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Kondos brings fresh talent to w. gymnastics

By Daily Bruin Staff

Aug. 11, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 11, 1996

UCLA recruits star gymnast from Huntington BeachBy Melissa
Anderson

Summer Bruin Staff

The UCLA women’s gymnastics team may have lost the gem of its
recruiting class when Olympic heroine Kerri Strug opted to give up
her NCAA eligibility, but when it comes to freshman talent the
Bruins still have a jewel or two left up their sleeves.

Deborah Mink and Heidi Moneymaker may not adorn the cover of a
Wheaties box, but with Strug out of the picture they will provide
an important piece of the puzzle for UCLA Head Coach Valorie
Kondos.

Last season, the Bruins finished a surprising second place at
the NCAA Championships. Though Strug was recognized as the missing
link that could vault UCLA to a national title this season, Mink
and Moneymaker ­ along with a returning cast that includes
former Olympians Stella Umeh and Leah Homma ­ might be enough
to move the Bruins to the next level.

"Even (without Kerri competing) we will be much stronger than we
were last year," Kondos said. "There is no reason for us not to
contend for that title."

Mink currently trains at SCATS in Huntington Beach under Don
Peters. The 1995 U.S. Classic Elite national champion, she helped
lead the U.S. team to a third-place finish at the President’s Cup
in Guatemala City.

The Marina High School graduate also won the all-around title at
the 1995 Summer and Winter Regionals and was fifth at the USA
National Gym Festival.

Moneymaker, who was originally slated to be Strug’s dorm
roommate, recently won the national vaulting and bar championships
at her level and was second in the all-around at the 1995
California U.S. Gymnastics Federation Championships. She trains
under Ben Corr at the Rohnert Park Gymnastics Club.

Kondos’ ability to attract top female gymnasts to a program
often overshadowed by the UCLA men’s program ­ which produced
such legendary gymnasts as Peter Vidmar and Mitch Gaylord before
losing its NCAA status ­ is a testament not only to her
ability as a coach but also to UCLA’s reputation as a powerhouse
both athletically and academically.

"We are one of a very few schools in the country that do a high
level of gymnastics," Kondos said. "We maintain their integrity as
athletes and when they come here they continue to learn skills that
a lot of our contemporaries in the field don’t teach because they
want to play it safe.

"We don’t need to throw all the skills that we do in our
routines, but that is why the athletes come here. To get better. I
think when you’re dealing with the cream of the crop, which is what
we are dealing with, we tend to draw athletes which represent the
UCLA student body, which is a melting pot.

"More than any other program in the country, UCLA has the
finesse and the flair of being known worldwide, and that is what
our team represents."

Daily Bruin

Head Coach Valorie Kondos

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