If you mention

"Lord of the Rings" to Sean Blackman, he probably doesn't think

about Hobbits and a mythic quest. For him, "Lord of the Rings"

is what he hopes to become, and his ongoing quest took him to Las Vegas

on Friday for the 2003 Winter Cup Challenge, a Federation International

Gymnastique meet.

Blackman is

a senior at Fayette County High School and the oldest member of the Level

One team at Gym South. To qualify for the meet in Las Vegas, a gymnast

must finish within the top 14 overall positions in the Junior Olympics.

Though Blackman placed eighth in rings, his overall finish was not high

enough to qualify him for the meet. He petitioned to just compete in the

rings event and is among the 32 entrants in that category. Blackman will

face off against top collegians as well as members of Olympic teams from

around the world.

"I can't

believe I'll be competing against gymnasts that I have been just awestruck

by," said Blackman. "I'll be in the same grouping as two of

the 2000 Olympians. This is what every gymnast would want."

The rings are

a difficult event that feature lots of lifts, flips and extensions while

suspended above the ground. Each position that Blackman gets into must

be held for several seconds before moving on to the next part of the routine.

The rings routine takes approximately a minute but to the gymnast it must

feel like much more. Blackman and his coach, Stefan Benedict, have put

together a routine that can produce the maximum points possible, it is

just a matter of which gymnast can do the routine the best.

Blackman has

been doing gymnastics for 11 years. He practices six days a week, four

hours a day Monday through Friday and for three hours on Saturday. Add

on the occasional meet on the weekend and gymnastics is almost a full-time

job. It's a good thing Blackman loves it so much.

"It is

a hard sport, but that's one of the reasons I love it so much," explained

Blackman. "I get to come in everyday, try to defy gravity and do

the impossible. I can do things that other people can only imagine. It's

so hard you have to love it."

When Blackman

returns from the meet he has the rest of his senior year ahead of him,

as well as a large decision. He has been accepted to both the University

of Michigan and the U.S. Naval Academy and has yet to determine where

he will continue his education and his gymnastics career. His overall

goal is to be a world champion on the rings and with his attitude and

ability, he may just finish that quest.

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