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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, May 22-25, 2010 The Park Record B-4 The reinvention of Ashley Postell Former gymnast takes to tumbling for fresh challenge By MATTHEW PIPER Of the Record staff Little more than two years ago, the mere mention of Ashley Postell's name would send thousands of young gymnastics fans into an ear-splitting frenzy at the University of Utah's Huntsman Center. The Ute legend and onetime balance beam world champion remembers what it felt like to be revered as a living wonder - to emerge from the smoky tunnel as a sea of red shirts erupted in delight. And, candidly, she'd like to feel that rush again. "It's tough to move on," said Postell, who has worked as a coach at Kimball Junction's Black Diamond Gymnastics, since September. "I can't do anything now but become a fan." Black Diamond competi- tive program director Charity Christensen said it became apparent that her employee still needed a competitive outlet, so she suggested the simplest solution: Try a new sport. "Some athletes know when they're ready to be done," Christensen said. "I think Ashley is still in love with gymnastics, and that's the hard part: giving up on it." Postell dabbled with both trampoline and power tumbling - sports which involve many of the same skills as gymnastics but require less of a time commitment. Power tumbling came more naturally, so Postell shelved the trampoline challenge for a later date. Her new discipline takes her tumbling down a long, narrow stripe without the dance moves you'd see in a gymnastics floor exercise. The graphite rod supports are more forgiving than a spring-loaded gymnastics floor and allow PostelTs chronic left foot injury to heal between performances. While gymnasts are often well past their primes by the time they enter college, most tumblers peak from about age 27 to 30. "The older you are in this sport - it's kind of like men's gymnastics - the better you are," Christensen said. "Ashley's such a naturally talented athlete, she can excel immensely." Spinning isn't rewarded in power tumbling to the degree that it is in gymnastics, and Postell has had to improve her flipping in complex sequences. Whereas a floor routine "pass" will involved only two or three judged elements, power tumbling features eight consecutive skills. The one-time media darling received little fanfare for winning the power tumbling Utah State Championship in Heber City from April 30 to May 1 despite owning almost no competitive experience. Her unofficial goal now is to compete alongside1 the nation's top gymnasts , trampoliners and tumblers at the Visa Cup in Hartford, Connecticut, Aug. 10-14. First, though, she must earn elite status with a strong performance at the U.S. Elite Qualifier near her home town in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Your guess GRAYSON WEST/PARKRECORD Postell demonstrates her technique during a tumbling pass on Wednesday, May 12, in the Black Diamond gym. The former gymnastics standout for the University of Utah won a world title on the balance beam in 2002. 2009 M • C9029 C9088 C9097 C9094 C9055 09 Chevrolet 09 Chevrolet 09 Chevrolet 09 Chevrolet 09 Chevrolet § GRAYSON WESTIPARKRECORD Ashley Postell has made a foray into competitive tumbling while working as a coach. as to whether she will is as good as hers. "I don't know anyone," Postell said. "I don't know any names or what people normally do. I'm kind of going in blind." Blind, but possibly more physically gifted than anybody she'll encounter. Postell is remarkable among gymnasts in that she is still generally healthy at nearly 24 years old and has not lost much of the raw natural ability that led her to a World Championship gold medal on the balance beam in 2002 and a U.S. Championship in the floor exercise in 2003. Left off the Sydney U.S. Olympic Team somewhat controversially after illness and injury struggles, she had eyed a return to international competition in time for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It was an ambitious goal hindered by a new scoring system emphasizing tighter routines and more difficult skills - and a rolled ankle kept her from making her qualifying bid at the 2007 National Championships. To this day, though, she still entertains thoughts of returning to compete as an elite gymnast. "I have thought about it, but with the new code and stuff, I think it would be pretty difficult for me," said Postell, who adds that elites train between 30 and 40 hours a week. "I think it would take a lot more out of me to compete at that level again. I would like to, but I just think I need to get past that and it's not really attainable." Problem is, Postell isn't accustomed to resting on her laurels. The owner of an NCAA-record 20 AilAmerican awards (in gymnastics, you become an AllAmerican by making the final in one of the four events, and she never missed one), she also finished runner-up three times for the coveted all-around title (a composite score of all four events at national championships). "If she wanted to come back to elite, she could probably hang with (the elites) still," Christensen said. "She's that naturally talented." But because elite gymnastics would jeopardize her health in later years, Postell was persuaded to accept that the Olympic dream was no longer worth pursuing. Before accepting a job at Black Diamond, she was cast as a stunt double on the ABC family gymnastics show "Perfect 10" in Los Angeles. That was the beginning and the end, she said, of her career in show business (which lured former U teammates Nicolle Ford and Kristina Baskett to Las Vegas). "If there was something out here, I would totally be down and want to do it," Postell said. "I just don't know if I'd be able to survive in Vegas. I just don't think my personality is the type that would fit in there." Where she does fit in after what she describes as ''a difficult transition" - is in the Black Diamond gym, working alongside adoring young girls. "It's really nice to come in and know what I'm talking about, and not just be some random person off the street," Postell said. "It's a blast. I love all the girls here and I love the staff." Christensen said there were "a lot of shocked little faces" when she told the team Postell would be a new coach. Many of the athletes Please see Postell, B-8 EL CLOSEOUT (ONLY^ 4 LEFT) MSRP { Malibu LTZ 28,600 MalibuLS S O L D 22,325 Malibu Hybrid 26,625 Silverado 1500 Crew 4X4 45,245 Silverado 2500 XCab 4X4 39,710 SALE* 22,961 16,981 20,841 35,986 30,862 or or or or or 0% 72 0% 72 0% 72 0% 72 0% 72 mos. mos. mos. mos. mos. BUY TODAY! * / l / / rebates applied * All sale prices are plus dock fee tax and license MIKE HALE P.S. 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