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The names are not household words and the faces are not recognizable to television audiences.
Yet.
As far as Bela Karolyi is concerned, the women selected for the U.S. gymnastics team in 2008 will be the equal of the ones who won a silver medal in 2004.
"The new generation is tough. And they are aggressive," Karolyi said. "It's a generation that I personally would predict will be just as successful as the current ones.
"They are strong, they are very well-trained, they are excited. And they know their turn is coming up."
At age 62, Karolyi remains excited about his sport. He was at the Indiana Convention Center on Friday to attend the Circle of Stars Invitational, a meet attracting 2,800 gymnasts from clubs nationwide, and to promote the 2005 U.S. Championships.
The Circle of Stars meet runs through Sunday. Tickets went on sale Friday for the nationals, which will be held Aug. 10-13 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Although it's possible to project some male gymnasts heading to the Beijing Olympics -- for instance, 22-year-old Paul Hamm, the all-around gold medalist at the Athens Olympics -- such is not the case on the women's side. Not this early.
But a system organized by Bob Colarossi, USA Gymnastics' chief executive since 1998, is intact. Elite women trained under their own coaches for most of the year but regularly attended camps at the Texas ranch of Bela and Martha Karolyi.
The youngest member of the junior national team is Samantha Peszek, 13, of McCordsville, Ind. Peszek, 4-4 and 82 pounds, trains at DeVeau's School of Gymnastics in Fishers. She is headed for the ranch next month.
"It is so much fun. It is like one of the best places in the whole world to be," said Peszek, whose knee injury is keeping her out of the Circle of Stars meet.
Being around other elite gymnasts "just makes you want to work harder," she said.
The 2005 nationals will be the start of a long buildup for Olympic hopefuls such as Peszek and Nastia Liukin, 15, who won five medals at the 2003 Pan American Games. Liukin might have made the 2004 Olympic team but did not meet the minimum age requirement.
Bela Karolyi has coached the likes of Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal, Kerri Strug and Dominique Moceanu. But these days, he leaves the coaching to his wife.
Martha Karolyi is USA Gymnastics' national team coordinator. If Bela is the sport's public face, Martha is the private force.
Gymnasts at the 2004 Olympic Trials knew they would have to go through another camp before the U.S. team was selected, but they expressed collective confidence in Martha's judgment.
She is diplomatic, Bela said. He said he never has been.
"She has a great leadership quality to pull together people coming from all over the country and to be turning the training into a united effort toward excellence," Bela said.
Karolyi credited Colarossi, who is leaving USA Gymnastics at the end of March, with a vision to change the organization. After winning no medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, American gymnasts won nine at Athens.
Karolyi said it would be easier for the next CEO than it was for Colarossi. The system now in place works, Karolyi said.
"My personal preference is, don't disturb it too much," he said.
Call Star reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195.