Campus Connection

UWL alumni gymnastics judges have watched sport evolve

[caption id="attachment_5244" align="alignnone" width="594"] From left are: Shelley (Steinmann) Fahey, ’75; Cheryl (Running) Hancock, '80; and Jackie (Lenser) Strutt, '76 & '80.[/caption] A group of UWL alumni gymnastics judges has watched the sport they love evolve right along with their friendship. For more than three decades they’ve traveled countless miles together to judge high school gymnastics meets around the state. It’s on those long car rides that the women have grown closer. They’ve shared their lives — getting married, having babies, adapting to empty nests and losing loved ones.

“We talk about everything from politics to menopause,” says Shelley Fahey, ’75, who has judged for 33 years.

As their kids have grown, they’ve had more time outside of meets to bond. They take year-round adventures together from golf outings to cruises. They even travel to other countries, says Linda (Ihne) Skwierawski, '70 ,who will retire this year after 41 years as a judge. “We are like family,” says Fahey. “It’s a sisterhood,” says Patti Abraham, ’77, who has judged for 39 years. “We have a lot in common and we all love gymnastics.” [caption id="attachment_5246" align="aligncenter" width="685"] Gymnastics judges in uniform. From front left are UWL alumni: Shelley Fahey, Patti Abraham, Jackie Strutt and Katie Sebion Hawes. Back row from left are: UWL alumna Linda Skwierawski, Faith Wagner, UWL alumna Keri Grokowsky, Cindy Hoenish, UWL alumna Cheryl Hancock and Chelsea Becker.[/caption] Most started out because of inspiring women judges and leaders in the sport who left an impression such as Mary McLellan, a pioneer in the growth of women’s athletics at UWL. McLellan, staff member in the college of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, coached women’s gymnastics for seven seasons before it became an official varsity sport. She was also the first varsity volleyball coach at UWL. “My biggest influence was my classes with Dr. Mary McLellan — in particular her officiating class,” says Rita Hooverson, '69 and '76, who has judged for 41 years. “She developed my interest in the sport.” [caption id="attachment_5250" align="aligncenter" width="685"] UWL alumni judges Keri Grokowsky, '95, pictured left; and Cheryl Hancock, ’80.[/caption] While Cheryl Hancock, ’80, credits her high school coach Bev Bjornstad for instilling the love of the sport in her, she still remembers when McLellan came into the high school gym to judge her for the first time. “She was a successful woman who was looked at as an expert in the sport,” says Hancock. “You didn’t see a lot of women in those positions at the time.” And you didn’t see a lot of women in sports at that time either. When Hancock and Jackie Strutt started competing in gymnastics, it was the only sport their high schools offered for women. It was only sanctioned as an official sport by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association in 1970-71, notes Strutt, '76 & '80, who’s been judging for 30 years. With time the sport grew in popularity and in complexity. When they started judging in the 1970s and 1980s, gymnasts were doing backhand springs. Now a typical maneuver involves multiple, mid-air twists. “It’s a beautiful sport,” says Fahey. “It’s interesting to see how it’s evolved and become such a powerful sport.” Judging is a way to stay connected to gymnastics, says Hancock.  Strutt, a former teacher, says judging makes her feel like she is still part of the education process and the high-energy atmosphere in a high school. “I love walking into the school atmosphere and seeing the artwork and the awards — being around young people and seeing what they can do,” says Strutt. It’s one of the only sports where an athlete is truly on their own in front of an audience and judging panel, she adds. “I admire all these young girls who get out there doing back tucks and blind leaps and so many difficult things,” says Strutt. One of the best parts of the job is witnessing the personal growth of these young women and their athletic skills over time, notes Hancock and Skwierawski. “By the time they are seniors, they are doing higher level skills and you see the joy on their face,” says Hancock. “For one gymnast, it may be breaking a seven for the first time, or, for another, getting a nine for the first time … I still get goose bumps when a gymnast performs her best routine.” And when a gymnast falls they feel that too. “Your heart sinks because you know the blood, sweat and tears that went into it,” says Strutt. “Judges can’t show emotion, but we really are secret cheerleaders for all the gymnasts.” [caption id="attachment_5248" align="alignleft" width="264"] Barb Gibson, ’78, UWL gymnastics coach. Photo by Jim Lund.[/caption] They’re also cheerleaders for the sport and its continuation. They’re fans of Barb Gibson, ’78, UWL’s gymnastics coach who has led her team to 16 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association and 19 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Conference titles. They like seeing UWL continue to support the gymnastics program when some Big Ten conference schools, including UW-Madison, have dropped it. “She [Gibson] makes not just great gymnasts, but great human beings,” says Strutt. “We have so much respect for her. She is an amazing person who has fought for her sport. Being alumni and loving the sport, we are proud of her and her team.”