HomeMy WebLinkAboutBrandy Johnson-1995 e Extra /2 SPORTS • PUBLIC RECORD
Atlanta Olympics lure Brandy
Gyirntastics no longer is kid stuff to Atlanta
Brandy Johnson. "I did a lvet of thinking
Brandy is 21 and approaching the while rehabbing," Bran ,{ vx
a aseco and stuntman anniversary of her marriage to x, dy said.'Then I got into
She also is learning the ropes pioneered r co-Organ Brown't Met t ,
no-Orlando].telling I got how to t
th
by an masters athletes, training smart rather ; �._ of tit,na them haw ty
1L and her g � do ill and once my �A r
And her experiences working with her v' Achilles' got strong, I aw ,•u
husband on various stunts have helped her ' began showing them '�$ \ 777yr.
delete the word fear from her ° ks 111 Ate..'
and to better understand marketing.vocabulary how to do it.The more I
did, the more I tried. Bill Buchalter Johnson-Scharpf officially an-
And then I realized I
nounced her intentions to return to gym- was handling easily the routines that used METRO SPORTS
nestles and train Hill time for the 1998 At- to scare me to death."
]ante Olympics, she appropriately wore a The fear didn't develop until long after
sweatshirt with Atlanta 1998 on the front. Johnson's 10th place finish in the all-around her now, helped by participating in movie
She was definitely sending a message, competition at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, stunts.
Comebacks are not new for Johnson, or or her silver medal on vault and 7th-place She has portrayed a genetically engi-
for many older athletes. The lure of an all-around at the 1989 World Championships neered life form on SeaQuest,doubled for a
Olympics in your own backyard helps re- in Stuttgart At Seoul, her all-around finish 12-year-old boy on a wild We pilot and par-
vive the competitive juices.Johnson tried to was the highest by an American in a non- ticipated in a cat fight in The Bandit series.
come back for Barcelona but didn't have boycotted Olympics: On SeaQuest she had to dye her blonde hair
time to get into the necessary shape. She was 15 then, bubbling with fearless black, air brush her different skin
Ironically,that ill-fated attempt and a nip- child-like qualities. But as body
tared Achilles'tendon helped . That's grad tones and the pilot, up wto ore r a second-story
and
pod her focus on older,the fear factor sets in. That's behirtd railing. In the Pilot, she wore a wig end
y5oo1® q
The Orlando Sentinel
THURSDAY, February 9,119955 -
• CLASSIFIED See SE a- a i
back into the gym
drove a jeep. For Bandit she had to pull floor is unmatched. The maturity level is
her opponent's hair. - the great difference. In Seoul, the coach
And she has watched, breathlessly, a would have to tell her how to train. Now„
stunt performed by her husband, Bill, 28, she pretty much knows what to do,and this
for a new movie about to come out named enhances her on-job training"
Walking Dead. Wearing fatigues, Scharpf Lenzini loves her mental toughness.
had to jump out of a window backward "That's where she has an advantage," Len-
shooting an M-16 and land in a truck zini said."She already has the skill level."
"It was a huge stunt," Brandy said. "It Johnson-Scharpf is a competitor, but
was scary watching him. If you see the she's also a realist. She knows her goal is _
movie and see somebody flying out the set high but worth achieving.
window,it will be him." Her short-range goals include partidpat•'-
Doing reverse Hechts, Yurchenko roun- ing in her first meet in June,then compet-
doffs and all those acrobatic tumbling runs ing on compulsories at the American Clas-
are tame by comparison. sic July 13-16 in Denver. Under U.S. Gym-'
The age factor doesn't concern Brandy nastics Federation rules, she can petition
and her coaches at Broadway Gymnastics for entry into the Championship of the U.S.•
in Winter Springs — Stephanie Lenzini, Aug.15-19 in New Orleans.
Scott Johnson and Jason Parker. "We'll take it one meet at a time,one day
Lenzini's strength is teaching compulsor- at a time," she said "If I can get ranked
ies,which count for 60 percent of the woo and meet my goals, the World Champion-
ing. Scott Johnson, a two-time Olympian, ships is this year and Atlanta next.
was the U.S.men's team captain in Seoul at "Even if we get to '96 and my ankle
age 27. doesn't hold up, I could say, 'At least, I
"It's like she hasn't lost anything," Scott tried.' Eve done it once, and this would be
Johnson said. "Her grace and beauty on icing on the cake for me."
9,-0209
Former Olympian Brandi Johnson
announces comeback at Broadway
By Darrell Johnson
Former Olympic gymnast Brandy
Johnson announced Friday that she is
coming back.
:frix The top-finishing gymnast on the
United States team in the 1988 Sum-
< i'� mer Olympics in Seoul,South Korea,
,, has been privately training at the
Broadway Gym in Winter Springs.
: ':s,-J• She is confident that an old injury will
:;..•:�i• be completely healed before her first
major competition this summer.
f The Brandy Johnson saga began
at age four when she was diagnosed
with a deformed ureter. Her stomach
muscles were cut from hip to hip,and
doctors told her parents to enroll her
in a gymnastics program as therapy.
•• They told her parents not to ex-
la• pact great results, however, saying
r''. that she would probably never be able II
i{if • .. to do a sit up again.
•"y "11114 was a household name dur-
T ;
ing the Seoul Olympia,where,at age
L. v,;t u fifteen, she finished tenth overall.
"t}•:: 'r Numerous"chards followed inT§1B-Y;";
'••' including U.S. Champion, U.S. vs
f
U.S.S.R. Champion and a silver
•• ... medal in the World Championships.
`
• In 1991 she retired from inter-
w..fix li national competition, but continued 1
:
&Wigs>
r
95oA 69
Derrell JohnconiThe Oviedo*ice
Brandi Johnson displays her poise on the beam at Broadway Gym
Friday after announcing plans to return to competition this summer.
Gym
to perform in exhibitions,coach other
gymnasts and participate in clinics.
She also did stunt work for movies
and television.
On an Olympic tour in October
of 1992 she ruptured an Achilles ten-
don,and has been in therapy for two
years. Brandy is now in the initial
stages of her comeback training,un-
der the tutelage of coach Stephanie
Lenzini. Both express high levels of
confidence..
With the support of her husband,
Bill Scharpf, a stuntman and actor,
the 21-year-old gymnast hopes to
compete in the Classics meet in Den-
ver this July, followed a month later
by the U.S. Championships in New 'Open forum' to
Orleans.
be held at ITMS
Indian Trails Middle School will
have its next"Open Forum," where
parents can meet with school princi-
pal Bob S. Rainey, on March 21 in
Tuesday and Wednesday,
March 7 and 8 the school library.Rainey will report
AARP 55 Alive mange on current events and will meet indi-
course will be offered Sit War vidually with parents.
Springs fakir Cants.11814in The school will have its Hogan
Hoopster basketball camp the first
be 111efete5oar week of intersession,Feb.13-17,from
from S£t 012 pm it 1p 8 a.m.to noon.Cost is 565.Informa-
refineexieEeg skills and develop safe, tional flyers are available from Coach
defensive driving techniques.The cost Hall,Mrs.Hogan or the front office.
for the class is $8. To register call For more information,call 359-7522,
Susie at 327-4031. extension 258 or 257.