Al Fong

Al Fong is a United States gymnastics coach who has coached Olympic gymanasts and hopefuls. Fong coached Julissa Gomez and Christy Henrich. Both girls were Olympic hopefuls for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Julissa Gomez died after she broke her neck performing a Yurchenko vault before the 1988 Olympic trials. Henrich, who missed the 1988 Olympic team by .188, developed anorexia nervosa. The eating disorder killed her in 1994 when she was 22 years old. She reportedly weighed between 50 and 60 pounds. After Henrich's death Fong took a break from coaching Olympic hopefuls. He has since coached two Olympic silver medalists Terin Humphrey and Courtney McCool.

Yurchenko vault

Julissa Gomez broke her neck while performing a Yurchenko vault in 1988 during the World Sports Fair in Japan, just before the 1988 Olympic trials.[1] After the accident Fong said: "One thing is certain...Julissa certainly wouldn't want national team members to stop competing, or want me to quit being the coach that I am".[2] After the accident some coaches supported banning the vault entirely, but Fong said that "a lot of the coaches are concerned about the hysteria going on about this vault[...]This could hamper the development of the sport."[3] He said that banning the vault would put the United States even further behind the Soviets and suggested that coaches should teach the vault to gymnasts when they are younger so they will have more time to develop it.[3]

Another one of Fong's gymnasts Karen Tiereny cracked the C-1 vertebra in her neck when she landed on her head performing the Yurchenko vault at the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1987. Tiereny decided she would not perform the vault anymore and has said that Fong continued to encourage her to perform the anyway. Fong insists that he did not pressure Tiereny to continue performing the Yurchenko.[4]

Christy Henrich

He coached Christy Henrich, who missed the 1988 Seoul Olympics by .188. Henrich developed anorexia nervosa after a judge told her she was too heavy at 93 pounds to make the Olympic team. As a result of her illness, she was unable to compete after 1990. She retired from the sport in 1991 and died from multiple organ system failure in 1994 at 22 years of age. Fong had stopped coaching Christy in 1989 and has said that he "kicked her out of the gym for her own good" adding that she was had lost the strength needed to complete her routines safely.[5] Henrich has said that Fong called her the "Pillsbury Dough Boy", which Fong has denied.[6]

Fong stopped coaching elite gymnastics for a time after Henrich's death.[7] The best gymnasts left his gym and his reputation as a coach was damaged. He taught after school programs for a time, until he met 9 year old Terin Humphrey.[1]

2004 Olympic Games

He has since coached Olympic silver medalists Terin Humphrey and Courtney McCool at his gym, Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE), in Blue Springs.[1][8] Fong has said his coaching style has changed: "There is no yelling or screaming[...]If anybody who knew me 20 years ago saw this, they'd say 'Bulls----".[1]

At a selection camp for the 2003 World Championships, Humphrey was selected as a second alternate. She was not allowed to practice with the U.S. team. Fong commented that the experience was very painful and said Humphrey should have been selected to compete.[7]

Fong was involved in a scoring controversy concerning the men's all around competition at the 2004 Athens Olympics when Korean Olympic officials lodged a protest against American gymnast Paul Hamm's score.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "ESPN The Magazine: Al Fong's iron fist". ESPN.com. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  2. ↑ HUDSON, MARYANN (1988-06-25). "The Unthinkable Happens : Gymnast Gomez, 15, in Coma After Suffering Broken Neck During Warmups". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  3. 1 2 "Is New Vault Lifting Gymnasts Into Danger?". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  4. ↑ Ryan, Joan (2013-04-03). Little Girls in Pretty Boxes. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-82855-2.
  5. ↑ Schouwen, Daryl Van (1994-07-28). "Gymnast Fought Losing Battle // Henrich Succumbs to Anorexia, Bulimia". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-02-03 – via High Beam.
  6. ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (1996-07-30). "The Medical Costs of Being Young, Female and the Best". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  7. 1 2 DeArmond, Mike (2004-06-25). "Paring down with gymnastics trials.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Retrieved 2018-02-03 – via High Beam.
  8. ↑ Posnanski, Joe (2004-08-17). "At age 16 , McCool finds the cruelness of sport.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Retrieved 2018-02-03 – via High Beam.
  9. ↑ DeArmond, Mike (2004-08-25). "Fong places blame for gymnastics flap squarely on Korean officials.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Retrieved 2018-02-03 – via High Beam.
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