Flying high

  EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Doni
Thompson, a junior Bruin gymnast, chills out at Royce
Quad.

By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff

Two years ago, Doni Thompson found herself at home in Olympia,
Wash., taking summer school classes while slowly going out of her
mind.  Though she enjoyed being with her family and living in
the Pacific Northwest, Thompson longed for a better way to spend
her summer vacation.

So last year, when teammate and roommate Malia Jones handed her
a junk-mail flier for a trip to Africa, Thompson clung to
it. A few months later she found herself airborne in the midst
of a nearly 20-hour flight to Kenya.

For most people, the hardest part of her next six weeks in
Africa would have been the scorpions and mice that have a penchant
for sharing bungalows and blankets with visiting
Americans. Others might have balked at waiting in line for a
cold shower during Africa’s winter months. Not Thompson.
She took these hardships in stride, but had a much more difficult
problem prior to landing on the African mainland.

Thompson does not like airplanes. In fact, she is downright
terrified of air-travel. During the trip she even negotiated
with fellow passengers for the seats furthest from the windows.

“You should have seen me,” Thompson said. “I
was a complete basket-case. I’m not afraid of flying,
I’m afraid of crashing.”

Actually, Thompson points to a supreme fear of heights as the
root to her problem. This is especially ironic because the
junior All-American is considered one of the nation’s best at
gymnastics’ most high-flying event ““ the uneven
bars.

“She can do anything on the bars,” assistant coach
Milo Johnson said. “Any trick you teach her, she can do.
When I first came here, her goal was to become the anchor for us on
the bars. This year she earned that spot.”

UCLA currently leads the nation with a 49.3 average on the bars.
Thompson recently garnered co-Pac-10 champion honors on the bars,
and is currently ranked fourth in the nation. Earlier this
year, she narrowly missed a perfect 10, tallying a 9.975 at
Cal’s Haas Pavilion.

On some releases, Thompson finds herself nearly 15 feet above
the ground with only the bar between herself and the mat. It is
within the gym that Thompson best overcomes her fear of
heights.

Thompson did more than just brave a flight during her summer in
Kenya. In addition to learning she could tackle turbulence,
she also discovered more about herself as a person and gained a
greater understanding for the plight of those less fortunate.

“It was an amazing trip,” she said.
“I’ve never felt so able to relax and just be
myself.”

The program through which Thompson traveled provided students
with an opportunity to engage nature first-hand. In addition to her
insect and rodent roommates, Thompson also experienced everything
from elephants to Cape buffalo in Africa’s wild
country. She became so enamored with nature that she now takes
it personally when another living creature is killed.

Teammate Michelle Conway found that out the hard way a few weeks
ago. While in the training room, Conway squished a spider with
her bare hand. Thompson, an environmental studies student, promptly
emptied her water bottle in anguish on the stunned freshman’s
head.

“I hate when people kill anything,” Thompson said
with a grimace.

Conway was forced to take the act in stride. After all,
without Thompson’s help, Conway may not have adjusted so well
as she has to life at UCLA.

“I had some problems earlier this year, and Doni helped me
a lot.” Conway said “She’s been the one I can
turn to. I see her as a role model and a leader for our
team.”

Though she has always relished her role as a Bruin gymnast, this
season has been particularly rewarding for Thompson. She brought
back a newfound energy and mindset from Africa, one that has helped
her keep an injury-plagued team focused on its goal of a national
championship.

“I learned that there are real things to be concerned with
versus superficial things,” Thompson said. The starvation and
AIDS epidemic she witnessed on a daily basis helped put her own
life and gymnastics in perspective ““ something she passes on
to teammates when they are frustrated or injured.

So far it is working. The Bruins are ranked No. 1 in the
nation despite having Thompson’s fellow captains, standouts
Onnie Willis and Jamie Dantzscher hampered by injuries.

Thompson has been part of a national championship team in each
of her three years at UCLA. Though she may fear heights, Thompson
has grown used to and enjoys the view from the top step of the
winner’s podium following each Bruin national
championship. This year she has her team poised to perch as
high as possible once again.