_NORFH Vancouver

OL YMPIC DREA Ms

GAINESVILLE, Fla.
ONE OWNS a famous past
yet dreams of a different
future. The other one carned
her own trip to fame yet

awaits the revurn’ for long

years of hard work.
By DAVID JONES
Special to the News

Different Ambitious
yet modest, ,

North Shore gymnasts
Botnen and Tracy Wilson
known “cach other: for about a
dozen years. Tracy knew of Anita
long before Anita knew of Tracy.

“Ever. since | became interested
in gymnastics, ] knew who Anita
Botnen was,"’ says Tracy. ‘Ever
since about when I was seven years
old we've known .cach other.
We've worked with cach -other

yet same.

Anita

gymnast
Tracy Wilson...aiming for the
Olympics. ‘

over the years, .. gotten to, know.

each other.”

Today, Botnen and Wilson are .,

teammates a long way from home

“— at the University of Florida.

- Wilson, who turned 19. Jan. 17,

is the babe of the two. The North.

Vancouver native joined the
Florida gymnastics team just be-
fore her birthday. Botnen, a senior
at UF, was a large reasen. ,

A. graduate of Carson Graham
Secondary School, Wilson watched
in the background as fellow Flicka
Gym Club member Botnen earned
a-:spot on the 1984. Canadian’
. Olympic team.

Tracy Wilson was 15 then. Anita
" Botnen was 19.

: Botnen, a graduate of West
"Vancouver Secondary, finished
17th all-around in those Olympic:
Games.” She. was the ‘Canadian’
all-around, bars’ and floor exercise
champion in 1984.

Flicka coaches Mike Vossen and
Debbie Brown watched as: Botnen
became a. well-known Canadian
athlete. Then came. college and
Florida..

-Botnen has been among the top

gymnasts in the Southeastern Con- .

ference in the past four years while
Wilson stayed back at Flicka. in
Canada, And dreamed. And

“worked. . : aw,
While: ‘Botnen now tries to con-”

have =

_ chance. .. It

1S. Mednesdas,

' Ad
campaigns
judged
PAGE 31

‘does

Photo. submitied a

CANADIAN OLYMPIC team hopeful Anita Botnen takes a graceful leap. at 2 recent gymnastics meet, iin the:

United States. 7

tent -herself that the best
athletically — is over, Wilson is

_ how dreaming of a shot at making

the 1988 Canadian Olympic team.

“I know what I have to do,’’
Wilson said. ‘I know what’s out
there for me and what I have to do
to’get it. I think I have a good
depends on several
things.”

One of those is how well she
learns. certain: routines while in
Florida that must pay off in May,

‘when Canada holds its gymastics

team trials.

- The vault and bars are the ones
I am the weakest at,’’ Wilson said.
“Tl would say the beam and floor

are my strengths. ('m going to
spend a lot of time working on my
weaknesses and try. to get some
improvement.’

Wilson’s hopes have been set
back a bit by an early-season ankle
injury but she should be. at full
speed soon,

‘In the meantime, Wilson is en-
joying her first taste of college life
in the United States.

She admits mom and dad —
Carol ;and. David - Wilson
weren't’ thrilled at first when Tracy

_ announced her intentions of mov--

ing to Florida for school.
“They were a little bit hesitant
to send me away,”* she said. **But

they really are glad that, 1 amget-
ting this opportunity. [have the
chance to get an education” ‘free
and do something that I enjoy at
the same time. .

“They have scholarships - in
Canada to go to school; but
they’re only: basic $1,000 scholar-
ships and they: don’t pay’ for
everything. Here, I will get a com-.
pletely free education.”*

Wilson hopes to some day
become a physical therapist — the
same future ambition that Botnen
is now approaching.

_‘4'min my-last year of college,”
Botnen said. ‘“I’m-to the point
now where my goals centre around

Apok 20.

Hao North Shore

her’ than

yor Canada ay erst sat
Botnen J

2 “Ed been'to ing wit
Canadian national” team for five
1 wis elty accustgmied
nati smpetition,
ii wasn't any, bigge'
rtter than n a lot of ihe of

of things ! snowed
able to dori,

Likewise, Wilson i is algo. 2
the, bev of hard hive ‘Sbadk in

Ch ipionships.
Ranked among

t aiOfympic Veteran’ “and dear
friend i isin the dorm next to her:

it’s like and ow ies -She's a big

help. Having her here at Florida”

‘and,in the dorm room next,
nake it easier. But ‘she
not’ do.it for me.
“things for myself. :
So | ovo! North” Shore’ natives
share. ye past’ ‘together yet dream o
neir. futures ina differedit’: wal
Maybe it’s symbolic thats ihe (woe
live"in rooms next’ “4b: éach. other,
rather. than i in the same one,
AS ‘Botneh = 2Sleeps at night;
‘can dream of days ahead.,working™

with injured athletes as a therapist.”
No more: school, no more Pressure,
” no more ‘hard: workouts.” * :

Wilson, On’the other hand, must
live with the desire to keep a Flicka
tradition alive ‘with. .another

, Canada team member in 1988. For
her the sweetest — or. the bitterest

— days are ahead.

But together they keep working
ahead, hoping both enjoy the
fruits of an awfully long period of.
labor.

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