BLAINE WILSON
AGE: 22 DOB: 8/3/74
CAREER REVIEW Blaine Wilson comes from a sports minded family. He was named after Blaine Nye, the former Dallas Cowboys' guard. His middle name is Carew, named for baseball great Rod Carew. Blaine's father, Bill, started him in gymnastics at age four because he was so energetic. Blaine was also a soccer player as a kid and was considered one of the best soccer players in his hometown, Columbus. By age 10 Blaine had to choose between soccer and gymnastics. Wilson chose gymnastics, citing greater opportunity and a chance to be an Olympian as his reasons...Early highlights for Blaine include winning the junior division All Around championship at the 1993 Winter Cup Challenge and leading his Ohio State team to a third place finish as a Sophomore at the 1994 NCAA Championships...Wilson also earned a spot on the 1994 Goodwill Games team, helping the U.S. to the Bronze Medal in the Team Competition...He won his first National Title at the 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee, winning the All Around...Wilson's improvement can be seen in his performances in the Coca-Cola's, having gone from 9th place (1994) to 3rd (1995) before winning the All Around...Blaine led Ohio State to the 1996 Team Competition championship...He was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team which finished fifth, the strongest U.S. finish since 1984...McDonald's presented Blaine with the 1996 Break Through To Be Your Best Award...Wilson won his first International event following the Olympics, placing first in the All Around at the Visa American Cup. Wilson had the top score in three events, the Pommel Horse, Still Rings and High Bar...Blaine recently won the All Around at the NCAA National Championships, his second consecutive NCAA title. Wilson was presented with the 1997 Nissen Award as College Gymnastics' top gymnast...Having finished up his college eligibility, he is targeting the 2000 Olympic games as his next major challenge. Wilson's priorities now are finishing his classes at Ohio State and competing in meets with his Olympic teammates.
PERSONAL Blaine's parents, Joan and Bill have been very supportive of Blaine's career. Bill has missed only one of Blaine's meets since he entered Ohio State. Joan and Blaine's sister, Amy, both lend emotional support. Blaine considers his closely-knit family to be a major factor in his success. Bill had a hand in Blaine's decision to concentrate on gymnastics full time by age 10...His coach at Ohio State, Peter Kormann, has also been very influential on Blaine's career. Wilson admits he is very stubborn and clashed with Kormann during his first two years at OSU, Kormann is known for being a strict, demanding coach. After two years, Wilson began to realize that Kormann's disciplined style was the best thing for him and he started heeding Kormann's words. From that point on, Wilson has thrived in the Ohio State system...Despite all his individual success this season, Blaine regrets that OSU was unable to defend its National Title. California was the 1997 NCAA champion. Wilson believes winning the All Around again was a perfect way to cap his college career...Like many of his Olympic teammates, Blaine often thinks about the Atlanta Games and how close the team came to earning a medal. He remembers the little mistakes he made and how things could have been different if the team could have avoided small errors. Wilson uses the U.S.' strong showing in '96 as motivation for 2000. He believes with steady improvement from himself and the team's younger members, the U.S. can medal in the Team Competition...Blaine enjoyed his college experience at Ohio State and recognizes that his Buckeye teammates pushed him to excel. He would spend nine months out of the year with OSU and competed collegiately with intensity out of respect for his teammates...Wilson is now looking forward to competing on the tour with his Olympic teammates. One of his favorite things about Atlanta was how the team came together and developed a permanent bond...Wilson has missed out on some of the exposure that other Olympic teams members have gotten since the Games. He feels he is ready to help lead the team toward 2000.
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