph Tuesday was as much a vindication as a coronation. It ended a four-year journey built on the failures of Athens, and carried through a crucible of unfathomable expectations. The Chinese arrived at the Beijing Games as such overwhelming favorites that anything less than a spectacular gold-medal performance would not have been enough.

Faith Volkening, an 8th-grader from Boonsboro competing for the Frederick Gymnastics Club, recently placed second in the USA Gymnastics Jr. Olympic State Championship. Her finish earned her an invitation to compete on the Maryland team at the Region 7 Level 8 Championship in Charleston, W.Va. Competing against gymnasts from Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New Jersey, Volkening finished sixth on beam (9.25) and ninth in All-Around (36.695). The Maryland team placed fifth.

SMITHSBURG - A basket bingo to benefit the TNT Gymnastics team will be Nov. 11 at the Smithsburg Volunteer Fire Co. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Proceeds from the event will go toward uniforms, travel expenses, competition costs and other items.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - In all her years of practice, Nikki Dustman never thought she'd get a chance at the big time, but today she heads to Minnesota and the championship of the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association. [cont. from news page ] The 18-year-old Wilson College sophomore has earned the right to compete in the vault trials as an individual event specialist, said Korena Angell, coach of Wilson's five-member gymnastics team.

The Winter Olympics are over, but the bios of some of the athletes show just how many hardships they faced trying to get there. I spoke to a couple of friends on my gymnastics team - 4-Star Gymnastics. Since we all have been going through some rough times with our skills, and all of us have had injuries, I figured they would be able to help explain why athletes stick with their sport. Kayla Churchey, a 15-year-old from Falling Waters, W.Va., has participated in gymnastics for 13 years.