FAILURE ISN'T AN OPTION AS GYMNASTICS COACH, YANG HAS ALWAYS PROVEN DOUBTERS WRONG.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer

There's little Ming Yang enjoys more than showing that he can do what others think he can't.

He says he hears the whispers, parents and coaches implying that as a Chinese man who was a national gymnastics champion and Olympic coach in his native country, Yang can't coach Americans or girls.

He has proven he can, having coached in this country for a decade, first in New York and now at Le Club in Chatsworth.

One of his gymnasts, Shavahn Church, is a state champion and level 10 gymnast, one notch below the Olympic level. As he dreams of coaching her to the Olympics, Yang prepares for his most Don Quixote-like quest: rebuilding boys' gymnastics in this country.

Although it's daunting, Yang, 54, succeeds at each level, he says, because of an inner drive.

``It's not just show them,'' he said. ``I think, 'This is my job I know I can do. I know.' ''

Growing up in Shanghai, he fell for gymnastics as a 10-year-old in 1957 while watching his middle school team's practice. He decided he could perform on the parallel bars and succeeded just by watching, then copying the gymnasts.

Fifteen years later, he was his country's all-around and pommel horse champion. He was recognized wherever he went. He met Chou En-lai and former President Nixon.

In 1983, Yang became the Chinese national team coach. Under him, Li Ning won the all-around gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, and Lou Yun won the vault in 1984 and 1988. After eight years of national coaching, Yang emigrated to the United States. Here, he learned as much from his gymnasts as they learned from him.

His Chinese ways and broken English often cause laughter from his students. He calls them by the wrong names because he can't pronounce their real ones, and he misstates youths' cliches such as ``Save the drama for your mama.'' When gymnasts complain, he says ``Save your mama for the drama.''

``He helps you. He encourages you to do stuff,'' Church said. ``If you're scared, he says, 'Come on, you can do it.' ''

Yang laughs along with them. It's easy because his gymnasts have won so many competitions he can't keep track.

Mandy Church, Shavahn's mother, says one coach walked up to her at a competition and said, ``Do you realize who you have coaching your daughter? He's just phenomenal. He's great. He knows his stuff.''

Still, not everyone is convinced he can coach an American girl to the Olympics or help rebuild men's gymnastics in this country. Of these two goals, Yang knows a girl can reach the Olympics faster.

``Boys take time,'' he said. ``Girls (ages) 12, 13 can go way high, like national-team level or world championship. Boys, it's different. (Age) 13, 14, you have to wait for muscle. After 16, they can go high level. But you have to start younger. Otherwise it's hard to (develop) the body condition.''

But that doesn't mean he has given up on the boys. The obstacles are numerous: American boys are more interested in other sports such as football, soccer, basketball and baseball. There are just 27 colleges offering men's gymnastics, including Cal, Stanford, San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara on the West Coast.

UCLA dropped its program in 1991 and, according to women's coach Valorie Kondos, has no plans to revive it.

``Dropping men's gymnastics is absolutely devastating to the sport,'' Kondos said. ``I just don't see men's gymnastics surviving, let alone thriving, in the next decades.''

Yang knows all this but continues forward. Le Club's boys boast 21 state and regional championships since Ming took over in 1998.

Peter Vidmar, a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and a member of United State Gymnastics board of directors, applauds Yang's efforts.

``He's doing a terrific job,'' Vidmar said. ``His lads are well coached. He's got a track record with his time in China. He's an example of how men's gymnastics will thrive internationally.''

If that's the case, then it's clear to Ming that for now, men's gymnastics will thrive invisibly. The obstacles aren't going away, but neither is Yang.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Ming Yang, center, has coached Le Club in Chatsworth to 21 boys' state and regional gymnastics championships since taking over in 1998.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News