THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 1996 TAG: 9608070469
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: From wire reports
LENGTH: 37 lines
The seven gymnasts - or ``Magnificent Seven'' - who stole the spotlight at the just-completed Summer Olympics are taking their show on the road.
But the road will bypass Hampton Roads.
The pixie-like teens, who won America's first gold medal in the women's team competition, had been scheduled to attend a series of Busch Gardens appearances featuring Olympic athletes, beginning today. But that changed Monday, when the final details were firmed up for a 31-city national tour. Still, Busch Gardens spokespeople say, there will be about 200 U.S. Olympians at the Williamsburg theme park through Friday. The lineup of athletes was being fine-tuned Tuesday night.
The gymnasts - Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps - begin their tour in September. They could earn more than $100,000 each for the shows.
Jefferson-Pilot Sports, the Charlotte-based broadcast subsidiary of Jefferson-Pilot Corp., also hopes to capitalize on the sport by producing at least two professional competitions, complete with appearance fees for the gymnasts and possibly prize money. The first meet, tentatively dubbed ``USA versus The World,'' is scheduled for Sept. 3 in Houston and will be televised by Fox. A second competition between the United States and Russia will be aired on Fox near Thanksgiving. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique
Moceanu, Kerri Strug and Shannon Miller won't be coming to Busch
Gardens after all. by CNB