GYMNASTICS : Crandall, Woolsey Lead in Compulsories

They might be mundane to perform and repetitive to watch, but, to Elisabeth Crandall and Sandy Woolsey, compulsory exercises are as important as any other part of gymnastics competition.

Their results showed it Saturday at the U.S. Classic at Marina High in Huntington Beach.

In compulsories, all the competitors do all the same routines on four different events.

But for Crandall and Woolsey, both of Tempe, Ariz., compulsories are their strengths. That’s why Crandall, 16, won with 38.450 points and Woolsey followed at 38.350 in the compulsory competition. Kim Kelly, 16, of Allentown, Pa., was third at 38.325.

The meet concludes today with the optional competition, which will be held in sessions at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“Liz has uncanny flexibility and dynamics to do well in compulsories,” said Stormy Eaton, who coaches both Crandall and Woolsey at Desert Devils Gymnastics in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“She made a mistake on the beam and still finished first. But we spend a heck of a lot of time training in compulsories, because that is what kills us in the major world events. We are dead before we get to optionals.”

Compulsory exercises--routines with elements that are dictated by the International Gymnastics Federation and changed every four years--are required in few elite competitions, but they are the important ones--U.S. National Championships, the Olympics and World Championships. At most other meets, only optional competition is held.

Traditionally, U.S. gymnasts have fallen behind early in Olympic competition because of their poor performance in compulsories. Before 1988, the U.S. Gymnastics Federation changed the value that compulsory scores counted in the national championships in an effort to encourage gymnasts to develop compulsory skills. Instead of compulsories and optionals each counting 50%, compulsories now count 60% toward the all-around title.

Crandall, however, needed no encouragement.

“In compulsories, you have to be flexible in order to perform the movements--like doing the splits with your legs straight out and not moving your leg at all, even a fraction up or down,” said Crandall, who is from Sacramento but lives with a family in Tempe in order to train with Eaton. “I was lucky that I was born with the flexibility, but not everyone has it. You also have to be able to control your muscles well, so you don’t flinch.”

After today’s optional and compulsory scores are combined and weighted, the top 18 gymnasts will advance to the U.S. National championships, to be held next month at Cincinnati. Crandall is already qualified for next month, because she won the American Classic in November. She may not compete today, because she attended this meet solely to practice her compulsory exercises.

Gymnastics Notes

Shelley Engel of SCATS Gymnastics in Huntington Beach finished 14th in the compulsory competition and Denise Fierro of Charter Oak Gymnastics in Covina finished eighth. . . . Judy Esmero, a 12-year-old from SCATS, won the Junior B Division (ages 9-12) competition Friday. She is too young to compete in the 1992 Olympics, but says her goal is 1996. She and Engel have been a success story for Coach Don Peters, who has trained them in a development program that emphasizes teaching and very little competition.