May 17, 1998
760 Southern Arizona high school seniors triumph
Teens plan careers in medicine, music, media
Service benefits AIDS patients, the environment, accident victims
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May 17, 1998 |
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OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 760 Southern Arizona high school seniors triumph |
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GOAL-ORIENTED Teens plan careers in medicine, music, media |
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HELPING HANDS Service benefits AIDS patients, the environment, accident victims |
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Ben Kirkby,
The Arizona Daily Star
Yewki Tomita: ``Practice is important because it takes time to develop skill.''
By Michelle Carrillo
Special to The Arizona Daily Star
Having trained since he was 6, Yewki Tomita is nearing his goal - to be on the U.S. gymnastics team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
The Green Fields Country Day School senior became a team contender under the eye of his father, Yoichi Tomita, an owner of Gymnastics World Inc.
The elder Tomita, who was the No. 1-ranked high school gymnast in Japan in 1973, is Yewki's coach. Under the father's guidance, Yewki became a champion in the United States by age 13.
It was then that the muscular, agile Yoichi Tomita ranked No. 1 in the United States after competing in the national championship all-around competition. The event was held at the U.S. Gymnastics Federation Junior Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Tomita won gold medals in the floor exercise, the pommel horse and the parallel bar. He won silver medals on the rings and the high bar to become the national champion in the boys 12 and 13 age category.
``It feels good to win. When you lose, you can still learn something from it as long as you take a positive attitude,'' Tomita said.
In 1996, Tomita was the final competitor for the all-around championships in the U.S. Gymnastics Junior Olympics held in Tulsa, Okla. He needed a score of a 9.85 on the parallel bars to tie Derek Leiter, 18, who represented Nebraska.
Tomita, then 16, knew victory again. He scored a 9.9 and became the No. 1 gymnast in the top age bracket.
``I've always wanted to compete in gymnastics,'' Tomita said. ``Every once in a while I get frustrated - like when I can't do a certain move.''
Two months ago, Tomita traveled to Dallas to compete in the American Cup Competition, and placed sixth in the world.
To make the 2000 Olympic team, he needs to place in the top six in the country.
Tomita's lifelong goal is near. He keeps on practicing five hours a day - every day. ``Practice is important because it takes time to develop skill,'' he said recently after a tiring workout.
Japanese officials asked Tomita to represent Japan in the 2000 Olympics. But the decision to represent the United States was not a hard choice for Tomita.
``I've lived here my whole life so I think I should represent my home country,'' said the gymnast, who plans to attend the University of Arizona.
Michelle Carrillo is a senior at Pueblo High Magnet School.