NOTICE: TO ALL TIDE FANS:  You're Gonna Love This Team!

Fired up by Coach Patterson's talk to them after a less than stellar performance on the balance beam, the ladies challenged themselves to finish the meet on a high note.  To paraphrase Coach Bear Bryant, "THEY didn't quit!" 

There were many shining Bama moments from this competition that we will highlight but we forewarn all Tide Fans who have not seen this team yet: you better make sure that you are in Coleman Coliseum on January 31^st for the Michigan meet because you will not want to miss out on seeing THIS team.  They have all the bells and whistles, but more than that, they have a spark about them that has to be seen because it cannot be adequately described in the following recap.  

But we will humbly try...

Uneven Bars

Sophomore Shannon Hrozek started the Tide off on the uneven bars and threw almost a flawless routine, which included her signature high, very tight Geinger release, accompanied by beautiful pirouettes on top of the high bar and the best toe point and extension in the competition.  A 9.875 was a great way for the Texas native to debut the 2003 season.  Sophomore Michelle Reeser made her debut in the bars line-up and rotated very confidently throughout her routine.  She had some mild form deductions during her giants and pirouettes (slight separation of the feet and a little flexing during the reverse Hecht release) and took several steps back upon landing the back tuck over the high bar (9.725).  Freshman Dana Pierce was next and was deducted mainly for the same reasons.  She experienced a little more difficulty reaching her handstand positions on the high bar but had a nice, high and tight toe-on front tuck dismount (9.725).  Dana will be adding inverted giants and a double front dismount to her routine in the future.  Freshman Ashley Miles had everyone's attention in the arena because of her height (5'8") and because she was doing some amazing tricks on the bars despite her size, including a Shaposhnikova release to the high bar, a toe-on toe-off to full turn to immediate Tkatchev release and a double front dismount (9.825).  She was mainly deducted for leg separation on the Shaposhnikova release and a large step forward on her dismount.  Senior Kristin Sterner just slightly clipped her ankle both times on her two release moves, the full twisting Tkatchev and the Tkatchev and she took one step back on her double front dismount (9.725).  Junior Jeana Rice was in the all important sixth position, finishing up with a style and grace all her own by throwing two inverts out of a half turn to immediate Tkatchev release and a full-in dismount that was landed like a dart for a well-deserved 9.95.  The Tide will have Mari-Christine Bayer, Dana Filetti , and Larissa Stewart pushing for a position in the bars line-up over the next few weeks.  The Tide looks well-situated on this event with some of the most difficult skills yet to come.

Balance Beam

Now if the Tide had only ENDED on the balance beam Saturday Night, we all know that the eventual outcome would have been different.  While the Georgia crowd was screaming for their team on the floor exercise, Salto was again gnashing his teeth as he saw his beloved Shannon fall on the third element of her flight series (ff, layout, ff) but he knows she will recompose herself for the battles ahead as she did during her freshman trek to All American glory.  Hrozek received a 9.20 and this did not bode well for junior Stephanie Kite , who had previously only exhibited beam for the Tide.  Stephanie's punch front mount took her across the beam and she had to balance herself with a leg lift.  She also struggled later on her flight series (ff, two-footed layout) and suffered a bend at the waist on the third element of her leap series (switch split to wolf to ¾ wolf) resulting in a 9.40.  We have seen Stephanie throw much more confident routines in warm-ups prior to this meet and feel sure that she is going to be a stable force for the Tide on this event for 2003.  Michelle Reeser rode to Kite's rescue with a very confident routine, highlighted by a ff, layout and a Korbut, as well a solid punch front and nice amplitude on her leap series (9.725).  Jeana Rice was, well JEANA RICE!  A 9.925 says it all.  Dana Pierce (9.30) was very impressive on the beam despite falling on her very difficult flight series (two-footed back handspring to two-footed layout).  She is one of those gymnasts that literally belongs on this apparatus.  Dana moves very comfortably through difficult elements like the side switch leap and a switch split leap to two straddle jumps, all the time showing amazing amplitude and flexibility.  When this routine hits, watch out.   Kristin Sterner did not hold back the difficulty, as she assumed the all-important sixth position in the beam line-up for 2003.  She started with a rock solid punch front mount and threw the ff, ff, layout, as well as the side switch leap and the wolf to immediate back pike, ending with a double pike dismount (9.85).  Again, pushing these six ladies already on the beam this year are Mari-Christine Bayer, Larissa Stewart, Dana Filetti, Rachael Delahoussaye, Ashley Miles, and Lauren Holdefer .  And don't be surprised to see sophomore Alexis Brion on this event when she is cleared for competition.  This will be Alabama's deepest event next to floor if everyone remains healthy.

Floor Exercise

After sitting out on a bye, the Tide returned in rotation five to take command of the floor.  Stephanie Kite debuted her new music and appeared to really enjoy this routine (9.825), selling it from start to end.  Michelle Reeser actually garnered some polite applause from the Georgia crowd as she danced and tumbled once again to "Devil Went Down to Georgia", earning a 9.875 for a great opening double pike, a front handspring, front full to front layout, and ending with a front handspring, barani, layout-stepout.  Freshman Mari-Christine Bayer had all eyes on her with arguably the best choreographed routine of the competition (9.85) and she never stopped smiling.  Her passes consisted of twists (1 ½ and a double full) as well as a front handspring, front full to front tuck.  She has been training a full-in, a triple twist and a 2 ½ twist.  Jeana Rice's routine was next and she immediately changed the music tempo to hard rock with the Motley Crue medley "Walk on the Wild Side", dancing and tumbling (double pike, whip to 2 ½ twist, whip to double full) to a 9.90.  Kristin Sterner debuted her new music and routine with only one slight step out on her opening pass of a super high double pike (9.80) but she nailed the second and third passes with perfect timing to the music.  Ashley Miles was airborne in the sixth position, opening with a soaring double layout, followed by a front handspring, front full to front layout, and ending with a super-high double pike (9.95).  Already waiting in the wings for the Tide to provide major back-up on floor are junior Lauren Holdefer, Dana Filetti, Larissa Stewart, Rachael Delahoussaye and Dana Pierce.  Alexis Brion's recovery and return on floor will add a knock out punch that Bama's opponents might not be able to recover from.

Vault

Ending on vault for the Super Six Challenge turned out to be a good thing for the Tide as well.  Stephanie Kite got things started in a big way with a 9.75 for her front pike.  Mari-Christine Bayer responded with a solid Yurchenko layout (9.70) that she will be twisting soon for higher scoring potential.  Lauren Holdefer threw one of her best front pike vaults for a 9.825 and Shannon Hrozek was just about perfect in form, height and distance on her front pike for a 9.85.  Jeana Rice rocked her Yurchenko 1/1 and received a 9.925 and Ashley Miles got so much airtime on her Yurchenko 1/1 that the judges awarded her a 9.95.  Bama will look for major contributions on the vault in the coming weeks from Kristin Sterner, Dana Pierce, Dana Filetti and All American Alexis Brion . 

The Tide's final score was 196.00.  Bama returns to Athens, Georgia for the January 18, 2003 dual meet against the Bulldogs.  See you there!