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 That's why the Americans, fresh off winning seven medals at the world championships, including the team gold and Shawn Johnson's all-around title, won't have much time to enjoy their success. The Beijing Olympics are less than 11 months away.
"Our principle from the beginning, when we started this program, was you have to prove it now," Karolyi said. "We never go back and say, 'Two years ago, or a year ago, you did this.' That was very nice. Congratulations. But let's see who the girls are who will have the most ability to make a successful team right now."
The most humbling fact for this team to remember is the way things went four years ago. In 2003, the American women enjoyed their most successful worlds to that point, overcoming injuries and illness to take the team gold and three other medals.
Of the eight women on that team -- including alternates, who played a key role that year
-- only four made it to the Athens Olympics.
"I already gave the message to the team: This is not the end of the road, this is the beginning of the road," Karolyi said. "They have to realize it took lots of hard work to get here and it will not get any easier even though we are world champions."
Injuries affect everything, but if people stay healthy, Johnson and Nastia Liukin would seem like sure bets to headline next year's Olympic team. There's also Alicia Sacramone, whose five world medals make her hard to replace.
Nothing else is close to certain. Samantha Peszek made the team despite a terrible opening day at nationals last month. She and Ivana Hong are young and were brought here for experience, though Hong was hurt and didn't participate in team finals and Peszek was limited only to vaulting.
Back home are Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 world champion who is still rehabilitating a bad shoulder and plans to return, and 2006 all-around silver medalist Jana Bieger, who also wasn't at full strength last month.
Other names to watch include Bridget Sloan, the alternate to the world team; Ashley Priess; Bianca Flohr; and Amber Trani.
Since Karolyi was hired after the 2000 Olympics, she has built a program that alternates between stoking competition between the gymnasts and bringing them together for team-building at her ranch in Texas.
The system has helped produce 13 world gold medals since 2001, including two team world championships as well as Olympic all-around titlist Carly Patterson from the Athens Games. There have been disappointments
-- like the team silvers in Athens and again last year at worlds in Denmark
-- but when the letdowns still result in second place, it's a sign that things are strong.
"I said before championships, we were in good position," said USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny. "I felt we've been a very strong country from the start, and we have a program designed to keep us there."
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The men's program operates in a different orbit from the women, though there are now high expectations there, as well.
That 13th-place debacle in Denmark was replaced by fourth-place successes in Germany
-- in the team event, by Jonathan Horton in the all-around, Kevin Tan on rings and Guillermo Alvarez on floor.
But it's a pretty sure bet this team won't return intact, either, if only because Olympic champion Paul Hamm and his brother Morgan are training for a comeback that would only strengthen the team.
"The goal of the men's team is to medal next year," Penny said. "We're medal contenders again. It's a common goal shared by anyone. Whoever can contribute to that goal is more than welcome."
One thing the men and women have in common is that there may not be as much to fear from China, which has been setting up as America's biggest challenger at next year's Olympics in every sport.
U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr has all but guaranteed the American team won't beat China on the overall medals table. Last year, the outlook in gymnastics was looking as dreary as any other sport after China took a record eight of 14 gold medals home from worlds.
This year, China was good -- five gold medals -- but not nearly as dominant and more prone to mistakes. Most notably, Cheng Fei (women's floor) and men's all-around champion Yang Wei (parallel bars) each lost chances for back-to-back championships with unexpected errors in event finals.
China's women obviously didn't bring their best team, and coach Lu Shanzhen admitted he was trying to build depth. The men did have an 'A' roster, but the slipup by Yang, who also fell off high bar at the end of his win in the all-around, provided a glimmer of hope.
"There's no way I'm going to go into the Olympic Games feeling like China has an edge," Penny said. "They have home-court advantage, no question. But the pressure on them is tremendous, and in a sport where millimeters count for points, that kind of pressure can break you very quickly."
The American women know all about pressure. Karolyi puts it on them every day.
"My job is to make sure they stay level-headed and they understand that these results come from strong preparation," she said. "Not because somebody is a wonderperson."
[Associated Press;
by Eddie Pells]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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