"Hey, aren't you the soccer player who does the back flips?" Ever since she and her telegenic teammates on the world champion U.S. women's soccer team kick-started America's fascination with the other football, Tisha Venturini has been fielding her share of attention.

"People honk and wave," says the 26-year-old star midfielder who is still amazed at being recognized in her civilian clothes. "It was as if overnight everyone knew who we were." Even before the media turned its klieg lights on the women's game this summer, Venturini's career played like one long highlight reel: from her record-setting days at Grace Davis High School in her hometown of Modesto, California, to her four consecutive years of All-American honors and NCAA championships with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"The most memorable moment for me was the opening ceremonies of the '96 Olympics," says the seven-year national team veteran. "It was really special to be a part of that event and to win a gold medal for my country. "Just days after the torch was lit in Atlanta, Venturini helped her team take the first step to the medal podium by scoring its first-ever Olympic goal.

As they gear up for their next Olympic appearance in 2000, the U.S. women are now playing exhibition matches around the country against the same national teams that they'll meet in Sydney. And while they wear the determined look of assassins on the field, Venturini confesses that "everyone on the team is a practical joker. "She begins recounting the time when co-captain Julie Foudy "pulled a great one on Brandi Chastain" but then reconsiders: "I can't disclose any of that information."

The team roster rotates so that each player gets every fifth week off. "When I'm not on the road, I sleep in, bike down to the beach and read for a while," says Venturini who calls Newport Beach, California home these days. The last book she packed in her tote bag was the "really inspiring" Tuesdays with Morrie, Detroit sportswriter Mitch Albom's 1997 memoir of his reunion with his dying mentor.

With her fair-haired good looks, Venturini seems equally at home in glossy magazines as she does on the field. She's been featured in ads for Neutrogena beauty products and photographed in magazines like Mirabella and Shape. Next stop, Hollywood? "I just filmed a small part in Air Bud III," she laughs, "a very small part. It's top secret, just go see the movie."

And, yes, she is also the soccer player who does the back flips. To pull off a Nadia Comaneci in cleats, says Venturini, "you first have to score an exciting goal so that you're high on adrenaline; then if there are no teammates or refs within striking range just think air." If you want to see how it's done, catch Venturini at the Olympics. She'll be getting plenty of air time.