Once a surprise, Guard Young now among Olympic elite
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By his own estimation, Guard Young does not feel as flamboyant nor as naturally talented as other Olympic gymnastic hopefuls. But he knew he had heart. His willingness to "out work the others," to be the first in the gym each morning and the last to leave each afternoon, landed him a spot on the coveted six-man 2004 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team bound for Athens.
"I consider myself a surprise," he said from his home in Oklahoma. "I'm the underdog. I like that role."
From early in his career, Guard knew much success as a gymnast. In 1996, he was the Junior National Champion. In 2000, he placed 10th at the U.S. Olympic trials. He helped the U.S. earn a silver medal in the 2001 World Championships team.
But for all his accomplishments, he remained on the periphery of fame and notoriety, never able to break into the ranks of the elite.
Despite setbacks and frustrations, when a selection committee named him to the 2004 U.S. Olympic team in mid-July, he knew his efforts had paid off and his talents were recognized.
"Making this Olympic team is redemption for all the times I was overlooked or passed over or maybe didn't get the same attention as someone else," he said in an interview in inside Gymnastics.
Guard, 27, follows in the famed foosteps of his father, Wayne, who was also a U.S. Olympic gymnast in the 1976 games. As a youngster, Guard cut his gymnastics teeth on the floor at BYU where his father worked as the gymnastics coach.
"I'd go to the gym with him when I was 4, 5 and 6 years old and he'd teach me hand springs, and make forts out of the foam," Guard said.
When the elder Young could see the BYU gymnastics program coming to an end, he and his wife, Carol, sold their five-bedroom, four-level home and moved their family of seven children into a shoebox-sized apartment at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he entered medical school.
Guard became serious about gymnastics during this time, requiring his mother to practically live in the car as she shuttled Guard and his siblings to training and meets.
When it was time for residency, the Youngs chose Oklahoma City, Okla., because of the lifestyle and an opportunity for the children to train in the Bart Connors youth program.
Guard went on to compete for BYU where he married Alisha Polman in 1999. "When we started dating, he told me his social life was third priority, behind the gospel and gymnastics. I realized that gymnastics was his life, that he was dedicated. I decided to make his dream become my dream," she said.
When the gymnastics program at BYU was discontinued, Guard was invited to the University of Oklahoma by the head gymnastics coach to continue his Olympic training and work as an assistant.
Now, he continues the family legacy by taking his 18-month-old son, Tyler, with him to the gym while Alisha teaches school. At times, he wondered if caring for his son would minimize his training by limiting time and distracting focus.
In retrospect, he found it a blessing as he's watched his son grow. Tyler now rules the floor, according to Alisha, as he teases the gymnasts and plays on the mats.
"My motto is 'gratitude not attitude.' And I know I could never have done this without my wife, my coach, and my friends and my family," he said.
E-mail to: shaun@desnews.com
