Carly Patterson Special Section

Students who trained alongside her see that hard work can pay off

10:08 PM CDT on Friday, August 20, 2004

By MATT WIXON / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – The gymnasts at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, home of the now world-famous Carly Patterson, wear shirts that say, "Train hard or go home."

"That's the gym's motto," said Elisa Conte, whose daughter trains at the academy. "And it pays off."

It paid off with an Olympic gold medal for Carly, who won the women's all-around Thursday in Athens, Greece. A day later and more than 6,000 miles away, Conte was hoping the same hard work would pay off for her 7-year-old daughter, Isabella.

Less than a month ago, Elisa and Isabella Conte moved from Virginia Beach, Va., so Isabella could train at the academy. It's similar to the move Carly's family made four years ago – from Baton Rouge, La., to Allen.

"It's a big sacrifice," Ms. Conte said, "but if you never take the chance ..."

Well, then you'll never be the next Carly Patterson. And the next Carly Patterson might be at WOGA, where on Friday hundreds of gymnasts were jumping on trampolines, vaulting onto cushions, swinging on bars and performing stunts on balance beams. In other words, it was a normal day at WOGA – except that the parents trying to watch their children's progress looked through viewing windows painted with phrases such as "#1 Carly – Olympic Champ!"

And, of course, all the talk was of the gym's first golden girl.

"It's so great to see someone work so hard and achieve her goals," said Cheryl Sibson, as her 9-year-old daughter, Emma, practiced.

Leslie Ashlock, whose 3-year-old son, Wyatt, trains at WOGA, said it was "awesome" to watch Carly train in person and then watch her golden performance in Athens. But Wyatt, who a few weeks ago was training in the same gym as Carly, might have enjoyed Thursday night even more.

"He stayed up to watch her wearing his gymnastics outfit," Ms. Ashlock said, "and he kept saying, 'It's Carly!' "

Wyatt vaulted past his bedtime to see Carly officially become "the next Mary Lou" – as in Mary Lou Retton. A day later, he was one of many young gymnasts inspired by America's first all-around champion since Ms. Retton in 1984.

Some of those gymnasts attend Spring Creek Academy in Plano, a special half-day school for elite athletes and child actors. For gymnasts such as Carly who attend the school, Olympic gold is an unspoken dream.

But after seeing Carly capture a gold, the dream seemed closer for pixie girls in pigtails who walk with the muscled gait of a linebacker.

"You could feel it around here today," said Karen Morrell, the school's director. "They watched Carly do it, and it feels more possible for them, too."

Ms. Morrell approved a proof of a banner to hang in front of the school 24 hours after she found out Carly won the gold. It reads:

"Congratulations Carly! 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist"

Nastia Liukin, 14, a two-time junior all-around U.S. Gymnastics champion who attends Spring Creek and trains at WOGA, spoke to Carly by cellphone hours after her teammate was unofficially crowned princess of the 2004 Olympic Games.

"She must have been exhausted because it was like 3 in the morning her time," said Liukin. "But she didn't really sound tired. I mean, why would you ever want that day to end? You just won and now you're the best in the world."

Today, Carly is living the dream of many gymnasts around the world. For most, it's a dream that will never be realized. But for those who have trained next to Carly almost every day, the motto "train hard or go home" now carries even more weight.

The weight of gold.

"Knowing that it's the Olympic Games, the biggest competition in the world, and then seeing her on the top of the podium," Liukin said. "It just inspires so many people, including me."

Staff writer Scott Farwell contributed to this story.

E-mail mwixon@dallasnews.com