By Gil LeBreton
glebreton@star-telegram.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- One escaped from his native Cuba and grew up to find a new life as a championship gymnast.
The other fled his rough neighborhood in New York's Bronx. Danell Leyva and John Orozco are the fresh new faces of U.S. men's gymnastics. Yet, as future Olympians they are as different as their challenging backgrounds.
Leyva, who left Cuba with his mother before he was 2, has been described as both reckless and riveting when he's flying high above the gym mat.
Orozco, meanwhile, is such a quiet perfectionist that he's known around the sport as the "Silent Ninja." That's right. A U.S. male gymnast with a nickname. And another with flair and a wacky coach-father.
Welcome to a new era in U.S. men's gymnastics. The women's team can get all the Wheaties boxes. Leyva and his coach-stepfather, the conspicuously kinetic Yin Alvarez, will settle for Olympic medals. These Olympic trials, which began for the men Thursday, are designed to help name the five gymnasts who will represent the United States in London next month. But to most gym-niks, the competition has already been decided.
It's Leyva, Orozco and then everybody else, including Houston's Jonathan Horton, an Olympic medalist with the 2008 U.S. team. Two places on this year's team will be announced shortly after the men's competition ends Saturday. The remainder will be named Sunday night, live on NBC, when the entire women's team also will be announced. The scores here are being added to the two days of competition at the Visa U.S. Championships -- a sobering piece of arithmetic, according to Horton.
"I didn't really think it was too realistic to expect one of the two automatic spots," he said after Thursday's events. "I don't know if it's possible to catch Danell or John. They were so far ahead after the Visas." But that still leaves three more roster spots for the selection committee to decide.
"It is realistic, on the other hand, to hope that I can finish off my two days of competition and for the committee to go, 'Yeah, we need him.'"
Though they are roundly considered the warm-up act to the women's trials, which begin today, Leyva and Orozco head a group that some think could be the best U.S. men's team to compete at an Olympics since the Bart Conner-Peter Vidmar 1984 gang.
The depth of the squad showed itself Thursday when Sam Mikulak, the reigning NCAA all-around champion from Michigan, led the field through the day's six events with a total of 91.800. Leyva finished the preliminary round in second with a 91.700 score, with Orozco, recovering from a bout of food poisoning, third at 90.700.
Mikulak remains in third place, however, in the combined three-day totals that include scores from the Visa U.S. meet. Horton is in fourth and would be a valuable addition to the London team.
Leyva's stepdad, Alvarez, fully agrees. "Jon Horton is an inspiration to all gymnasts," he said. "He's a guy who can lead the team in London to a gold medal." Alvarez, no doubt, will also do his part, certain to be to the delight of the Olympic spectators.
As his coach, Alvarez serves as the spotter for Leyva on certain events. Alvarez twists, he leans, he swivels as Danell twirls and, as he did Thursday, he gets the audience involved by clapping -- for his son.
"There is intelligence in his madness," Leyva assured. Thursday's attendance at HP Pavilion was announced as 6,173 -- an intimate gathering compared to the two sellouts the women's competition is expected to draw.
But for the men, it's a new era. One with nicknames and coaches turned cheerleaders.
The Wheaties box can always come later.
Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7697Twitter: @gilebreton
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