Competing against the best gymnasts from around the world is nothing new for South Philadelphia native Tia Orlando.
Last year alone, the 15-year-old won gold in the Dominican Republic, a silver at U.S. Nationals and more gold at the U.S. Classic and American Classic. And that’s just a small sampling of the loot the senior elite-level gymnast has collected over the years.
Orlando hopes to add several more medals to her collection as she prepares to represent Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The gymnast still has to make the cut. It would be the ultimate payoff for countless hours of practice at Parkettes National Training Center in Allentown.
"It’s really weird," Orlando said during a break from a recent Friday-afternoon practice. "When I was younger, I would say I was training for the Olympics. Now I am really training for the Olympics. They are right around the corner and I am very excited."
The gymnast, originally of the 2800 block of South 10th Street, plans to compete for one of seven spots — five team spots and two alternates — at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in Anaheim, Calif., from June 24-27. More important than any gold, silver or bronze would be the chance to represent the red, white and blue in Athens from Aug. 13-29.
"There is definitely more pressure, but I am trying not to think about it," Orlando said. "I am treating it like a normal year and whatever happens, happens."
Pretty nonchalant for a young woman who has spent the past four years reaching for the Olympic ring.
At age 11, Orlando was so committed to becoming one of the best in her field that she enrolled in summer gymnastics camp at Parkettes and decided not to return home to Marlton, N.J., where her family had moved. The gymnast followed her dreams to Souderton, Bucks County, with her grandmother to be closer to the training center.
Orlando now arrives at the gym every morning at 8:30 and works out until 12:30 p.m. After a short break, the gymnasts train for another two hours. Wednesdays and Saturdays are half-days, but the training regimen is still the equivalent of a full-time job: Most weeks, Orlando will spend 36 hours at the gym.
Her coach, Donna Strauss, who has been named Coach of the Year three times by the U.S. Gymnastics Federation, said she is upgrading the skill and difficulty level in practice to prepare Orlando for the competitions.
"We are looking forward to a successful season," Strauss said.
Orlando, or "T" for short, already has had a taste of international competition. Last summer, after finishing eighth in the all-around at U.S. Nationals, she qualified to represent Team USA at the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. The event featured the top gymnasts from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. Orlando’s performance — which included a golden 9.587 on the floor exercise — helped the United States win 10 medals.
"It was a big meet and I was real nervous," recalled the athlete, who is home-schooled. "Once I got there, I just treated it like a regular meet."
The gymnast’s farthest trip from home has been to Sydney, Australia, for the 2001 Goodwill Games.
The experience in worldwide competitions has given Orlando the chance to evaluate her skills more realistically. She said she knows she has two good events in the vault and floor exercise. The senior national team member still has several months to perfect them, along with her routines on the uneven bars and balance beam. Orlando has a busy schedule that features this month’s Parkette Invitation in Allentown, next month’s Podium Meet in New York City and a few other events, including the U.S. Nationals in June.
No matter how many medals the Olympic prospect wins this year, she knows her little sis Taylor will continue to keep tabs.
Fortunately, Orlando doesn’t carry the weight of her medals all the time. She still finds time to be a regular teenager, which can include going to an amusement park to ride roller coasters or just sitting at home listening to Michael Jackson music (whom she still likes despite the recent controversy).
Orlando even has a career goal that has nothing to do with gymnastics — she hopes to be an orthodontist.
In the meantime, her coach believes the talented gymnast can take on any opponent in the world.
"We are really hoping to medal in floor exercise and have definite potential for a gold medal," Strauss said. "At the same time, we are keeping the other events strong."
