Vaulting toward glory

The second in a series on South Philadelphia native Tia Orlando’s pursuit of a spot on the 2004 U.S. gymnastics team

Tia Orlando enjoys watching Good Morning America whenever she gets a chance. But Monday, she didn’t have to catch the program on TV:

She was on it.

Orlando, an Olympic hopeful gymnast, was on her way home from a competition in Rochester, N.Y., when she was invited to make a live appearance on the Times Square set.

"It was fun to meet the people I watch on TV," said the 16-year-old, originally from the 2800 block of South 10th Street.

Anyone who would call doing balance-beam routine in the middle of Times Square "fun" has the right attitude to compete with the women’s Olympic gymnastics team.

So far, Orlando seems as if she also has the ability. She finished first in the all-around competition at last weekend’s U.S. Gymnastic Classic Senior Championships in Rochester. Aside from her national TV appearance, the win also qualified the teen for the U.S. Championships being held June 2-5 in Nashville, Tenn. A top performance there would earn Orlando a ticket to the Olympic trials.

Everything went according to plan at the U.S. Classic, where the top 14 all-around athletes qualified for the U.S. Championships. Orlando finished with a 37.425 in the all-around and a gold medal. She also won gold in the floor exercise (9.575) and bronze in the vault (9.3).

"It was really exciting," said the high-school sophomore, who is home-schooled in Souderton, Bucks County, where she moved to be closer to Parkettes National Training Center in Allentown. "I knew if I hit 4-for-4 [on routines], I could win. That’s what I did."

At the 2003 U.S. Classic, Orlando placed fourth in the all-around (36.575) and first in the floor exercise (9.525).

She celebrated her big win this year with a New York City shopping trip. The teen’s purchases included a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes and a picture of Michael Jackson (she remains a big fan despite the singer’s legal woes).

The trip was a brief reprieve from the constant training required for an Olympic hopeful.

The regimen must be intense and focused, since only six young women will represent the red, white and blue in Athens this summer.

Orlando, now in her third year on the National Team — which gives members a chance to compete internationally — arrives at the gym every morning at 8:30 and works out until 12:30 p.m. After a short break, the gymnasts resume workouts from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Most weeks, Orlando can count on spending 36 hours in the gym.

"I’ve been training a lot harder," she said. "I am trying to be more consistent and as confident as I can be. It seemed to help."

And Orlando has little time to rest as she prepares to pack her bags for Nashville next weekend, but she doesn’t mind.

"I actually like it when the events are close together because you are already in competition shape," she said. "You don’t have a lot of downtime."

Her parents, brother, sister and family friends will provide moral support from the stands at the U.S. Championships.

The event field will feature the country’s best elite-level gymnastics. The top 14 all-around finishers from the U.S. Classic will join the top 10 all-around athletes from the American Classic, held March 4-6 in Ontario, Calif., as well as the nine members from the 2003 world champion team, who automatically qualified. The field of 33 will dwindle to 12, who will advance to next month’s Olympic Trials.

But the two gymnasts who place at the top of the all-around competition will be automatically nominated to the Olympic Committee pending their demonstration of readiness at the final selection camp.

The National Team coordinator is Marta Karolyi (famous coach Bela Karolyi’s wife), who has coached several world and national champions, including former Olympic gold medallist Mary Lou Retton and who will be among those selecting the Olympic participants.

If Orlando makes the final cut, she will participate in a final Olympic Team preparation camp from July 30-Aug. 4 before departing for Athens.

The gymnast said she will wait a little longer before researching Greece on the Internet, lest she jinx herself. She acknowledges the Olympic training is more stressful than what she is accustomed to, but she is doing her best to keep the pressure at bay.

"I just try to tell myself that you are in a regular meet with the same equipment," Orlando said. "Whatever happens, happens."