Columnist Dean Juipe: Local Olympians set plans

He is regarded as one of the finest gymnasts in history, winning a record six gold medals at Barcelona in 1992 and taking a bronze medal in the all-around competition four years later at Atlanta.

But that, Vitaly Sherbo would say, was then.

"At 27 I'm too old to compete anymore, so I want to do something for kids," he said Monday, detailing the grand opening of a gymnastics gym that he will run in Las Vegas. The gym, located at 3350 N. Bronco near the intersection of Cheyenne and Jones, debuts Oct. 25 and will have a number of gymnastics stars in attendance for the grand opening, including Shannon Miller and Kerri Strug.

Sherbo, a native of Belarus, is now a Las Vegas resident and he intends to stick around.

"I realize this is the spot," he said. "This is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and it's where I want to be."

He said there were 160,000 youngsters between the ages of 1 and 12 located within a five-mile radius of his new gym site. His gym will cater to children "from 16 months to 16 years" although he will also offer some adult programs.

Aside from gymnastics, the gym will offer classes in cheerleading and dance, as well as chess and adult tumbling.

"We'll be offering lots of opportunities for kids," Sherbo said. "Everything we have will be a good alternative to drugs and mischief."

Sherbo is currently accepting registration for his upcoming class schedule. Call him at 259-5020 for more information.

Another Olympian who calls Las Vegas home, racewalker Victoria Herazo, is coming off a victory in the USA Track & Field 5K Masters at Kingsport, Tenn., and will compete in the U.S. National 1-Hour Walk Oct. 4 at Worcester, Mass. "She devastated the field," her trainer, Jim Bentley, said of Herazo's performance in Tennessee, where she topped a 56-woman field and finished four minutes ahead of her closest pursuer. "It was a great race for me," Herazo said. "There were quite a few Olympians and it was very competitive. I had a very good day." At 39 years old, she's hoping to become a three-time Olympian in 2000. "I'm going to make at least one more try at it," she said. "If I make the team, I'll probably be the oldest woman." Herazo, who works at the Sunset Eastern Animal Hospital, finished 27th (of 110) in the 1992 Olympics and was disqualified during the 1996 Olympic racewalk. ... A sign that drug testing at the Olympic level may actually be having a positive impact was a remark by a European journalist last week: "Germany's female swimmers are starting to look like women again." ... The International Olympic Committee has indicated it will formally ban Androstenedione, the strength supplement used by baseball's Mark McGwire.

Oregon State has had an incredible 27 consecutive losing seasons in football but that NCAA-record streak could come to an end this year. "They're a different team," said Colin Cowherd, a former Las Vegas TV sports anchor who checked in Monday from his home in Portland. Oregon State, 2-1, hung close with Southern California last Saturday before losing 40-20, and plays at Arizona State this week. As for the school's $8.2 million athletic department deficit, Cowherd said "if they can turn football around, they'll make that up quickly." ... Western Athletic Conference football teams not only had a bad day Saturday, going 0-8 against outside competition, they're also having a poor year overall. WAC teams are 13-21 vs. outsiders. ... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been outscored 52-0 in the first half this season. ... The Arizona Cardinals are another NFL team that does not have a first-half point this season. ... The Cardinals, who drew only 39,782 Sunday in Tempe, will be moving within a couple of years if Arizona voters don't OK a new stadium for them. ... The NFL is pushing the start of its season back to the second week in September next year, rather than open Labor Day weekend to mediocre TV ratings. Next year's first game won't be until Sept. 12.

Cal Ripken willingly sat out a game Sunday, snapping his consecutive-game streak at 2,632, because he's afraid the Baltimore Orioles are going to let him go this winter. He doesn't want a new team to feel it has to play him every day. ... Despite being ranked No. 1 in men's tennis, Pete Sampras has won only one match this year against an opponent ranked in the top 10. ... The PGA Senior Tour has not had a "rookie" win a tournament yet this year. ... It's obvious the MGM is positioning itself to go after a Mike Tyson fight after he's relicensed Oct. 3. MGM limos transported a number of Tyson's associates to last Saturday's Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing. ... The TV show hosted by boxing referee Mills Lane has moved from noon to 9 p.m. weekdays on KFBT (cable channel 33). Lane serves as a civil-trial judge for the show, which has its moments although it occasionally falls flat. ... Minnesota Vikings defensive back Jimmy Hitchcock had a finger severed while making a tackle during last week's game with the St. Louis Rams, although he has since had it reattached and returned to play. ... UNLV is playing the 61st toughest schedule in NCAA football this year. Auburn has the most difficult slate, based on the 1997 records of its 1998 opponents. ... Senior defensive end Alonzo Jones of the Rebels is one of 15 children.

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