Power Packed -- Tiny Gymnasts Show Strength In Top Competition

Three young gymnasts from the Seattle Gymnastics Academy have qualified for USA Gymnastics' National TOP Team.

Kayleigh Pleas, 11, Kaisha Hom, 10, and Nicole Woodworth, 7, all competed in USA Gymnastics' Talent Opportunity Program (TOP), designed to help young gymnasts improve their skills and teach them about physical fitness and nutrition.

"Only 70 girls in the country get to be on the National TOP Team. To have three out of 70 is really beautiful," said Gigi Jacobson, who coaches the girls along with her husband, Doug Jacobson.

Eight months ago, the Jacobsons came to Seattle after selling their gym in Tucson, Ariz. They introduced the idea of trying out for TOP to the girls.

"I didn't think I had a chance at first," said Pleas. "But then we started conditioning and I got really strong. Then I thought I had a chance."

All three girls said Gigi Jacobson has taught them that nothing comes easily, but to think positively and believe in themselves. "She has really helped me improve in gymnastics and school," said Woodworth.

"Gigi has taught me to work hard and have confidence," said Hom.

Hom and Pleas will travel to Tulsa, Okla., in December for a training camp with USA Gymnastics coaches. "I want to get a lot better and learn new skills and techniques from the USA coaches," says Pleas.

Woodworth is too young to go on this trip. All the girls will receive national recognition in an upcoming issue of "USA Gymnastics Magazine."

----------------------------------------------------------------- Did you hear the one? Q. What can run but can't move? A. Your nose.

Write to Wordy: What would we find under your bed? Tell us in 100 words or fewer. Mail essays to My Words, c/o The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 1138, Seattle, WA 98111. Please include your name, age, grade and telephone number. The deadline is Nov. 18.

Once Upon A Time: On this day in 1895, physicist Wilhelm Roentgen took the first X-ray pictures. Other X-rays had been made before, but Roentgen was the only one to repeat the experiment several times to prove that his machine worked. In 1901, Roentgen was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering X-rays.

Word Find: Find the words from the list below hidden in the puzzle. Circle each word as you find it. Words can be found up, down, forward, backward and diagonally. All the words have to do with gymnastics.

BEAM BARS CARTWHEEL SOMERSAULT VAULT COMPETITION