Olympic gymnasts amaze Spokane fans
There were no perfect scores Thursday night at the Spokane Arena, only perfect moments.
Judges were in attendance, all right – 4,716 of them, who measured their approval in decibels for America’s gymnastics heroes in their first major exhibition since last month’s Olympic Games in Rio.
The Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions offered a little of everything as it opened a two-month, 36-city tour to a gasping audience in Spokane.
No one was more wide-eyed than 9-year-old Kylie, whose trip from Colville was rewarded with some helpful vaulting hints from Olympic champions Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez, who made Kylie’s night complete by autographing her T-shirt.
Moments like that were framed by a fast-moving, two-hour spectacle of fluid movements and staggering strength. At times it seemed that the electricity of the Olympics had been conducted thousands of miles from the podium in Rio to the floor of the Spokane Arena.
The show opened with laser lights and the promise of tomorrow, as about 100 young local gymnasts took the floor in front of about 5,000 fans at Spokane Arena.
Moments later, a large American flag preceded the entry of this year’s Olympians: rhythmic, trampoline, men’s and finally the gold medal-winning women’s team.
The exhibition moved up-tempo in a hurry, as the men performed hip-hop style on the parallel bars and Hernandez showed off her dance moves as well as her athleticism on the floor.
Then, from a giant screen, team captain Aly Raisman told the audience something they already knew: that their gold-medal experience in Rio “was something we’ll never forget.”
Seconds later, Raisman, Biles, Douglas and others descended from on high, transported on – what else? – gold-plated Olympic rings.
Then the golden girls sprinted to the far corners of the floor, performing routines that were more about style than athleticism.
Fans also got a better appreciation for the talents of the men’s team, especially the strength-demanding rings. The often under-appreciated art of rhythmic gymnastics drew some of the biggest applause, as fans watched in amazement at the Olympians’ skill with balls, ribbons and sticks.
But make no mistake – the night belonged to the “Final Five,” the gold medal-winning women’s team. Four-fifths of them were in Spokane, as Madison Kocian is already matriculating at UCLA.
The others bedazzled all night long, but no one dominated the show. Nearly all of the routines lasted a minute or less, which kept the night moving at a brisk pace – too briskly at times, if you wanted to see a little more of Biles doing her thing on the floor.
On the other hand, this was about having fun, and the audience could see it reflected in the gymnasts’ faces. On Thursday, those long-rehearsed Olympic routines became last month’s news.
The last big number involved about two dozen athletes performing on the floor to tunes from Van Halen, Journey and even Tom Jones.
The audience joined the fun, completing the perfect score.