Hey ya'll! I'm so excited to be writing the first entry in our new column, "Courtney's Chalk Talk" We thought it would be a great idea to keep our Bama fans up to date on all the daily happenings in and out of the gym.
Being a retired Alabama gymnast but still active with the team as a student coach, I hope I offer you a unique perspective on what's going on down here in Tuscaloosa.
I thought that for our first Chalk Talk entry, I would just give you a recap on all that has gone on so far since August. It sure is hard to believe we're nearly halfway through the fall semester! We're so thrilled to have our three new freshmen, Kayla, Jen, and Megan, with us...they are an awesome addition to our team! Each of them are adjusting to the demands of college life and balancing academics and gymnastics and its paying off!
Our sophomores are all back stronger than ever, and they just continue to amaze me. From Morgan and Alyssa's explosiveness, to the poise and elegance in Casey and Kassi, Jac's competive fire, and the unending energy in Ricki, this class has it all!
The junior class of Cassie, Amanda, Brittany, and Ashley continues to improve and add new and exciting skills! And then we have the amazing leadership and experience from seniors Terin and Kaitlin. These girls are working so hard, ready to finish their collegiate careers with a ring! And the rest of the team, coaches, and supporting staff are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.
Speaking of rings, it was so amazing seeing Terin and Morgan receive their National Championship rings at half time at a football game a couple weeks ago. Talk about motivation! It was the most unbelievable feeling watching them being recognized in front of 93,000 people. It was so motivating for me, I can't even imagine what it had to be like for Morgan and Terin!
The excitement in the gym has been incredibly high with so many new skills being learned and mastered and everyone getting routines put together. We have been working hard on beam choreography and floor music is in the process. But let me tell you, just based on the fun and variety of the music, the floor routines are going to be phenomenal this year!! I cannot wait to see the finished products so ya'll have a lot to look forward to:)
We've had one recruiting weekend with a couple girls here from our 08-09 class. We had such a fun time showing them around campus and just enjoying Tuscaloosa during a football weekend. We're just as excited as they are to get down here...we keep telling them to enjoy their senior year of high school because it will fly by soo quickly! That weekend we all went to dinner at Sarah and David's house and just got to relax and enjoy each other's company and craziness. We always love going to the Pattersons’ house at night; we just tell stories and laugh and get to eat an amazing dinner out around their pool.
This past Tuesday night, Jac (my best friend and roommate) and I had our entire team and a bunch of our other friends who play football, baseball, and tennis over for dinner as a final night together before we all headed home for fall break.
We love to have everyone over to entertain and just hang out and get to know each other better. So it was an awesome night and the perfect end to the first half of the semester. Fall break found us all back home, enjoying some much needed R & R, and preparing for the intensity to pick up when we returned.
We're two weeks away from our Ghosts and Goblins intrasquad so look for more information on that next time...
Until then, ROLL TIDE!!
