Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
WHAT: 2004 T.J. Maxx Tour Gymnastics Championships
PARTICIPANTS: USA Olympians, including women's all-around gold medalist Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Terin Humphrey, Annia Hatch, Mohini Bhardwaj, Jason Gatson, Brett McClure and Guard Young.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center
TICKETS: $78.75, $47.25, $36.75, $26.25. UNLVtickets.com outlets and Thomas & Mack Center box office.
Since last seen flipping her way onto the front of a Wheaties box at Athens, Carly Patterson has spent most of the past three months on one of three buses that are shuttling participants on the T.J. Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions to and from 41 American cities over 81 days. And the manifest of one of those diesel-belching converted Greyhounds is comprised solely of "roadies."
Sometimes, being America's Sweetheart is not all it's cracked up to be.
But between fuel stops on the interstate, Patterson has managed to wedge in appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Late Show with David Letterman, was a presenter at the MTV Video Music Awards and, earlier this week, literally let her hair down in being honored as one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year during a star-studded gala in New York City.
So sometimes, being America's Sweetheart is all it's cracked up to be and more.
"I like how people recognize me now. But it definitely gets tiring, being on tour, and then on the days off going to the next city or I have to go do interviews or talk shows and stuff like that," Patterson sighed as she began her bazillionth interview, take or leave a few gazillion, from the road in Colorado en route to Las Vegas (via a stop in Salt Lake City) for Saturday's gym champions exhibition at the Thomas & Mack Center.
"But it's also nice to have a break in training."
Ah, yes, the training. The way I see it, there are only two ways to become America's Sweetheart, and that's by winning the gold medal in women's figure skating or by winning the gold medal in the women's gymnastics all-around. Unless you've got a crazy ex-boyfriend with a baseball bat, there are no shortcuts.
Patterson's long road to Athens entailed moving from her home in Baton Rouge, La., to suburban Houston, where she trains 36 hours a week at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy under the watchful eye of coaches whose names are hard to spell and even more difficult to pronounce.
Although I've never met Evgeny Marchenko, Natasha Boyarskaya or Tatiana Schegolkova, something tells me that there's a certain amount of dedication and discipline that is required from all who walk through their door. Like a lot of dedication and discipline.
That's why Patterson will soon be faced with a difficult decision. A precocious 16, she has the rare opportunity to pursue a second term as America's Sweetheart at Beijing in 2008. But having already conquered her sport, she could retire now and probably still become her generation's Mary Lou Retton, the only other American to strike all-around gold.
For now, she seems content just to be Carly Patterson. She plans to compete in the 2005 World Championship but hasn't committed to anything beyond that.
"It's hard to say," she said about her future as an elite gymnast. "A lot can happen in four years so I'm just taking it slow."
Patterson is so young that she was minus 4 years old when Retton became an American icon during the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. But were she to hang up her leotard, at least she could go back to being a full-time teenager.
Having spent some time with Las Vegas' Tasha Schwikert, who between the most recent Olympiads became a two-time USA all-around champion, only to have her goal of competing as a 20-year-old in Greece curtailed by injuries, the choice between nonstop training and having a social life is one of the most difficult an elite gymnast must make. At least it was for Schwikert, who recently began her dating (i.e., post-Olympics) career at UCLA.
Patterson said she and Schwikert got to know each other during the past year and chatted backstage recently when Schwikert took in the T.J. Maxx tour stop in Los Angeles.
"I feel like I'm capable," Patterson said about going for a second all-around gold medal (she also won the silver on the balance beam in Athens). "And even with all that's going on, I feel like I still have time to be a teenager and stuff like that.
"(But) I feel like I've fulfilled my dream and goal in gymnastics and I'm glad I did it the first time around. That's why I say I'm going to take it slow and see what happens."
Perhaps the best thing about being America's Sweetheart is that it opens more doors than Ed McMahon carrying a big check. Patterson said she's even considering a singing career, a hobby that might be an option, considering she has been singing most of her life and, more importantly, does not sound like Kerri Strug when she does it.
"My dad was a singer," she said. "I've always loved singing. I want that to be my next career. I haven't had any formal training yet but would like to take some classes sometime. My agent told me that I'm scheduled to go record a song in December. They want to see how I sound and we'll go from there."
But Patterson said any Las Vegas fans who want to catch her before Gymapalooza should come out to the T&M Saturday, where she promises they'll have a good time.
"It's a lot of fun. It's not as much pressure as competition," she said. "It's really exciting, there are a lot of theatrical (routines) and everything else going on at the same time. It's just a really cool show and a good way to have some fun."
Among those scheduled to perform in addition to Patterson are 2004 women's Olympic team members Courtney Kupets. Terin Humphrey, Annia Hatch and Mohini Bhardwaj, and Olympians Jason Gatson, Brett McClure and Guard Young from the men's silver-medal winning team.
Patterson said fans will have an opportunity to collect autographs, so bring along a program or a tour T-shirt. Or even a box of Wheaties.
"Yeah, some people do bring those," giggled America's Sweetheart, ending one interview so she could begin another one.
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