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Show February 23, Forum Page8 18SS 3 features 3 The coach of the United States gymnastics team will graduate from Westminster in May, but few people on campus are aware of his presence. David Bresnahan has been appointed as coach of the U.S. team which is about to leave for three major competitions in Russia. Bresnahan said he is looking forward to what he expects will be the highlight of his coaching career. Ive traveled a great deal in the U.S. and Europe because of gymnastics, but Ive never been to the Soviet Union. Ive made friends among Russians who have come to this country to compete, and Ive always looked forward to going there, he said. Bresnahan and one of his gymnasts, Bob Gauthier, were chosen from among all the coaches and gymnasts in the country to repre-ethe U.S. in Russia. Gauthier has been a member of the U.S. National Team since last summer. We leave on March 25th and return on April 4th. During that time we will compete in Moscow, Leningrad, and Riga. Bob is looking really good in his workouts and I expect him to come home with at least a couple of medals," said Bresnahan, Gauthier is training six days a week using the gym at Brigham Young University where he graduated. Bresnahan lives in Salt Lake and commutes back and forth to coach Gauthier. Before the trip to Russia, Gauthier will also U.S. team in compete as a member of a n Montreal the week of March 10. Bresnahan will remain behind while another U.S. coach will take the reigns. nt six-ma- The U.S. Gymnastics Federation selects a different coach for each team we send to each meet, he explained. Bresnahan began as a gymnast at Westboro High School in Massachusetts. From there he went on to compete at the U niversity of Lowell, a state school in Massachusetts. After two years of college, Bresnahan went out into the real world to open a private gymas-tic-s school. From 1975 to 1983 Bresnahan coached thousands of young Olympians and one (so far) made it Tim Daggett, 1984 Olympic Team member and gold medalist, was a member of Bresna-han- s team back in Massachusetts. I missed the Olympics because I was serving the LDS Church as a missionary in Ireland at the time," said Bresnahan. I had looked forward to going to L.A. for a long time, but after joining the LDS Church in 1980 1 guess I shifted my priorities. Even though he was on a mission, Bresnahan taught gymnastics to Irish kids. My mission president, Vernon J. Tipton, asked me to find a way to work with the kids. He knew it would be a good way to let Irish people meet Mormons. He was right It really did a lot of good, he said. Even after his missionary work in Ireland came to an end, Bresnahan continued to help the Irish gymnastics program. This past summer he ran the Irish Junior Olympic Training Camp and will do so again this year. While he was running the camp in Ireland, Bresnahan arranged for nine gymnasts and their coaches to spend three weeks training at a private gym club in Provo. No one has ever paid any attention to them like this before, so they have really become excited and motivated to train hard. I really believe that one day some very fine gymnasts will compete for Ireland, Bresnahan said. attracted Bresnahan because . Westminster of the prior learning program. Finishing his degree was important to him and taking evening classes had not worked well in the past I wanted to finish my degree in the shortest, time possible, and I also wanted to change careers, he said. Now it turns out that I will get my degree 18 months after I started and will stay in the same career with a few enhancements. While running his gymnastics school, Brese nahan also worked as a newspaper a daily paper for reporter and photographer near Boston. His experience there, coupled with coaching and business experience, earned him 45 credits through the prior learning program. I wanted to just drop everything and concentrate on getting a degree, and Westminster provided everything I needed to accomplish my goal. And the best part was the way Ruth Ilenneman came through in the Financial Aid Office. Without her help I could never have been here, he said. Bresnahan did not expect to continue gym- -' nasties coaching when he came to Westminster. He is getting a degree in communications and computer science. Since coaching gymnastics has not been very lucrative for him he decided to try to find greener pastures. Since he is also an internationally rated judging official, he expected to keep his hand in the sport through officiating only. Then, full-tim- unexpectedly, the call came to coach the team going to Moscow. Im honored to be selected, and it has also caused me to get right back into the thick of things. I know now Im hooked on the sport and I will never get out of it, said Bresnahan. lie has already begun a new venture which will combine both his coaching ability and skills in communications. He has been appointed to the position of Executive Director of the USA Gymnastics Utah Training Center. The newly organized center will provide the first ever training location for our national team, and those who are serious contenders to be on the team. Until Bresnahan organized the right people together to make this happen, U.S. gymnasts trained in different locations all over the country. Once a gymnast graduated from college he would often be forced into retirement for financial reasons. The top gymnasts in the U.S. will soon be coming to Utah where they will be provided with career oriented jobs and a high quality training facility. Top international competitions will also be held in the state. , The new program has the support of the Governors Council on Economic Development, and a number cf major local firms will serve as sponsors, according to Bresnahan. A special presentation will be given by Bresnahan and Gauthier, who will give an actual exhibition of gymnastics, just prior to their departure for Russia. All students, faculty and friends are invited to attend free of charge. The presentation will be given at 7 p.m. on March 21 in Walker Hall. UAF.CH CONCERTS Blaine Forsome AT SYMPHONY HALL u a is Joseph Sitverstein, Conducting Dear Readers, Unfortunately, I havent received any of your letters to answer in this issue so Ill just welcome all of you back from mid-terbreak. - I look forward to hearing from you in the coming weeks. Please feel free to write and, as Ive said before, all of your letters will be kept confidential. .You can send your letters to Blaine Forsome, CO ASWC Forum, Westminster College, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105. Elmar Ohveira, Violin SchumannManfred Overture WtemawsmVffliin Concerto No. m 2 Tchaikovsky" Pathetique" Symphony m M17 Irish Night Harold Gotti red son. Conducting "Irish Favorites" Tickets J6S12, $29 family 21 4 22 Varupn Kcjian, Conducting RossmiOvenure to "UGazzaLadra" MendeisschnSymphony Love, No. 4, Blaine ShostakovichSymphony Italian" -- No. 5 28 6 29 Joseph Sstverstem, Conducting Lin, Violm MozartSymphony No 36 StoeSwsViolin Concede Cho-lia- classified ads A& W . Open your own beautiful Childrens Store. Infant to Nationally known brands Health Tex Donmoor Lee Levi Chie Buster Brown Izod Her Majesty Nannette Feltman and many more. 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