When the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics trials begin here on Thursday, Greg Crandall once again will find himself torn between conflicting emotions.

His daughter Elisabeth is competing for one of the six spots on the Barcelona team. Every move she has made for her 12 years in gymnastics has pointed to this moment, a lifetime of chance leading to the chance of a lifetime."But," said her father, "I think, boy, if she doesn't make it, what a relief. We can go back to a normal life again, and she can prepare for college. Then again, this is her dream, and she has sacrificed for this. "

Elisabeth, 11th at the recent U.S. Championships, is not among the favorites. She is considered a little too old and grown (5-1, 103 pounds) to compete with the current crop of contenders under five feet and 90 pounds and not eligible for a driver's license.

Chances are, Elisabeth will watch the Olympics at her home in Sacramento, Calif., preparing for Brigham Young University and spending rare free time with her parents and six siblings.

There has been precious little family fun since Elisabeth moved away from home when she was 13 to join the Desert Devils Club in Tempe, Ariz. The sacrifices have been emotional and financial. Mr. Crandall is a salesmen for a company that makes roofing material. His wife had to go back to work as a teacher.

Along the way, the family paid for two weddings and supported other children on missions they served for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The commitment to Elisabeth, the fourth-oldest child, has averaged between $700 and $800 a month, said Mr. Crandall, but can run higher depending on the number of phone calls. One month the bill ran $347.

"Before we decided to do this with Liz, we had a family conference. The other kids knew they would have to give up some things. We were all enthused at that point."

But as Elisabeth rose higher and higher in the gymnastics ranks, the family's enthusiasm became tempered by the harsh reality of world-class competition. The Crandalls never imagined just how committed they would have to be. They never understood the intricacies of the sport, either.

Politics, Mr. Crandall says, is much harder to handle than competition.

"It's a cruel sport," he said. "You never know what you're getting into. You think it's the best kid wins, but there's a lot politics."

Mr. Crandall admits the experience has been positive to an extent. Elisabeth has traveled the world, matured quicker than other girls her age, earned a college scholarship and grown in many ways.

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"She's had some wonderful experiences," he said.

But now that it might be over - at least on a world-class level - he can't help but wonder if it has been worth the pain. He wants to support his daughter, but isn't sure he would make the same commitment a second time.

"I've gone over and over and over it again and again," he said, "and knowing what I know now, probably not. We'd probably let her go and do what she could, but the hopes and the goals wouldn't be the same."

Neither, then, would the emotions.

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