THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 6, 1994 TAG: 9407060566
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ST. LOUIS LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
The two-time national champion came to the U.S. Olympic Festival and did all the things a national champion is supposed to do, including win the all-around gold medal.
But when the history of rhythmic gymnastics in this country is written, the events of the past two days at the America's Center might be remembered mostly as the time when Lauri Illy first grabbed the national spotlight.
Illy, a 12-year-old Virginia Beach native who now lives with her coach in Evanston, Ill., was the top junior finisher in the all-around and came in fourth overall, behind national champion Tamara Levinson, defending Olympic Festival champ Jessica Davis and former junior national champion Caroline Hunt.
Illy was in line for a bronze medal after a scintillating series of routines Monday, but slipped to fourth on her first routine Tuesday, the rope, and couldn't recover.
Still, the performance guaranteed Illy, who just made the U.S. national team in May, a spot on the Junior Pan-American Games team, which competes in Mexico in September.
``Right now, I'm just really excited,'' Illy said. ``It hasn't sunk in yet what I've actually done.''
But it wasn't so much what Illy did as it was the way she did it. Widely considered the future of rhythmic gymnastics in this sport, Illy strutted, played to the capacity crowd and snapped off her routines with confidence, suggesting that the future may come sooner than anyone imagined.
``I love performing in front of a crowd,'' Illy said. ``When I hear the crowd behind me, it makes me really excited.''
U.S. Olympic Committee officials are getting excited, too. The United States is behind internationally in rhythmic gymnastics. How far behind? Levinson, clearly the best in this country, finished 40th at the 1992 Olympic Games . . . in the preliminaries.
Experts predict Illy, the nation's second-ranked junior, to be at the head of the new wave of U.S. gymnasts who will reverse this country's fortunes in the sport. But even if that happens, don't expect her to feel much pressure. For in many ways, Illy, the youngest of eight children, has been preparing for that moment since shortly after birth.
``The rhythm, the movements, they're in her blood,'' said Rocki Illy, Lauri's mother. ``Always have been.''
Everything appears to come naturally for Illy on the floor, but actually, she's been involved in some sort of gymnastics since, at 20 months old, her sister Melody took her to a Gymstrada mom-and-tot class.
The baby turned out to be a tumbling whiz. By age two, Lauri could do a perfect handstand. A couple of years later, even though she hadn't reached the proper age, Gymstrada coach June Robbins allowed her to begin taking gymnastic classes. By this time, Illy wanted little to do with standard gymnastics. The ribbons, hoops and clubs of the rhythmic game had captured her full attention.
``It's like I was drawn to it,'' she said.
``Instead of a teddy bear, she'd sleep with her hoop, ball and ribbon,'' Rocki Illy said. ``We'd have to pull these things out of her bed after she fell asleep.''
The Gymstrada program would later disband, but that just meant the Illys would have to be more resourceful about getting their daughter some instruction. After scouring the state for an instructor and coming up empty, the Illys discovered Kathy Harrelson, an rhythmic specialist in Rockville, Md.
So once a week, Rocki and Lauri Illy run up to Rockville, where Harrelson would give both a rhythmic crash course. Then, during the week, mother coached daughter.
``I didn't really know what I was doing,'' Rocki Illy said. ``But Lauri wanted to do it so badly.''
The two would train at Gymstrada, with the Ocean Tumblers, anywhere they could find some space. They finally found a semi-regular workout home at Illy's school, St. Gregory's the Great Catholic School - from 3-7:30 a.m., before classes began.
Lauri Illy's persistence paid off, however, as she gradually began making a name for herself in the sport, first in the state, then regionally. By the time Illy turned nine, Harrelson had run out of things to teach her.
So, two years ago, the decision was made to send Lauri to where she could train full-time. Unlike the first time the Illys went looking for a coach, this time, they had plenty of options. National coaches who had seen Illy's potential at the North American Games were thrilled at the prospect of taking her on. The Illys selected Lana Lashoff, considered by some the nation's top coach.
Athletically, the move has been an unqualified success. Illy has bounded up the national rankings and is at the point where only Levinson, who is five years older, is significantly better.
Paying for Illy, who doesn't have a sponsor, to stay in Evanston has been a hurdle, Rocki Illy said.
``You wouldn't believe some of the things we've done,'' she said. ``We've overextended our credit cards, we've re-mortgaged our house, we've sold our car. It's very trying. The expense is phenomenal.
``But we're going to continue to do it, as long as this fire is burning inside of her. We can't pull her out of it now. It's in her heart. If she couldn't keep doing it, she would just die inside.'' ILLUSTRATION: FILE PHOTO
``It's like I was drawn to it,'' Lauri Illy, shown during a fall
practice session, says of rhythmic gymnastics.
by CNB