Kelly Helping Elite Gymnasts  By John A. Ferguson World Sports Writer  12/5/97  Not content to rest on the gold medal success of the U.S. female gymnasts in the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta, TOPS program director Kathy Kelly is focusing on the development of athletes for Sydney, Australia, in the year 2000. Kelly is in Tulsa for a four- day run that began Thursday to oversee the 89 gymnasts in the sixth annual USA Gymnastics National Training Camp/Tops Program at the Tulsa World of Gymnastics. This has been the fourth straight year Wayne and Linda Bradshaw have been hosts for the training of the ``cream of the crop'' gymnasts in the United States. Kelly and her USA Gymnastics National Staff of Muriel Grossfeld, Gheza Pozar, Arthur Akopyan, Vladimir Artemov, Vladimir Novikov and Tammy Biggs are working methodically and conscientiously to evaluate the girls ranging in age from 9 to 12. The staff is headquartered in Indianapolis. ``We have enjoyed success with the development program. Why fix it if it's not broken,'' said Kelly, who will go to Australia next week to establish housing for the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team in 2000. Half of the National Training Squad for the Olympics comes out of the TOPS project (Talent Opportunity Program). In fact, the 89 participating in the national training period are taken from a field of 2,000 gymnasts. "It's not only a training period for the athletes, but it's one of experience for the first-time coaches who are here," said Kelly. "I realize so much is expected of us, and that is to produce another magnificent seven as we had in 1996." USA Gymnastics leaves nothing unturned in an effort to see what makes the athletes tick. "There are all kinds of evaluations of the athletes -- technical form, nutrition, psychology and wellness," said Kelly. "We want to strive for the well- rounded person." Yet for the 60,000 athletes in the field of gymnastics, the bottom line is: have fun in the sport. Only seven will reach the Olympic plateau. The byproducts from the sport, according to Kelly, are legion. The national training period is one of nurturing the gymnasts and providing a positive influence for their lives. ``Statistics show gymnasts also excel academically. Hence, they use the sport for college scholarships,'' said Kelly. ``While many compete and few are chosen for the Olympics, the discipline, determination and dedication needed to achieve a backward flip on the beam are habits that will last a lifetime and make them responsible citizens.'' While Kelly always has been athletically inclined, it was her gymnast daughter Beth who got her involved in the sport. Kelly's goal, looking ahead to the year 2000, is to be certain the athletes are properly conditioned and physically strong and to save the youngsters from career-ending injuries. The elite gymnasts who have come to Tulsa the past three years will be in the running for berths on the U.S. Olympic women's team. Kelly has learned it's challenging to stay on top after the summit of gymnastics has been reached. She overlooks nothing in the preparation of the athletes, physically and mentally, in an effort to retain the gold standard in gymnastics in the Land Down Under in 2000.