Newspaper Page Text
May 1985
Sports
She’s Some Kinda Guy
by Marie Roberts
If you are one of those people
who watches athletic events and
wonders where athletes get their
motivation, then this article may
answer your question.
Most athletes start their
careers at a young age and are
inspired by enthusiastic people
like Spelman’s Monica Guy.
Every Saturday, Guy coaches 4,1
hour gymnastic classes to over 60
children in Reed Hall.
“I love gymnastics and to be
able to teach kids is very satisfy
ing because they are the ones
who have the chance to be top
some day.”
Though the junior Spelmanite
coaches only one day, gym
nastics often follow her through
the entire week. This is when she
does the choreography for bar
and floor routines. The floor
routines are set to music and
Monica trys to pick tunes which
the children can best relate to.
Bar routines take intense
coaching because of the difficul
ty involved in some of the moves,
therefore during this event she
concentrates on building con
fidence in her students.
"I make sure that they are
serious before they attempt a
skill. If they're too hyper I'll stop
them, make them close their
eyes, and then have them go
over the routine in their heads.
After this I’ll allow them to try it
with their bodies. Sometimes I
even make them write down
their routines.”
Guy explains that as much as
80% of being a good gymnast has
to do with ones mental state, so
confidence is extremely impor
tant.”
Outside of coaching, Monica
can be found working in her
future field, broadcasting. Her
show, Creative Impulse, is both
Spelman Spotlight
written and produced by
Monica. It is shown on Clark’s
cable channel, 35. The show is
developed around artistic peo
ple, the creativity, and their
inspirations. Her guests have
included Roy Ayers and Curtis
Blow along with local high
school and college talent. She
also writes articles for the
Spotlight and news briefs for
radio station WCLK. Recently,
Guy became the Vice-president
for the English honor society.
With ail these extra activities
and carrying 20 unit course load,
one wonders where she finds the
extra time to coach, but as an ex
gymnast herself, Guy has
become dedicated to the sport
and to the children who par
ticipate in it. “Teaching allows
me to approach the sport in a
methodical, almost scientific
way. It also lets me feel like I am
making a difference in the kids’
lives — I love seeing them
execute a routine they have
worked on with me and do it
well.”
Now, Guy is working on
becoming a judge so that she
may take part in the scoring on
local and national levels. Next
year, she plans to organize an
exhibition team so that the
children can perform at different
functions within the AU Center
and throughout the city.
Page 7
Monica helping youngster during class.
Photo by Kathleen Tait
Spelman Graduate
Excels As Body Builder
Ms. Claire Henry
Photo by Kathleen Tait
Sports Ladies of the Eighties
by Dawn M. Lewis
Serving as yet another
reminder that a Spelman woman
can do any and everything is Ms.
Claire Henry. This 1981 graduate
is quickly gaining recognition
among Atlanta-area sports
enthusiasts in bodybuilding, a
sport where women are very
underrepresented.
Ms. Henry, now a law student
at Georgia State University,
began competing in amateur
physique contests just over a
year ago. Between March of 1984
and 1985, she entered five com
petitions; not coincidentally, she
placed in all five. During this
period, Claire earned the title,
Miss Eastcoast 1984. Most recent
ly, Ms. Henry was a contestant in
the National Physique Council's
Ms. Atlanta competition, held
March 23rd, 1985, at the Georgia
World Congress Center.
At 5'6” and 130lbs., Claire
expressed some apprehension
about her weight at contest
time. Along with her stepped-up
weight training program, she
usually adheres to an extremely
low-calorie, low-salt diet prior to
a contest. This expelled the
excess water and fat that normal
ly surrounds each muscle, caus
ing them to appear less defined.
For this competition, however,
she chose to try a diet, car
bohydrate loading, on which she
lost less weight.
The first viewing of the Ms.
Atlanta contestants by the
judges, called the Pre-judging,
consisted of three parts: First, the
group pose, in which all par
ticipants in a particular category
come onto stage to be compared
by the judges, simultaneously.
Second, the individual posing
takes place, consisting of 90
seconds and executed to music.
Finally, in the compulsory phase,
a series of specific poses are
executed by a small group of
contestants, according to height.
Ms. Henry’s anxiety regarding
her weight proved to be un
substantiated. Her extremely
well-formed upper body and her
extraordinary symmetry earned
her a position within the top ten,
among over twenty well-
qualified participants.
Having visited a sociology class
at Spelman recently, as a guest
speaker, Ms. Henry continually
advocates weight training for
women especially, as a fantastic
way to stay in shape. Her fantastic
shape, one can be sure, will
continue winning her titles and
fame, on the bodybuilding
corcuit,‘.for‘yearvto'com€!AVY
by Marie Roberts
When the voting for the
greatest woman athlete of the
last 25 years took place in March,
there were five nominees of
which only one was black. Of
course, that one was the dynamic
Wilma Rudolph who won three
track gold medals in the 1960
Olympics. Yet, one would think
that she was the only outstanding
female athlete in Black America.
Nineteen Eighty-four proved this
myth false by revealing several
black women who were stars in
track, as well as in basketball,
gymnastics and figure skating.
The Olympic games have
always been a time of always
been a time of great achieve
ment.
Since 1960, the Olympics have
been a time of great achieve
ment for Black women, the 1984
games were no exception. Chan
dra Cheeseborough, Evelyn
Ashford, and the unforgettable-
superwoman, Valarie Brisco-
Hooks ran away with the golds in
the track events.
Hooks breathed new life into
the lungs of womanhood by
proving that a woman can
become successful without ruin
ing the instutitions of or prevent
a family. She, her husband, and
her two-year-old son carried the
three gold medals together.
Also particiapting in the 84
games was University of South
Carolina's Cheryl Miller. Miller
ended this season as the "leading
women’s basketball player” in
the country. She received the
same award at the finish of her
last season. Only a junior, Miller
will return next year for another
shot at the nurnber one position
in women’s basketball, but she is
not the only achiever in this sport
either.
The crash landing made by
high-in-the-sky Georgeann
Wells’ slam dunk was no disaster.
The 6’7” junior at West Virginia is
now in the history books as the
first woman to ever dunk a
basketb^JI in a regulation game.
The first time Wells made the
dunk it was rejected because of a
penalty made in the same play.
She has made it more than once
and will have all of next season to
perfect it.
Two other areas of athletics
which Black women have
recently become successful in —
gymnastics and figure skating.
Dianne Durham, 16, has
become the first Black national
champion in gymnastics. Even
before Durham defeated the
entire Chinese team, she had
already established her position
as the top all-around performer
in this country. Unfortunately,
injuries kept her from Olympic
competition.
Also making history, 17-year-
old Debi Thomas who entered
her mark as the first Black
woman on the World Team of
figure skaters. Winning the silver
medal in the event, Thomas was
the threat to gold medalist
Tiffany Chin.
Black women have come a
long way in athletics with many
dynamic achievers. Enhanced by
youth like Shola Lynch, the
future looks brighter than ever.
As one of the best prospects for
the 1988 Olympics, the 14-year-
old is already a threat to middle
distance runners like Mary
Decker.