Great vault by Lauren Holdefer (pike 1/2 twist), we knew you could do it. Terrific first competitive routine by freshman Erin Rightley that ended up being counted when Stephanie had a little trouble on her second pass (9.725). Ashley Miles and Jeana come through again with big scores and Shannon Hrozek is giving us that extra big score now on vault (9.90). Next week we will be in Lexington to take on the Wildcats and it just doesn't get any easier, as the Dawgs come to visit T-Town again on 2-20-04. Come along next week with us for the meet on the website if you can't fly up there with us. Roll Tide!

Bama had Ashley and Shannon tie for 3rd (9.90) while Alexis Brion and Kristi Boyte scored a 9.925 to win this event.

On bars: 1st: Jeana and Ashley (9.90) and 3rd: Courtney Puckett (9.875)

On beam: 1st: Jeana Rice (9.90) Kayce Stein (9.875) and Natica Johnson (9.85).

On floor: 1st: Ashley Miles (9.95) and 2nd: Jeana Rice (9.925) and Rachael Tarantino (9.925).

Natica Johnson (39.325) and Courtney Puckett (39.250). Somero finishes with a 39.075.

of their bars scores was reduced by .025.

flight series, the punch front and the 3/4 straddle with no problems! A running 1 1/2 had one step but great distance from the end of the beam. Way to go junior and way to go team! Brion gets a 9.825.

they will need in the next three weeks when we go to RQS.

Nicer flight series (two layouts) and the wolf full is crisp. She is on with the gymacro series and will dismount with a double twist, one small step to the right. Yahoo!

She finishes with a switch leap to gainer back pike dismount for a 9.775. Bama will need a big score from Rice to bag this one so let's go SENIOR!

score. Mari Bayer will be up next for the Tide. It's gut check time for sure.

Boyte is through her opening pass of a double pike and has nice leaps to rock music.

side switch leap. Rest of the routine looks pretty good.

That's good because it will make both teams work harder. Shannon Somero completes her floor routine, throwing a double pike and ending with a 2 1/2 twist.

last leap series where she bailed on the second element (supposed to be a wolf jump out of a switch leap). Michelle Reeser is now up and doing a fantastic job so far. She completes the flight series and both leap series with no problem. Her bhs-full twist dismount has one step (going for the stuck landing), so that will be deducted accordingly. Natica Johnson received a 9.825 for her floor routine.

and Natica Johnson opens with a double pike, one step forward. Second pass of two front layouts. New music this year for the sophomore from Mississippi. She finishes with a front-front full-front layout.

Her flight series is right on (bhs-layout-bhs). Terrific gymacro series and the hitch kick to sheep jump (slight lean over on the landing but recovered nicely). She throws another switch leap and sticks her double twist. Yahoo!

Her routine is the same as last year (music and choreography). Her second pass is a Rudi layout-stepout.

and the wolf to Korbut. Nice switch leap to wolf, slight balance check to hold the position. She leaves out the 3/4 straddle and dismounts with a perfect gainer back pike off the end of the beam. Whoooo.

Rachael will still start us off tonight and we will let you know who is up next.

Sarah wants more concentration and polished moves this week to maximize the scoring potential of each routine.

press them on the floor. Rachael Delahoussaye will open the beam if the original line-up remains the same. Again, the coaches are not afraid to mix up the line-up to prepare for the post competition season.

boogeying for the crowd. She finishes with a flawless double pike, grinning all the way. She receives a 9.95. Sorry folks that's just bunk. She nailed all three passes (double layout, front-front full-front layout, and the double pike) and the dance was terrific. Bama finishes with a 49.350 on the floor, having to count Rightley's score of a 9.750 after Stephanie Kite encountered some problems with her second pass. Alabama has a running total of 148.025 to Auburn's 147.075.

and Ashley Miles will finish up on floor for the Tide.

but hesitates on the second pass, throwing only the whip 1/2 to a front tuck. She receives a 9.725.

Puckett is bent over at the waist on her flight series so that will be 2-3 tenths off. Nice 3/4 straddle and the side aerial to two straddles looks good. She dismounts with a running tuck full, one hop forward.

Jeana Rice is now through her opening pass of the difficult pike full in. Her second pass is a front-front full-front pike, nailed! Now she is really dancing for the Bama crowd and will finish up with a whip through to a double twist. Big smile for the judge as she finishes up.

had difficulty on her flight series (bailed on the layout) so she will receive a deduction accordingly. Nice punch front but she has to balance mightily on the 3/4 straddle (lifted leg up twice).

She also is through her second pass (front-front full-front tuck). Now for some elegant and classy choreography. She even leaps on time to the music. She finishes the final tumbling pass with a double twist, landed well and the Bama crowd is on their feet. Magnificient!

Natica Johnson received a 9.850 and Boyte is looking solid so far with her beam routine, no major problems. Nice punch front and a bhs to gainer layout off the side.

Her second pass is the double twist and her third pass is a front through to a front tuck (left out third salto). Nice leap series (straddle full to wolf full). Good job for first competitive routine.

layout). No other major problems.

up next.

Her second pass is a fhs-layout-layout, landed well, nice form and a big smile for the cameraman at the end of this corner. She finishes with a high double tuck, very nice form.

Standing back tuck and then a straddle-straddle combo. Wolf to straddle 3/4 (a little bent forward on the landing of the second element). She dismounts with a double twist, one step.

Up first for the Tigers on beam is Shannon Somero and for the Tide on floor Lauren Holdefer.

earlier. Good to see her throwing the front pike 1/2 twist. More reps will gain her more confidence and more depth down the line for the Tide.

Ashley Miles just vaulted her booming Yurchenko 1/1 and scoots backwards so no 10 tonight. She receives a 9.90. Somero gets a 9.80 for her bars routine (whoa, very close to the high bar on that Tkatchev release) and Puckett completed her bars routine with nice form for a 9.875. Auburn has a 49.050 total on the bars and Alabama a 49.425 on the vault. Alabama's running total is 98.675.

she have to do to get a 10? Natica Johnson gets a 9.825 for her bars routine.

she touched down and we did not see this. Natica Johnson just completed her bars routine and nailed her double layout dismount.

Lauren Holdefer just threw her front pike 1/2 twist and stood it up very well, one step back. Boy was she running fast! Like a Maserati!

her routine but took a lunging step forward on her landing of the double layout.

Shannon Hrozek just nailed her vault! Right through the roof! Way to go Texas gal!

double layout to her team's delight.

double layout had a hop forward on the landing. Great dismount but she missed almost all of her handstands and basically rushed this routine. Jeana Rice gets a 9.85 for her vault and Filetti just landed her full twist on back pike off.

landing and the Tide crowd yells "ROLL TIDE ROLL!"

Comeaux not warming up well. We may see Lauren Holdefer take her place with the pike 1/2 twist.

The Tide gave away vital tenths on landings and missed handstands and did not look quite as crisp this week on the bars event as they did last week.

the Tkatchev looked nifty too. However, she took several steps back on her double layout landing so she got a 9.70 for her final score.

stick that landing of the full in for a 9.90. Alabama has a 49.250 total on the bars to Auburn's 49.00 on the vault. Larissa Stewart is now exhibiting.

double front but what air-time! Huge Tkatchev as always. She receives a 9.75, her lowest of the season so far.

just did a terrific routine of her own! Way to go sophomore! All handstands reached, a beautiful piked Jaeger release and she just hopped forward a bit on the double tuck landing out of the full turn on the high bar for a 9.825.

Big discrepancy in the first and second judge's scores for Filetti. Ashley Miles just completed another awesome bars routine, reaching all of her handstands and landing the double layout with incredible distance. Hannah Littrell of Auburn gets a 9.800 for her vault and Shannon Somero just completed her vault, a Yurchenko 1/1, landing loose and off to the right a bit.

while Filetti is up for the Tide on the bars. She completes her routine with no major problems but will be deducted for missing vertical on the uprises at points and a small step on the double front dismount (major distance).

She throws the Gienger with confidence and sticks the landing (half turn to a double tuck). Puckett gets a 9.725 for her vault.

nails it.

CONFIDENCE! the ladies yell out as they prepare for the competition to commence.

Cha-ching! Ashley Miles just nailed that double layout off the bars in the short warm-up and Roots just about gasped right out of his seat!

Alabama is wearing the sweetheart bodice cranberry velveteen with sheer neeting above the bodice and on the sleeves. Silver sequins adorn the front and the cuffs. Auburn is wearing a deep blue velveteen outfit with tangerine orange and white colors etched in a wave along the left side.

out for the year from what we have been told. Kristin Thome is now a student coach for the Tigers, having retired before the season started. She would have been a junior this year.

crowd behind us is yelling loudly, especially the little kids. One of the two little girls trailing the Tiger gymnasts out for the introductions has a tiger tail attached to her. Eye of the Tiger is playing as they march out onto the floor.

Salto!

Uneven Bars: Shannon Hrozek, Dana Filetti, Ashley Miles, Mari Bayer, Brittany Comeaux and Jeana Rice

Vault: Jeana Rice, Dana Filetti, Shannon Hrozek, Brittany Comeaux, Alexis Brion, Ashley Miles

Floor Exercise: Lauren Holdefer, Erin Rightley, Mari Bayer, Jeana Rice, Stephanie Kite, Ashley Miles

Balance Beam: Rachael Delahoussaye, Shannon Hrozek, Michelle Reeser, Dana Pierce, Mari Bayer and Jeana Rice

ready to see the teams go at it.

Judges for tonight:

Vault: Vickie Smith and Rebecca Oppenheimer

Uneven Bars: Carole Ide and Gail Tourtellote

Balance Beam: Rebecca Oppenheimer and Vickie Smith

Floor Exercise: Carole Ide and Gail Tourtellotte

that showed up early for their ladies tonight.

and then head for the locker rooms. Let's get this meet rolling!

terrific punch front. The Tide crowd here sends the ladies off into the locker rooms with a mighty Roll Tide Roll. Great turnout for our team, looks like more than last year. We have fans who drove up from Florida and over from Georgia, not to mention the usual loyal fans from the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa area, as well as Don and Brenda from Monroeville, Alabama. He flies that plane in and out of Auburn all the time.

for her dismount, looks great to us.

Flight series of bhs-bhs-layout, right on for Alexis Brion.

contagious smile.

at home by bringing in a big one tonight for the Tide. Nice gainer back pike dismount. Alexis just threw her punch front on the beam, nicely landed.

switch leap side like she's on the floor, so confident!

for the Tide as the team has moved to this apparatus for the long warm-ups. Lauren Holdefer follows her with her first beam rep.

in three large sections on the lower area. RaraRuss is now leading the cheer "ROLL TIDE ROLL!" They are a force to be reckoned with, at home or on the road in the SEC.

layout-stepout. Very confident run. Nice double turn to wolf full combination on the floor by Dana Pierce. Great amplitude as usual.

of Coach Patterson who gives her a nod of approval.

Johnna is struggling a bit with her 2 1/2 twist while Stephanie Kite just nailed her two front layouts (second pass).

Johnna Gay, Stephanie Kite, Erin Rightley, Ashley Miles, Michelle Reeser and Dana Pierce and Dana Filetti warming up, along with Mari Bayer.

the second rotation and are looking nifty. Now we move to the floor while Auburn moves to the balance beam

Let's see it again in the competition.

to David Patterson for feedback. He provided it promptly with a grin.

Brittany Comeaux is going for the gusto with her Yurchenko 1/2 on front tuck with a 1/2 tuck off while Alexis and Ashley are aiming high for another stuck vault this week. Lauren Holdefer is ready to vault that front pike 1/2 twist, looking great just now on her run. Dana Filetti knows she too has to stick that full twist on, back pike off to maximize the scoring.

as their dismount but one gymnast (Kelly Gurney) is throwing a double layout with a full twist! All gals are looking in excellent shape for the Tigers on this event.

Shannon Hrozek, Dana Filetti, Jeana Rice, Johnna Gay, Ashley Miles, Lauren Holdefer, Dana Pierce and Brittany Comeaux.

Smack into Auburn, Alabama for a road meet! We're in the Beard-Eaves Coliseum on the campus of the Auburn University Tigers. The Alabama Crimson Tide gymnasts are warming up currently on the uneven bars while the Tigers are warming up on vault. We just saw Alexis Brion, Larissa Stewart and the regular line-up go through their routines and everyone looks solid. The Tide now moves to the vault for long warm-ups.