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Friday, August 25
Seventh-place finish did not dissuade committee
Associated Press
BOSTON -- John Roethlisberger heard his name called, and all
the emotions he'd kept bottled up for two agonizing days -- not to
mention three long years -- came pouring out.
The tears flowed faster than he could wipe them off his face.
His shoulders, so powerful when he's doing his routines, heaved as
he sobbed. Finally, he simply bent over, overcome by his joy at
making his third Olympic team.
"It's the sweetest, by far," the 30-year-old, now three-time
Olympian said Saturday night. "Just what I had to do to get here
made it the sweetest."
It's also tinged with a bit of sorrow. Combining scores from the
Olympic trials and last month's U.S. Gymnastics Championships, the
top four finishers were automatically put on the team. A selection
committee then picked two more "at-large" gymnasts who could
shore up the team's weaknesses.
Roethlisberger was seventh overall, but the committee picked him
and sixth-place Morgan Hamm over Jamie Natalie, who finished fifth.
"If it were up to me, the last spot would have gone to Jamie,"
said Fred Roethlisberger, John's father and coach. "I'm not a
rabble-rouser, but I've never been in favor of this selection
process, not in the form of it today."
But Natalie disagreed.
"I can see where they're coming from," he said. "Morgan is
absolutely great on floor and vault and John's great on the other
four events. It's a no-brainer."
Still, there was a part of Roethlisberger that felt awful. He's
always believed the top gymnasts should be the ones that go to the
Olympics or world championships. Earn it on the floor.
But he wanted this so badly. He's the one who has stuck it out
as the Americans went from the depths of despair in the early 1990s
to chasing a medal now. He came back despite ripping up his knee in
1998, finishing an astonishing second at nationals just a year
later.
He's the undisputed heart and soul of the team, the one who can
pump guys up so high even tough-guy Blaine Wilson is practically in
tears.
"I was back there sweating with him," Wilson said. "I'm glad
he's part of the team."
Roethlisberger never expected to go through this. One of the
most consistent gymnasts, he rarely has one bad meet, let alone
several disasters in a row. But he bumbled his way through
nationals and Friday's preliminaries, and found himself in seventh
place coming into Saturday's final.
"He just knew he had to do better," Fred Roethlisberger said.
"It's hard to believe the whole fiasco of these 24 scores. These
are the worst 24 scores he's ever put together in his career."
It could have been even worse had he not had a spectacular meet
Saturday. From the time he stuck his vault, his opening event, he
cruised. On the floor exercise, a disaster the three previous
meets, he was smiling even before he finished his last tumbling
pass.
He kept his hands raised in triumph as he walked off the podium.
After his final routine, the still rings, he waved at the crowd
with his right hand, then lifted his left fist before exchanging a
long hug with his dad.
"I've been given an opportunity," Roethlisberger said. "Given
what I've done the last few years, I feel I do deserve it. But I
feel bad for Jamie. He deserves to be there."
So when the applause was over, the fans were gone and all of the
photographs had been taken, Roethlisberger pulled Natalie into the
Boston Celtics locker room at the Fleet Center. It was just the two
of them, nobody else.
Roethlisberger, whose sister Marie was an alternate on the 1984
women's team that won the silver medal, told Natalie how important
a role he was going to play.
"I told him after today, I don't want him again to say he's the
alternate," Roethlisberger said. "He's every bit as much a part
of this team as anyone else.
"He's not the alternate. He's an Olympian."
And, much to his joy, so is Roethlisberger once again.
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