Welcome to my weekly coaches corner featuring the latest breaking news on Alabama Gymnastics! Our plans are to update this site weekly, each Thursday, so that you can keep up with the "inside scoop" on Bama Gymnastics. I will try to give you my perspective on where we are in our training, where we need to go, and of main interest, how we are going to get there! This week I will give my overview of our summer activities!

Days of summer 2001

I am not really sure where the summer went. I vaguely remember earlier summers in my career where there was some "down time," and a chance to "regroup" before the next year's team arrives. This summer has been similar to those in the recent past where camp and more importantly, recruiting, have been the focus for our summer. With our large senior class this year (5) recruiting has been in the forefront of ALL ACTIVITIES, and there has been a great deal of emphasis on planning for the 2002 season and hosting the NCAA Championships. My priority has been on organizing the coaches and support staff so that we maximize the talents and expertise of each individual person and have everyone "on the same page" with one complete game plan! This has been an ongoing project that continues to consume much of my time, but certainly well worth the efforts.

Our ladies had varied summer activities, including summer school, jobs, fun, and family vacations. The relaxed summer volunteer practices help all of us appreciate the "team approach" we have once everyone returns for the fall. Unfortunately, a few of our chronic problems did not completely heal over the summer, so Lauren Holdefer and Whitney Morgan underwent "cleanup" surgery to help them. Lauren had basically the same procedure performed she had in high school while Whitney had a small sesamoid bone removed from her foot. Lauren will be slow briefly and mobile very quickly, while Whitney will require a bit more time to heal.

Everyone else appears to be doing fine. As I told the ladies yesterday "this is our starting point, where ever you are and how we proceed from here will determine our success this year." Everyone has asked about Andree' and I am please to report that she is doing fine and scheduled for a "recheck" with Dr. Andrews in early September. Monica Decker, our trainer, has done a great job and has Andree' and freshman Michelle Reeser working hard! (See feature on website about Monica Decker)

Well.....we are excited about the season, look forward to sharing our plans with you, and hope you will continue to spread the word about Bama Gymnastics. Now that school is in session, I hope you will visit our website frequently, and look for new updates weekly as well as joining me on the message board. I just love reading your comments and will try to answer all questions in a timely fashion.

Roll Tide Roll...Let's get those Bruins, and hopefully, next week we will be celebrating Coach Franchione's first victory as coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. See you soon!

Sarah Patterson

Next week.....Bama Gymnasts beachside and fall training schedule