Wednesday, February 12, 1975
13
Rookie gymnast adjusts
By ALLEN QUAKENBUSH Kansan Sports Writer
It takes time to adjust from high school athletics to intercollegiate competition. Les Kerr, a freshman gymnast, found that out this season.
Kerr came to the University of Kansas from Lawrence High where he set a Kansas prep record in the all-around competition, scoring 44.75 out of a possible 60 points. He was unable to match that score in his first few meets as a Jawhawk.
Coach Bob Lockwood said this week that high school scoring was a lot different from
Kerr
Kerr said his biggest problem early in his career was academing to the change from traditional to a more competitive job.
college scoring. He said that when Kerr's record score was applied to college judging, it was immediately in the upper 30' s rather than in the 40' s.
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"It was a big change," he said. "I really don't know how to explain the difference. I was working with a new team with different people and a different coach and was going to work on workouts than I was used in to high school. I'm just really starting to get into it now."
Indeed he is. Kerr has won the all-around competition in his last two meets, and against Northern Colorado, he established a personal lifetime best of 48.25. Against Kansas State, he won three events—the high school championship, a college in-season—in addition to the all-around title.
"He has shown just tremendous improvement," Lockwood said. "I've been very pleased. I felt all along that he had the potential to be an excellent grammist."
It may be no coincidence that as Kerr began to score well, did the Kansas队. KU won those two meets to raise its dual meet record to 2-, and, led by Kerr, KU scored 165.2 against Northern Colorado to set a seasonal best.
Kerr said he was nervous early in the season and was just now beginning to build his confidence. He said mental attitude was very important in gymnastics.
"Confidence is really important," he said.
"I'm just really beginning to regina mine
"Ninety per cent of gymnasies is mental.
If you don't think you can do it, you won't.
If you're really doing it, you're going to
Along with gaining confidence, Kerr said,
he is improving the difficulty of his routines.
He said that except for the high bar, all of them were more difficult than they were in high school.
He said his improvement in this area was slow early in the season because the new Olympic compulsory routines took much of his practice time.
"The new compulsions meant that you had to learn six more routines," he said. "That pretty much to do when you continue with routines of routines you normally have to work on."
Lockwood has been very pleased with keer's attitude and desire this season. He
"Les is one of the hardest working young men I have ever seen." Lockwood said. "He follows coaching very well and has an ability to mentally push himself that isn't overly aggressive in athletes. He drives himself as hard as any young kid I have ever worked with."
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