The NCAA News - News and Features

February 16, 1998

A ringing success

USOC grant helps men's gymnastics teams upgrade equipment, provide scholarships and promote sport

BY VANESSA L. ABELL
STAFF WRITER

Will additional funding prevent men's gymnastics programs from losing more sponsors? Is money enough to keep existing men's gymnastics programs functioning?

The United States Olympic Committee believes financial support is the answer and has done something to provide NCAA men's gymnastics programs a brighter future.

Last summer, the USOC awarded a $1.5 million grant to the Eastern College Athletic Conference in support of its men's gymnastics programs.

The ECAC's proposal outlined several tasks to enhance men's gymnastics. The ECAC will utilize the funds to enhance existing programs at 11 member institutions and also provide funds to add another men's gymnastics program.

"We are overall very pleased, and the USOC is very pleased" with the conference's plan to promote men's gymnastics, said ECAC Commissioner Clayton W. Chapman.

The ECAC's enhancement of men's gymnastics would create greater parity among the teams, form a stronger conference and help build an exciting league championship.

Significant sponsorship

Presently, ECAC men's gymnastics teams constitute more than 40 percent of the 25 NCAA members sponsoring the sport at the varsity level.

Men's gymnastics sponsorship levels have been declining in the past few years, and those NCAA members that have retained their men's gymnastics programs have done so with budgets that have been reduced in part due to efforts to comply with Title IX requirements.

In fact, only nine of the 11 ECAC members have been able to accept the USOC funds to improve existing equipment, add new equipment and improve scholarship opportunities, again apparently due to Title IX constraints. When a school receives funds for its men's programs, identical funds need to be provided for women's programs.

Even so, the ECAC hopes to provide USOC funds to assist another school -- the University of Pittsburgh -- in adding a men's gymnastics program. East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and State University College at Cortland also have expressed interest in reinstating men's gymnastics as a varsity sport, but neither is expected to do so for at least another year.

The ECAC is looking forward to assisting an emerging program with USOC funds. "Whoever needs (the USOC grant money) first will get it," Chapman said.

Increase scholarships

The grant will be used to increase the number of men's gymnastics scholarships presently available to ECAC gymnasts.

The conference has been able to distribute scholarship money to programs eligible for scholarships. The scholarship aid is limited to incoming freshmen with U.S. citizenship, and recipients must be among the top 100 all-around gymnasts in the Junior National Championships. Unused scholarship aid from the first year of the grant could be used in subsequent years of the four-year grant period.

The grant also is helping in other ways.

The ECAC's plans include creating a booster support system that would permit continuing maintenance of the league's men's gymnastics programs after the USOC grant money has been exhausted.

Such support is important. Men's gymnastics programs at Syracuse University and Temple University were targeted within the past three years for elimination, but each was saved by financial support and pressure from alumni, the Collegiate Gymnastics Association and USA Gymnastics. The men's gymnastics community generally has been pulling together resources to use in keeping the sport viable.

With USOC funding, the ECAC also will work to promote the development of inner-city gymnastics programs for youth. Specifically, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Southern Connecticut State University, Springfield College and Temple, all located in urban areas, will be able to provide first-class facilities for that program.

Last month, the U.S. Military Academy held a junior boys competition with 800 attendees. Although this program was self-funded, it demonstrated the existing interest in the sport.

"The USOC grant has given kids hope," said Roy Johnson, men's gymnastics coach at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a member of the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Committee. "If they stay and train hard in the sport, there will be an opportunity for them, and it won't be once every four years (in the Olympics)."

Improved championships

The ECAC will also use the USOC funds to promote and improve the quality of the ECAC Men's Gymnastics Championship.

DDD Productions will broadcast the championships for the first time on television. The championships television broadcast is expected to reach 10 million homes.

The funds already have produced major improvements in the sport, Johnson said.

"Army has been able to hire an assistant coach," he said. "Southern Connecticut State is now offering scholarships for the first time. Massachusetts is buying equipment and digital video equipment with instant replay for use during practice."

Those improvements should continue as the conference markets the ECAC Men's Gymnastics Championships and works with its institutions to promote the revitalization of men's gymnastics at all levels.