Gymnastics Tumbles To Tactics That Made Skating Popular

The setup is the same: Take recent Olympic heroes, place them in a show highlighting their talents, all set to music and featuring high-tech lighting. Tour the nation, hitting major venues. Attract television coverage. Maintain the new-found popularity.

It has worked for figure skating for years. Can it also work for gymnastics?

A current tour featuring the U.S. women’s gold medalists from Atlanta - minus Kerri Strug - is trying to duplicate figure skating’s formula for post-Olympic success.

“I think the basics are the same,” says Stan Feig, executive producer of the Tour of World Gymnastics Champions. “You take the marquee personalities - in this instance it becomes the gold medal team and Olympic men’s team - and it’s no different than if you take the Scott Hamiltons and Katarina Witts of the world and invoke that marquee value and it becomes the heart and soul of the tour.

“I think certainly the intent is for that to happen. We are attempting to broaden the popularity of the individuals and the sport.”

Feig, of Bill Graham Presents, has produced a Brian Boitano-Witt tour, plus about a dozen televised figure skating events, including Ice Wars and Fox’s Rock and Roll Figure Skating program. This is his first major involvement with gymnastics.

“We take our experience in concert touring and transfer it to figure skating, so why not then to gymnastics? Perhaps it’s more of a challenge in gymnastics, but we’re giving them all first-class elements to work with and watching the pieces fall into place.”

The 34-city tour began Sept. 19 and has been drawing well. The athletes seem to enjoy it, because of the variations on their regular routines. And, of course, each of them earns more than $5,000 an appearance.

“I think one of the main reasons we are doing a tour like this is to put the sport out there for more of the public,” says Amanda Borden. “For us, we’re pretty much through competing, so this is a great way to continue, having a lot of fun and with no pressure like in a competition.

“One of my favorite parts about gymnastics is performing for the crowd, and now we can focus on making it more of a show and not on the numbers, the marks. It’s like you’re on a stage and everyone is watching you instead of wondering about the judges. You play to the crowd and get them enthusiastic.

“I think it has a great chance to be like skating.”

The folks at John Hancock, the sponsor of the tour, can only hope for that type of popularity. Some sort of skating program, be it a bona fide competition, a made-for-television event or a show, always seems to be on TV. Dozens of tours have cropped up, with the biggest stars involved.

“I think that is some people’s ambition, but I suspect it is unlikely,” said David D’Alessandro, senior executive vice president for John Hancock. “Until gymnastics has more television exposure than it has had, I think it is a lot harder to maintain four years of interest in gymnastics between Olympics than for figure skating, with its dance and its music. That’s more entertainment clearly, with a lot more variety. It has the element of romance and comedy. It’s more theater.”

The current tour is trying to add that element to gymnastics. The sound and lighting budget approaches $500,000. There are five production numbers in which the athletes dance as well as do their tricks.

Shannon Miller, who won two gold medals at the Atlanta Games, likes the idea of presenting gymnastics in a different light, one that shines on how much fun it can be to participate. And to watch the best in the world doing their thing.

“In competitions, we are so focused on what we’re doing, we don’t notice the audience much,” Miller says. “Now, we might go over and pick people out of the stands.

“I think this is better for television, with all the lighting and music. It gives people a chance to see us first-hand, and get to know us.”