Local gymnasts dream of making it to the Olympics

The life of a serious young athlete is never easy. For an up-and-coming gymnast, it can be downright brutal.

Day after day, thousands of American girls put themselves through a regimen that would put many professional athletes to shame. Countless hours in the gym. Restrictive diets. Little or no time left over for a social life.

For a select few, those sacrifices pay off in Olympic glory. For many others, they can lead to early burnout in a sport dominated by teen-agers.

So what keeps them coming back for more?

At last weekend's fourth annual Las Vegas Go For It Classic at Cashman Center, Southern Nevada's top young gymnasts offered varied answers to that question.

Some said they are driven by the dream of someday competing for the United States on the international stage, possibly at the Olympic level.

Others pointed to the family-like atmosphere in their local gymnastics club, an environment that combines social interaction with disciplined training.

And while all denied it was true in their case, several acknowledged parental pressure can be a factor for many gymnasts -- a darker side of the sport that recently made headlines during Olympic star Dominique Moceanu's legal battle with her parents.

For the past 10 years, 14-year-old Tasha Schwikert has spent five hours a day in Las Vegas-area gyms, perfecting skills that have her near the top of her sport's hierarchy.

A member of last year's Junior National Team, Schwikert captured the all-around title in Friday's elite class competition. This weekend, she will travel to Pomona, Calif., for a chance to earn a spot on this year's Pan-American club.

Those accomplishments have not been without sacrifices.

Two years ago, for example, Schwikert and her

parents opted for home schooling when her public school began complaining about the time she was missing to attend out-of-state meets.

"She knows there are hard moments and hard times, but she's a really motivated person," said Cassie Rice, coach of Schwikert's Las Vegas Gymcats club team.

Through it all, Schwikert remains as dedicated to her sport as the day she started.

"I've always had a lot of fun doing it, so I stuck with it," she said. "Sometimes it's tough, but I have a really great coach. When it has to be intense, it's intense, and when it doesn't have to be, it doesn't. She's really good about that."

Quick climbLike Schwikert, Henderson 14-year-old Erica Ficarrotta was one of the weekend's top performers, finishing first among level nine gymnasts in the all-around, balance beam and floor exercise.

Unlike Schwikert, though, Ficarrotta has only been involved in the sport for three years. During that time, she's made a remarkable climb from level five to nine, just two notches below "elite."

So while many of her peers got into the sport at an age when "training" and "workout" were meaningless terms, Ficarrotta went into gymnastics with her eyes wide open. And she rarely regrets that she did.

"Sometimes you get home late and you don't get enough sleep," she said. "But it's still fun. You should only do it if you love it. If you don't like doing it, you're not going to want to do it."

Although she has her sights set on upcoming regional and national events, Ficarrotta pointed to the camaraderie she enjoys with her Go For It club coaches and teammates as the primary source of her gymnastics enjoyment.

"My teammates and coaches are so supportive," she said. "I feel like I can really talk to them."

Parents as coachesAs for the issue of parental involvement, Las Vegas Flyers coach Jiani Wu has an interesting perspective, that of combination parent and coach.

Wu and husband Yuejiu Li both captured bronze gymnastics medals for China in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Now, the two coach a local club team -- a squad that features 10-year-old daughter Anna Li.

Li dominated the Go For It Classic's level eight competition, taking the all-around and balance beam titles and placing second in the floor exercise.

"It's hard coaching your own child," Wu admitted. "But I'm not really pushing her at all. She's been in the gym since she was born, and she really loves it."

But Wu said she does encounter meddlesome parents who want to do a lot more than bring their children to and from practices and watch them compete in meets.

"I do have parents that are too involved and step on the coaching line," Wu said. "That makes it tough on the kids."

Similarly, Rice has encountered parents who may be living vicariously through their kids' athletic accomplishments.

"We will have those type of parents, and we try to educate them," Rice said. "They need to go home and leave the gym. It's an unnecessary pressure, and it doesn't do any good to force a kid who doesn't want to stay in a sport."

Like Li, though, Schwikert and Ficarrotta are thankful their parents aren't among that group.

"They back me up all the way, but it's my decision," Schwikert said. "I think this is better for me in the long run."

"My parents tell me, 'As long as you like it, you can do it,' " Ficarrotta agreed. "They pretty much let me do my own thing."

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