DENNIS BERG

I have to admit I had heard wind of a reunion and was not particularly interested. After Ben Blea got in contact with me and sent me the Website for the reunion, I have changed my mind. I spent many years of my life with a great bunch of guys that are either responding to your Website or will be there in person for the reunion dinner. Looking forward to old friends revisited.

First, Pat, I should talk about you. If memory servers me, I met you in Junior High School when you were in braces and crutches. Who knew we would end up as gymnasts together at good old CU. I think we went to Douglas Junior High School together for a year. Do you remember Cindy White? They started busing kids the following year and I ended up at Centennial Junior High in north Boulder. I fell in with a rough crowd, but boy I had a good time. I participated in track, basketball and gymnastics when I got there. Gymnastics was my favorite, but I am not sure who was the coach or how much he knew about gymnastics.

I participated in some type of open meet at Fairview for Junior High School students. I didn't know what floor ex was. Enter Art White. He watched me warming up on the mats and stopped me and asked me if I had a floor ex routine. The answer was NO. Coach White says to me, "Show me what kind of tricks you can do". After a quick show of what I could do, Coach White designed a floor ex routine for me. I practiced it maybe twice and did it at that meet. I think I did pretty good, but time distorts how we think of ourselves. I was hooked on gymnastics.

We moved from Boulder in my sophomore year and I attended Wasson High School in Colorado Springs. After competing there for one year we moved back to Westminster where I attended Ranum High School. There I got Lou Baretta as a coach and got to know Doug Watkins who turned out to be my best friend. I competed at Ranum for my Junior and Senior year with some success. One problem. I was doing a Giant Cartwheel on vault and tore up a knee. I thought the scholarship deals were gone since I had to have surgery in my Senior year. Enter Art White, the now coach at CU. He was willing to take a chance on me with my injury and offer the only Scholarship offer I received. With out that offer I may have blown off college and gone to work.

Thank you Coach White!

I attended CU from 1966 to 1971. I had way to much fun my first year there and nearly flunked out and lost my Scholarship. After getting my act together I competed with some of the greatest guys. PAT EDWARDS, ERIC SINGER, BOB FISHER, TOM CASEY, GARY POMERANZ, BEN BLEA, JACK RYAN AND A COUPLE OF OTHER GUYS WHO ESCAPE THIS 61 YEAR OLD MIND. What a trip. Due to another knee injury, I redshirted for one year. That worked out great since it took me five years to get through college anyway.

After graduating, yes I did graduate, I went to work for "Ma Bell". I did a little judging of high school gymnastics and then moved on. I was an engineer for about 15 years and then turned into what I would like to call a "Corporate Puke" for another 12 years. It was time to retire. Doug Watkins and I retired together on July 4th 1998. INDEPENDENCE DAY, how fitting. Now my jobs are golfing, bowling, drinking, smoking and make sure my wife gets to work on time.

Wait! My Wife. You gymnasts are cool, but Marie, my wife, my lover, my girlfriend , my best friend is the best part of my life. I met her when I was attending CU and she was in High School. (Cradle Robber). We got married in Las Vegas in in 1973. Those Vegas marriages just don't last. Only 36 years so far. We did not have kids so we are dog people. Our latest is a Blue Healer/Border Collie mix by the name of "OZ Dog". We like him a lot. Enough!!

Looking forward to seeing many of you at the dinner.

Dennis