Young's dream coming true

Ever since Guard Young decided to become a serious gymnast, at about age 10, his father's reputation was there in front of him. Wayne Young had been captain of the 1976 U.S. men's gymnastics team at the Montreal Olympics, and he later coached the BYU gymnastics team (1979-87).

Actually, Guard enjoyed it when people he met spoke of his father's prowess in the sport. It was a source of pride. "He was a phenomenal gymnast for his time," Guard says.

"Ancient history," Wayne says of his time in the Olympics, when rules were different, the U.S. was hardly feared in the sport and the athletes were "dirt poor" amateurs.

When the 2004 U.S. men's gymnastics team competes Aug. 14-23 in Greece, the place where the Olympics were born, the "ancient history" of 1976 will blend with the current as Guard Young becomes the second Olympic gymnast in his family, accomplishing what his father calls his son's "dream of a whole life.

"For Guard, it was important for him to do what his dad did. It was always kind of a monkey on his back. This is nice. He's always measured, and that's not fair," says Wayne, an Orem obstetrician who, with wife Carol, has seven grown children, two boys and five girls, and is adamant that this accomplishment is no better than what the others have done.

Still, "I'm excited I have a kid who has an opportunity to be at this level," Wayne says, adding that Guard, who spent four years on the BYU team before it was disbanded, is "far more accomplished than I" and faces more pressure in the Olympics because both he and the team have a chance to win medals.

Guard finished sixth in last month's Olympic trials at Anaheim, Calif., but only the first four qualified for spots on the U.S. team. Guard and six others had to compete again in mid-July in Colorado Springs, Colo., before a selection committee before Guard and former Olympian Blaine Wilson were chosen for the other two tickets to Athens.

Guard, Wayne, Guard's coach Mark Williams and Guard's wife Alisha say Young performed as well as he ever has during the selection camp and seized the roster spot in what he had determined would be, at age 27, his final attempt to qualify for an Olympic team. He'd been either a starter or alternate on the last three world championship teams but was 10th in the trials for the Sydney Games.