www.hammtwins.com

This chat was on October 4th, 2000 and is COPYRIGHT JSONLINE.COM! Oh yea, it goes backwards too! But you can still read from the top down, ya won't get confused!

Q: BintheA of Reno -- Do you get any free time to see the cities you tour, or is it all about the gymnastics?
A: The Hamms -- M: It depends. Certain cities we stop for a few days. Others we're in and out. There are times we get breaks. I'm looking forward to NY. P: I'm looking forward to Miami. We gotta go. See you on tour.
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Q: George of Madison, WI -- Was your first move a summersalt??????
A: The Hamms -- M: It was a triple-back on floor. :-)
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Q: aj of oak creek -- are you guys going to vote? if so are you going to vote for bush gore or a different candidate
A: The Hamms -- P: I might. We're not that educated on the subject. M: I'm still undecided.
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Q: Angela Beyer of Waukesha -- Do you miss South high school? Are you looking forward to going back? Did you enjoy yourselfs?
A: The Hamms -- M: I miss hanging out with my friends. It feels great to sleep in your own bed at night. School work is fun too, sometimes.
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Q: Angela Beyer of Waukesha -- How does it feel to do what you did at your age?
A: The Hamms -- P: I think about it, but I don't worry about age as much for what you've accomplished. You feel good that you have a chance to do it again.
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Q: carl b. of milwaukee -- How does it feel knowing that millions of people you don't even know love you? Will you be doing any endorsements for products?
A: The Hamms -- M: It feels great to know we have that much support.
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Q: Lee of Milwaukee -- Did you begin your training in Wisconsin and what age were you when you started? Can a kid seriously make it to the Olympic level if he/she is not trained by a reputable professional-level coach at a very young age?
A: The Hamms -- P: I think you definitely need a great coach to make the Olympics. The later is not as good. Sean Townsend started when he was 10. Somewhere between 6-10. M: Our coach wasn't famous, but he was a great coach.
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Q: Carol McQueen of Stevens Point -- When is your next competiton?
A: The Hamms -- M: Something in March or later next summer.
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Q: Judi of Pewaukee -- Now that the USA coach has announced his retirement, could Stacy have a shot at that job? He did a great job with you two and countless others!
A: The Hamms -- M: Who knows what's going to happen the next four years. We're not sure. The rules will probably change. He's love it, but we just don't know yet.
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Q: LadyHet of Reno -- Look forward to seeing you in Reno! So, seriously now...Do you guys like cheese in a can?
A: The Hamms -- Don't eat it.
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Q: jamie of oak creek -- has anyone ever told you that you like james van der beek?? do you ever watch dawson's creek?
A: The Hamms -- No. That's a first.
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Q: Jenny McQUeen of Stevens Point -- If you were not in gymnastics what would you be doing?
A: The Hamms -- P: I would have to be in some other sport. I don't see how I could live without some other activity. M: Probably another sports or extra-curricular activity.
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Q: CC of Washington, DC -- Great job in Sydney, guys - I hope you know that you had fans all over. I'm just curious as to what the team dynamics were - did you become friends with the other guys (there's quite an age difference between you and John!)? Did you interact with the women's team?
A: The Hamms -- P: We flew to Sydney with the women's team, but they stayed in a different place. We didn't see them until after the Olympicvs were over.
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Q: Carol McQueen of Stevens Point -- Do you guys have a book and if not are you writing one?
A: The Hamms -- M: We don't and haven't made any plans yet. we're kind of busy with the tour right now. We're not planning on it though.
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Q: Carol McQueen of Stevens Point -- Which one of you is older, and by how much?
A: The Hamms -- P: Morgan is older by 30 minutes.
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Q: rachael rosenthal of new jersey -- you have gained so many fans ans we are wondering if you will make a webpage about you 2?
A: The Hamms -- P: We could either create it or have someone do it for us. It's a good possibility.
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Q: Kristin of Toledo -- Besides each other, who would ya consider your best friend on the US National Team to be? -Kristin hammtwins.com
A: The Hamms -- We got along with Sean Townsend because he's closer to our age.
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Q: Clay Konnor of Shorewood -- How do you feel about the philosophy that is being advanced in men's gymnastics that conservative routines that are perfect will score higher than routines with greater difficulty that are imperfect. For example, there are a few folks out there doing triple backs but we won't see them in competition because the chance of going out of bounds or clamming a landing is too great and the difficulty of the move won't be rewarded.
A: The Hamms -- P: I don't know how that's possible because in order to get a good score you have to do a good routine. THe only reason people don't do that skill is because it's not worth enough. It's not worth the risk. the poeple who win are the people who do the hgardest routing and the cleanest.
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Q: Steve Giles of Waukesha -- Congratulations Morgan and Paul! You not only did yourselves proud, but put Waukesha on the map -- people from all over the USA have mentioned to me that they enjoyed following coverage of your Olympics participation. What were (1) the best or favorite memory from the 2000 Olympic Games, and (2) the biggest surprise in Sydney?
A: The Hamms -- M: The women's vault being a notch low. That shouldn't have happened. I couldn't believe it. You should know the height...especially in the Olympics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Julie of Milwaukee -- Hi guys! I just wanted to say congratulations! I heard about you guys a long time ago (I used to go to the same gym your sister went to). It's great to see you doing so well. Have you been getting a lot of fan mail since making the Olympic team?
A: The Hamms -- We got a little bit and sent signed phots back as well.
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Q: Mary of Hartland -- What kind of music do you guys like?
A: The Hamms -- M: I like a lot of different kinds, R&B, hip-hop, alternative. Boit country or heavy metal. P: The same. Dave Matthews Band.
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Q: Jenny McQueen of Stevens Point -- How long will your tour last and who will be on it with you?
A: The Hamms -- P: The tour lasts until mid-December. We'll be with all the Olympians from the U.S. Alexi Nemov from Russia. Everybody should get out and see it.
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Q: Little Red of Madison -- Obviously, your success is due to both hard work AND innate talent, but which do you feel has played a bigger part?
A: The Hamms -- M: Hard work played a bigger part. Gymnastics is 80% mental, 20% phsyical. You have to be talented physically, but mentally you have to be really strong.
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Q: Jenny McQueen of Stevns Point -- How old were you when you had your first competition?
A: The Hamms -- Both were 7.
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Q: Lisa of Baltimore -- My son is an 8 year old, class V gymnast. How much were you in the gym at that age and level? What age did you start receiving private coaching? Thank You
A: The Hamms -- We never did class V becasue it wasn't available. We've been taking private lessons almost our whole life. If you have a good coach it's very helpful. Start doing a lot of the basics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Jenny McQueen of stevens point -- where can I write/go to get an autographed photo?
A: The Hamms -- E-mail to our house. mphamm@execpc.com
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Q: Abhinav Ramani of Herndon, VA -- Hi Morgan, Hi Paul... First of all, Congratulations on your brilliant efforts. You both have been very very inspiring to us young gymnasnts! What was the most valuable learning experience from this trip to Sydney? I read that you thought John Rothlesburger was very inspiring/effective on all of you - how?
A: The Hamms -- M: The whole Olympics is a learnign experience. But going and meeting the team and feeling a part if it was a great learnign experience. P: Just seeing the other great competitors and working inthe same arena as them and seeing how professional with their gymnastics.
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Q: Jenny McQueen of Stevens Point -- You mentioned your sister. How many siblings do you have and are they into sports?
A: The Hamms -- P: Our sister is our only sibling. She was a very good gymnast and went to U of Florida and was an NCAA champ on the beam.
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Q: Sandy Hamm of Waukesha -- Do you two expect to be able to maintain your 3.75+ grade point averages and where do you plan to attend college?
A: The Hamms -- Yes, we can maintain it and probably get higher.
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Q: kris of port washington -- what do you guys enjoy the most aside from gymnastics
A: The Hamms -- P: I enjoy eating, sleeping and watching TV. M: Going to watch movies with friends and just hanging out.
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Q: Murph of Toronto -- Do you two room together while on tour?
A: The Hamms -- We'll be on a bus most of the time, but probably.
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Q: Kate Borchardt of Milwaukee -- Are you planning on taking off of school for gymnastics? Last winter did you think that you would make it into the olympics? And lastly, are you making any appearences around the state? You guys did awesome at the olympics.
A: The Hamms -- M: at the Winter Cup nationals, I took 6th and made the Sr. national team. THen I realized I had a shot. At that point I started working hard. P: It was earlier I realized. It the was the Worlds team trials that I had a shot. I placed 10th there and only had to move up 4 spots.
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Q: barb of waukesha -- do you still take lessons and how much do you practice every day?
A: The Hamms -- When we come back home after the tour, 4 1/2 hours a day 6 days a week. Maybe 25 hours a week altogether
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Q: Heather Meyering of Marathon, WI -- How do your friends react to something so big for you? How do you keep going with having so little time to do things?
A: The Hamms -- P; Not too differently. Just surprise because it happened so fast. we weren't on the top of the men's team for long before the Olympics. They were happy for us.
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Q: barbara of waukesha -- were you able to see something of Sydney, and do some "fun" things while you were there? Congratulations on being so composed and doing well.
A: The Hamms -- M: We did a lot downtown. We took a cruise around the Harbor. It was beautiful. We went to Bondi Beach and tried golfing. I can see how golf can be frustrating.
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Q: Amber Newport of Austin, TX -- You must feel like you've accomplished so much after competing in the olympics at only 18. Was it intimidating being so young and taking on that big of a challenge?
A: The Hamms -- P: It was and it wasn't. I realized what the Olympc Games was and I tried not to let it bother me and do what I need to do. M: It's very intimidating. You're the youngster. You need to go in with the mindset to hit your routine.
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Q: Abraham Lora of Ontario, California -- Did you party a lot in Sydney, and, if so, where were the best clubs that you went to?
A: The Hamms -- M: After the meet we went downtown a lot and went to dance clubs and had lost of fun.
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Q: N.M. of Florida -- Who are your role models in gymnastics?
A: The Hamms -- M: People like John Roethlisberger. I looked up to him basically all my life. It's weird being on the same team with him, but I'm getting used to it. Vitaly Scherbo, too. P: Vitaly Scherbo because we saw the 1992 Olympics and he just blew us away.
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Q: Stacy of MS -- What was your hardest event?
A: The Hamms -- P: For me it was the high bar because its an event I ran into trouble in the Olympics. M: Parellel bars because it's not one of my stronger events.
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Q: Lonny of Philadelphia -- Will you two be at the Philadelphia stop of the Gymnastic Tour to be held at the First Union Center on November 5th?
A: The Hamms -- YEs. And you should go.
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Q: Tara of MN -- Morgan and Paul, How is your relationship outside of the gym? Do either of you have a tendency to be "the quiet one" or "the funny one?" Congratulations on your great successes in the sport, and God bless.
A: The Hamms -- P: I'm normally a little bossy when it comes to Morgan. M: We do a lot of things together. When we're in school we get our classes apart.
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Q: Warwick of Sydney -- I have 2 questions: What is the best thing about being a gymnast? Do you think we'll see you in Athens in 2004?
A: The Hamms -- P: What I like is being able to travel and meet new people. New things happen all the time. M: Travelling and having control over your body. Being able to teach your body to do thiose things is amazing.
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Q: Laura of Houston -- First I'd like to say that I think you guys are awesome, and I've thought that since long before Championships and trials! For my question, now that the Olympics are over, are you excited to get back into the gym and train for upcoming meets? keep up the great work! =)
A: The Hamms -- M: Definitely. I'm rady to go into the gym right now. Seeing how close we are tyo a medal right now makes me allthe more motivated.
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Q: Cassie. of Sydney. -- Has being selected to participate in the USA gym team in the Olympics had any major effects on your social life and your school life?
A: The Hamms -- P: Yes. It definitely had an effect on schoo because we're not going right now. We're dong two classes this semester...Correspondence over the Internet. It's hard to stay in touch because we're onthe road so much.
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Q: dave of Franklin -- My 6 year old son asked me, "Can we visit the Hamm's in Waukesha?". He's not invloved in gymnastics yet knows your name and sport. How do you handle that noteriety and pressure? Do you like that or is it overwhelming at times? Congrats on a job well-done. You made us all proud! Dave B.
A: The Hamms -- M: It's alot of fun getting recognition for what you do and people understanding what we do.
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Q: Leslie Downs of Jupiter Fl -- How many hours per week do you think young gymnasts should be working out? Were you always flexible?
A: The Hamms -- P: I'd say between 10-15 hour per week. When we first started we weren't this flexible, but after I while we got it and it stays with you.
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Q: Eddie of Stevens Point -- Have you guys had a chance to sit back and say...Wow we just competed in the Olympics?
A: The Hamms -- M: A little bit. it totalyl hasn't sunk in yet. it's still fresh in my mind.
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Q: Lisa of Mendota -- How hard is it living a normal life and training fulltime also??? Do you get sick of all the training sometimes?
A: The Hamms -- P: I never really got sick of training because I love to do it. It is hard to livea normal life as far as activities with our friends.
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Q: T Stevens of Moore, OK -- You guys are not unknown to us! Did you get to read the e-mails sent to you in Sydney? If you did, was it before or after you competed? And, how did it make you feel? Excited-or pressured?
A: The Hamms -- P: A little bit of both. There's always pressure to do well, but I was very nervous also. A lot of people say I didn't lok like it, but I was. M: Both. Making the team, you're excited and you want to show how good the U.S. is, but tehre's alot of pressure, too.
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Q: steve krueger of carol stream, illinois -- when did you start gymnastics and how did you get intersted? im not trying to put anyone down but which one of you is better?
A: The Hamms -- M: We first started when we were 6...almost 7. Our sister started doing it so we both started. Paul is better.
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Q: Lee of Houston -- Are y'all planning on staying until the 2004 Olympics? What new moves are y'all planning? How do they plan on motivating the other Americans to have a competitive team in the next Olympics?
A: The Hamms -- P: We are planning on training for that and the one in 2008. Every four years they come up with a new code so we'll have to learn new skills. Just the way we performed shows we're so close to win a medal to show the rest of the country we need to get working.
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Q: Elizabeth of Boston -- Do either of you have a girlfriend?
A: The Hamms -- M: I used to but not right now. I don't have an official girlfriend. we're going to be busy so it's hard to keep a relationship.
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Q: Carrie of California, MAryland -- First off Congratulations guys! You did a wonderful job. I have 2 questions for you! Since there is now an opportunity for you to tour are you going to tour and go pro(if you haven't already), or stay eligible for college?and Are you going to continue competing maybe through 2004?
A: The Hamms -- P: You're not eligible for college if you take money, so we're not going to do college gymnastics.
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Q: Amanda of Seminole -- What was it like to be the 1st set of gymnastic twins to compete in the Olympics?
A: The Hamms -- M: It's special in a way because there aren't may people that can say that. Being out there with your twin is special.
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Q: Amanda of Seminole -- Are you excited about going on tour?
A: The Hamms -- P: Yes, we're relly excited. People like John and Blaine say it's one of the best times they've had in their life...
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Q: Kristin of Toledo -- Hey Paul and Morgan, Congrats in Sydney. Awesome Job. I was just wondering, do you guys like to go surfin the web? If so what are ur favorite sites?! -Kristin www.hammtwins.com <--my site!
A: The Hamms -- M: I'm not really into the Web, buit when I need to for school or for inforomation. I'm not really into it though. I'm more into the MP3 music.
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Q: Kathy Perry of Arcadia -- How do you after the Sydeny Games about how you did? I think that you did very well.
A: The Hamms -- P: I was happy with my performance. I couldn't have asked for more. I was really proud of my performance. M: I think as a group we performed very well. We still fought till the end and we did our best.
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Q: Kim of Jackson -- Who were some of your favorite athletes you got to meet?
A: The Hamms -- P: We got to meet Muhammad Ali. That was pretty cool. Kerri Strug, Maurice Greene, Dan O'Brien, Luc Longley. We lived with the divers while we were there.
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Q: April of Menomonee Falls -- So what is the plan now that you are back on U.S. soil?
A: The Hamms -- M: After thr tour we will come back home and go to school second semester and train for the 2001 world championships.
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Q: Amy of Mequon -- Have you guys had a chance to visit your classmates since you've been back?
A: The Hamms -- P: Yesterday we went into school to talk to our teachers to get caught up on some of the work we have to do while we're on tour.
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Q: Heidi of Milwaukee -- Did you guys get a chance to see any of the other events when you weren't competing?
A: The Hamms -- P: I got to see beach volleyball and the final soccer game for the women. M: I really didn't get to that many events. A bunch of the guys went to track and field, but I had to compete the next day.
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Q: John of Madison -- What was your most memorable moment from the Olympics?
A: The Hamms -- P: For me it was my vault because it was the first comepetion. I did it better than I did it before and it helped it qualify for the team finals. M: Just walking into the arena. it was amazin, looking at all the flags and corwd...it just kind of took me by surprise.
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Q: Moderator of Journal Interactive -- When is the chat with Paul and Morgan Hamm?
A: The Hamms -- The Hamms will be online shortly and will take questions from 2 to 3 p.m.

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