Friday June 20th

Raj Bhavsar, who competed for the Scarlet and Gray from 2000-03, held third with a score of 90.5 in the all-around after day one of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Philadelphia Thursday June 19, 2008. Just 0.15 points separate first and third place with Alexander Artemev in first (90.65) and Jonathan Horton, the 2008 Nissen Emery Award winner, in second (90.55).

In 2004, Bhavsar was selected as the U.S. alternate for the Athens Games while training with Avery in Columbus.

Morgan Hamm, who trains at Ohio State with men’s gymnastics coach Miles Avery, completed the opening day of competition, nabbing Top 3 finishes on three events. The Waukesha, Wis., native’s best finish came on pommel horse with a score of 14.9 for second. Hamm also placed third on both vault and high bar (tied), scoring a 16.0 and 15.2, respectively.

The men’s competition concluded at 3 p.m. Saturday June 21, 2008 in the Wachovia Center.

Sunday June 22, 2008

The injured Paul Hamm, who trains at Ohio State with men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery, and Jonathan Horton, the 2008 Nissen-Emery Award winner, were selected to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Saturday in Philadelphia following the conclusion of the Olympic Trials. The Waukesha, Wis., native must prove he is ready at the team’s July training camp to keep his spot on the squad.

“If I am healthy, I feel like I deserve a spot on the team,” Paul said. “I feel like I deserve to compete in Beijing.”

Raj Bhavsar, who competed for the Scarlet and Gray from 2000-03, ended the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in third with a score of 90.2 in the all-around. Despite his Top 3 finish, Bhavsar, who served as the U.S. alternate for the Athens Games while training with Avery in Columbus, will await the decision of the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Committee to learn if his performance at the trials was enough to garner a spot on the 2008 team.

Morgan Hamm, twin brother of Paul, made his case for a position on the squad with four Top 4 finishes. Morgan finished second on high bar with a 15.23 and fourth on floor (15.0), pommel horse (14.47) and vault (15.945).

“Morgan’s in a pretty good position, finishing four events in the Top 4,” Avery said. “It’s going to be hard to deny him a spot.”

The U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Committee will announce its decision at 1:30 p.m. Sunday June 22, 2008.

Morgan Hamm will be joining his twin brother Paul Hamm, both of whom train at Ohio State with men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this August. Paul was named to the team following the conclusion of action at day two of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Saturday night while Morgan was named to the team by the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics selection committee Sunday afternoon. This will be the Waukesha, Wis., natives’ third Olympic Games.

Joining the Hamm twins on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team are Joseph Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring and Kevin Tan. Three of the six gymnasts to make the team are former college gymnasts. Horton finished at Oklahoma this spring while Spring competed at Illinois (2003-06) and Tan was a student-athlete for Penn State (2001-04).

“Certainly, I am ecstatic to see two three-time Olympians on this 2008 Olympic Team,” Avery said. “Paul and Morgan are tremendous assets, considering their experience. I’m tremendously proud of the work these two have put in over the year to get to this point.”

Morgan made his case for a position on the squad with four Top 4 finishes at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend. Morgan finished second on high bar with a 15.23 and fourth on floor (15.0), pommel horse (14.47) and vault (15.945). An injured Paul had his petition for a position on the team granted by the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics selection committee. In July, the athlete will have to show he is healthy enough to defend his spot on the squad.

Raj Bhavsar, who competed for the Scarlet and Gray from 2000-03, ended the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in third place in the all-around. Despite his Top 3 finish, Bhavsar, who served as the U.S. alternate for the Athens Games while training with Avery in Columbus, will again serve as an alternate for the Beijing Games. David Durante and Alexander Artemev were also named as alternates.

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Former Buckeye, and current US Men’s Senior National Team member, Raj Bhavsar, finished 5th in the all around with a two day score of 178.25 at the 2008 VISA Championships on Saturday.

Alexy Bilozertchev, whom is the son of Ohio State Assistant Coach Dmitri Bilozertchev, completed the VISA championships in 15th with an all around score of 171.65, and placed 10th on the pommel horse and vault.

Former Buckeye Morgan Hamm captured his third career floor national title with a acore of 31.35 at the 2008 VISA Championships and captured a spot in the US trials. He notched a Top 10 finish on all 4 events in which he competed.

Former Buckeye Paul Hamm, despite breaking his hand during his parellel bar routine on the first day of competition, also qualified for US trials. He held a large lead in the all around competition in the VISA championships. He nabbed first on floor, tied with his brother, first on pommel horse and on high bar all on day 1.

Paul & Morgan Hamm are trained by Ohio State Head Coach Miles Avery and are hoping to make it to their 3rd Olympic Games.

Former Buckeye Blaine Wilson dropped out of the competition after two rotations and announced his retirement from the sport. Wilson served as a volunteer assistant coach for Ohio State in 2008 while attempting to make an historic 4th Olympic Game appearance.

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Courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Blaine Wilson, former Buckeye (1994-97) and three-time Olympian, will rejoin the men’s gymnastics coaching staff as Ohio State’s volunteer assistant coach, Miles Avery, Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach, announced Wednesday. After a three-year hiatus, Wilson returns for his fourth season as a volunteer assistant coach with the program.

As a coach, Wilson brings a wealth of knowledge on national and international competition. The most decorated Buckeye to date, Wilson captured six NCAA individual titles, secured five-consecutive U.S. all-around titles (1996-2000) and earned a silver medal in the team competition at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

The Columbus, Ohio, native led Ohio State to three Big Ten championships (1994-96-97) and the program’s second national championships in 1996. Owner of 11 Big Ten individual championships, including three all-around titles, Wilson became the first Buckeye to receive the conference’s rookie of the year distinction in 1994. The standout went on to garner the Big Ten gymnast of the year honor in 1995, ’96 and ’97. Twice in his college career, Wilson was recognized as the OSU Male Athlete of the Year.

Training again under Avery, Wilson is looking to become the first American gymnast to make four Olympic teams as he readies for the Olympic trials in June. At the trials, the U.S. Olympic team will be selected for the 2008 Beijing Games.

Wilson and his daughter Wakaya reside in Columbus, Ohio.

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Courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Routines are be memorized and perfected as weeks in the gym come and go. Student-athletes learn to compete and perform, but it takes true heart to step outside the gym and show the world what one can offer.

The Ohio State gymnastics team, alongside former Buckeye gymnast Debbie Heiman, did just that as they donated their time to contribute to the awareness of Fragile X syndrome Oct. 6.

Fragile X Syndrome is the leading known cause of autism and the leading cause of inherited mental retardation. The disease touched close to home for Heiman after her two children were diagnosed with the genetic disorder. Heiman now devotes her time to the foundation FRAXA, the research organization for Fragile X.

On that Saturday night, the women’s gymnastics team helped raise awareness for Fragile X by taking part in the fundraiser, The Sun Shines on Fragile X Blues party, held at Our Lady of Victory in Grandview. The event, which Heiman and other parents coordinated, included a silent auction and featured live Blues music by Delta Sheiks. The team gathered raffle money, passed out programs, cleaned tables and performed a handstand contest for those in attendance.

“Their presence, positive attitude and helpfulness really made the night,” Heiman said. “We would be honored if they would want to participate again next year. I don’t think it would be the same without another handstand contest – the crowd loved that.”

The event’s goal was to raise $15,000 which was greatly exceeded, reaching $22,000, Heiman said. The event reached $8,500 on Saturday night alone.

“The team had a great experience at this event,” Carey Fagan, Ohio State head coach, said. “We really have a great group of young women and it’s impressive how well the team works together, inside and outside of the gym. It was an honor to be able to help a former Ohio State athlete. Debbie was a remarkable host for the event and really made the team feel like an important part of the evening. We were thrilled the event exceeded the fundraising goal for Fragile X research and look forward to being involved next year.”

With the help of donors and volunteers, FRAXA has accelerated the progress toward effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Fragile X. The research organization looks to continue raising funds to soon begin human clinical trials.

Scores will be recorded and highlights will be watched, but eventually those will be forgotten. Small steps are what it takes to ultimately reach a cure. With the support, help and donations, even a small impact can mean the world or a life. Spending time to support a special cause makes an impact, which truly lasts forever.

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