Excellent online interview by John Crumlish of International Gymnast with new Oregon recruit Olivia Vivian, Australian national team coach Peggy Liddick and OSU head coach Tanya Chaplin.
I like Olivia already. She’s got spunk:
IG: What about OSU specifically, and U.S. university gymnastics in general, appealed to you?
OV: To be honest, my thoughts on going to college on scholarship increased dramatically when my parents said I would have to pay for my own university fees! But I also thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get an education whilst still doing the sport I love. Australia doesn’t offer any sporting scholarships in university. OSU appealed to me because of its great staff and location. …
A good catch for OSU. Tanya Chaplin flew to Australia on that recruiting trip.
… in Perth, Vivian is coached by Martine George and Nikolai Lapchine at the Western Australian Institute of Sport. She placed 13th on uneven bars at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne; and 12th on uneven bars and sixth with her team at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
I’d posted on Olivia already.
But this was a fun blast from the past:
Under her maiden name of Tanya Service, Chaplin finished 22nd all-around at the 1983 World Championships in Budapest. Her powerful but polished style enabled her to perform skills that are unusual even today. On uneven bars, Service’s mount was a stem rise, immediate Jaeger. On balance beam, she performed a standing front salto (without a hurdle); and dismounted with a double tuck from a cartwheel, instead of the customary round-off.
Chaplin competed collegiately for UCLA, and tied for second place all-around at the 1989 NCAA Championships. Her husband, Michael, is also a former UCLA gymnast and U.S. national team member.
read more – International Gymnast
Gymnastics Coaching.com 