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SPELMAN m ■J8 8i^ THE VOICE OF BLACK WOMANHOOD SPO TLIGHT Vol. 31, No. 9 Atlanta, Georgia May, 1978 6 Spanky’ Smith Talks Gymnastics By Teresa Smith I got started in gymnastics at the age of 18 here at Spelman College. Until recen tly I’ve only been able to participate during the semesters. During the summer before my junior year I started classes at the Lovette School of Gymnastics. I kept in shape when my classes ended that summer through cheerleading practice. It wasn’t as extensive as gymnastics, but it was something to keep me going, and it did help me when we had stunt practice. My basic stunts (i.e., cartwheels, rolls, backward and forward walkovers) became more graceful and I could tie my moves together with turns, poses, etc. I’ve studied gymnastics strictly four semesters, two summers, and on and off this past semester. My first teacher of gymnas tics was Ms. Gwendolyn Mid- dlebrooks. She was influential because I knew some of the skills and she pushed me to continue to learn pew ones. She was a strong spotter, and there were no personality con flicts and she turned out to be my second mother. She would let Erica Fredericks and me work out during her Saturday classes. Erica and I would start at 10:00 a.m. and stayed until 4:00 or 5:00 p .m. We would be so tired and weak that we had to struggle to walk back to our dorm. By keeping up with the Saturday classes, Erica and I were offered a teacher’s assistant job with Ms. Mid- dlebrooks. These classes are attended by children from the city. One of the most talented students is Monica Guy, the daughter of Rev. William Guy who pastors at Friendship Baptist Church. I’ve worked with her and I’ve seen her turn into a very nice gymnast. Another teacher and another favorite person of mine was Daniel Winslow. He was my supervisor when I worked at Colony Square Hotel as a cashier last semester. He wanted me to work night owl which is a shift from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. I. had to think of a way to get out ofit, so Itoldhimthat lwentto classes on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and that it would be hard for me to work and also get to class during the morning. He asked me what kind of class and I said gymnastics. Well, that was the key word. He is a gymnast—a black gymnast. He studied in Europe and he knew everyth ing there was. I brought him to Spelman on Saturday mornings (Ms. Middlebrooks was away studying) and after they saw how good he was, he was given a teaching job. The classes grew in number, and a lot of the old students came back to work out. Well, he didn’t stay long because he was given a new job. He spoke French fluently and was given q job at Braniff International as a supervisor. These were the only two teachers in my life. My practice time has dwin dled terribly because of school. During freshman and sophomore years, I was able to practice at least 18 hours a week. Now, I’m lucky to get in five hours. Being black has not been damaging in finding a place to practice. You just have to know people who know people. Daniel took me to Arden Zinax. I was too old to get on the team, and if I did compete I would h ave to submit myself in competition. I’ve had difficulty with my weight. According to Daniel, I was supposed to be between 90 and 100 pounds. I am now weighing 135 and I find it very hard to lose (not that I want to). I told him that black women had very different body structures than white women aijd that I should lose just enough to be comfortable, and also enough so that I could have height in aerial stunts. I also have weak wrists and knees, but the only way to strengthen them is through practice and more practice. My favorite gymnast is Olga Korbut. She was one of the first to bring life into the sport, and she was extremely enthused by the sport and also played to the crowd while performing. Two Questions Asked Of Seniors By Avy Long In order to get some idea of what is on the minds of seniors, they were asked these two questions: 1) What will you miss most about Spelman? and 2) What has Spelman taught you? The following are the res ponses of seniors questioned and their answers. “I will not miss anything, but I will always carry what it has taught me. Spelman has taught me to be proud of being black, it has helped me to ap preciate my heritage, and I have learned more about black people. It has taught me to be ‘proud of where I came from, what I am, and what I can be.” —Sharia Jones, Spanish ma jor, Sacramento, California. “I will miss the haphazard way of learning how to survive, and the first en counter with all the various personalities that supposedly make up the world. Spelman has taught me what to expect in life as far as dealing with people. I have also learned what I don’t want out of life.” —Vicki Elaine Felder, drama major, Orlando, Florida. “Friends and going to Cas- bah every weekend are what I will miss most. I have learned that I don’t want to go to an all black, all-female anything ever again in my life.” —Kim Moore, political science major, Silver Springs, Maryland. “I will miss my friends and the campus. Spelman has taught me to be firm, in dignant, and to have ‘steel nerves’. I have gotten the ‘true black experience’.” —Lorraine Brown, English major, Augus ta, Georgia. “I will miss the close-knit relationship with the faculty. Spelman has taught me how to deal with black people exclusively. Spelman has taught me how not to be, how not to act, and how not to let people run over you.” —Rhonda Williams, child development major, Detroit. “The memories of good times Continued on page 3 Inside This Issue Senior Wills And Testaments P a ge 3 IRS Has Jobs Pag® 5 Toni Morrison - Commencement Speaker page 5 Dr. Stewart Talks About: Housing, Meal Plan, Sororities page 7