Wendy Bruce - 1992 Olympics Team Compulsories - Floor Exercise

[metsdudenj]

WENDY did a good job in these Olympics, the only scores of hers that DIDNT count, if I remember correclty , were compulsory and optional....get this......FLOOR! Her best event, go figure.

[MeanestCoachEver]

I think that this style of routine looked a little strange on more mature body types. Even Bogi looked a little awkward trying to fit into some of the movements and somewhat robotic nature of the choreo (it's still beautiful choreo and well done). I think Bruce did a fine job with it and didn't look forced like some gymnasts did.

[veevee305]

I really think they should bring back compulsory routines. It shows the gymnast deliver the routine with technical precision and style, not just throw hard tricks.

[shearchic1208]

I think you are all wrong!!! I have very inside info about Wendy making this team. She did after all, beat me out. As did Michele Campi. Kim Kelly DID deserve this spot on this team. They committee chose not to take her. I was there so I know that they did not take her because they "did not like her body type" i was actually training at BROWN'S gymnastics that summer. I was supposed to go to trials that year but suffered a serious injury! They screwed Kim. What could have been!

[MeanestCoachEver]

@shearchic1208 Kim Kelly had a very bad history in international competitions and was not a very good gymnast. Wendy ended up being a very good choice and was peaked perfectly for this.

[auswriteratheart]

jmseles--I don't think four falls in a row on the same event can be called a fluke. Also, that's not the way the selection process worked back then. No one expected a second "trial," or for it to be as arbitrary as it was.

Everyone--WENDY BRUCE WAS 6TH AT TRIALS!! Why doesn't anyone understand that?! Kim Kelly-5th, Wendy Bruce-6th. Betty Okino replaced Kim Kelly. She WAS NOT healthy. She had stress fractures in her back and a screw holding a tendon to the bone during the 92 Olympics.

[serenakicksass]

She was much more artistic then Kim and Kerri I agree. They were only power gymnasts.

[allimoballi]

who was she an alternate for?

[Felipemajo]

Wendy was excelent and very elegant. The one who said she had not grace does not know what grace is. Sorry.

[lilyia1]

@Felipemajo God you right. Shes so gracefull, so elegant.We miss this times a lot when we see routines like that.Beautiful Wendy!

[jpalmettoguy]

yes, she was that. a pixie, she was not.

[gilles574]

Sorry dude, but absolutely not a piece of grace in this routine...

[mmoran3]

true she wasnt the most graceful but her tumbling was awesome go to brandy johnson 1988 compularies floor exercise and see her performance sooooo hot super powerful

[jmseles]

gilles574 - that is a ridiculous comment. Wendy Bruce was an amazing gymnast. And its obvious from just this alone, she was graceful. Like I said, ridiculous comment.

[grafgirl27]

An amazing gymnast? You do realize she needed an injury to a teammate (Michelle Campi) to even get the 6th and final spot on the team. Even then it was very controversial as Kim Kelly thought she had earned that spot by beating Wendy at the Olympic trials, but they took Bruce over her anyway. Also her individual scores her at the Olympics were not even in the top 30 of all the gymnasts. Compared to the bottom end Russian and Romanians she was badly outscored.

[jmseles]

grafgirl27 - yes, she was an amazing gymnast. If you want to get technical (which your not), then Betty Okino and Michelle Campi are the ones to blame. They didnt even compete at the trials and still got on the olympic team. So stop blaming Wendy.

[grafgirl27]

Well Okino was 4th in the AA at the World Championships in 1991 and she was coached by Bela so that made her a no brainer to get the bye. Michelle was a more questionable bye but remember Michelle ended up being too injured to compete anyway so it didnt matter anyway in the end, and it then came down to Wendy or Kim.

I actually prefer Wendys gymnastics to Bruce but I also believe in fairness. I dont believe in overriding trials results between gymnasts.

[jmseles]

Thats just the way they do it these days. Like in the last olympics, only Nastia and Shawn were gurineteed on the team. The others had to go through a trainging camp to determine the other spots. Martha and Bella obviously had watched Bruce and Kelly for years.

[jmseles]

cont...After the camp they must have taken in account that Bruce's mistake at the trials was so minute, that really she would have been ahead of her / and past performances taken in consideration, they went with Bruce. Okino and Campi didnt even compete, so there lies the controversy imo. Not that Wendy made the team.

[grafgirl27]

Fair enough. You make some good points. I felt bad for Kim at the time. Bela had watched Wendy and Kim to compare them more then any of us though.

I still cant agree on Okino though. Okino was 4th AA the 91 worlds like I said, and had a world medal on both bars and beam. She was clearly the 3rd best American behind Miller and Kim if healthy, and if healthy by camp (which she obviously was) had to be put on the team IMO. Remember Okino was the U.S 3rd highest scorer in Barcelona.

[nlm2183]

Betty was the second highest scorer for the U.S. overall after the team competition, ahead of Kim.

[espinaca79]

That's why the selection process is more complex today. Gymnasts need a competitive record, and prove to survive Martha's camps and demands. In my eyes Wendy was way better on some aspects and actually was an all-arounder from 1989 worlds. It's sad her career got hampered by a broken achilles tendon in 1990. Otherwise, I'm sure USA gymnastics could had used her a lot more during that era.

[MeanestCoachEver]

@grafgirl27 You prefer whose gymnastics to whom's? I didn't get that right there.

[grafgirl27]

@MeanestCoachEver I prefer Bruce's gymnastics to Kim's. Kim Kelly is an ugly gymnast and I am surprised she even had the success she did. It almost makes me barf with disgust she might have won the 91 U.S AA without a fall on beam. That said based on the selection criteria in place I am surprised they were able to keep her off the team.

[jmseles]

grafgirl27 - and if it wasnt for that fluke fall off beam when doing a half turn split leap, Wendy would have finished ahead of Kim Kelly. Wendy beat her in all rotations except Beam.

[metsdudenj]

9.625

[muffycat26]

I find that too low for this routine. I think compulsory floor was one place the U.S were underscored in general. Another example was Miller only tied for 10th highest on compulsory floor which IMO was too low considering almost all the other AA contenders and floor contenders specialized more in tumbling then beautiful dance as she did, but the compulsory routine was much more about dance then tumbling as opposed to the optionals.

[metsdudenj]

anyone have her optional routine?

[saltlakecity2002]

You can see it in the 1992 Olympic Trials. I think it's part 11 but I'm not exactly sure.

[metsdudenj]

No, I meant at the olympics, I am dying to see her optional floor from barcelona, it scored very low for some reason

[jpalmettoguy]

wat did she score? NBC aired maria neculita's vault from romania while wendy was on optional floor...

[metsdudenj]

9,625