Only three more days, can you believe it?? We sure can't, but we are so incredibly psyched to finally get out on the competition floor! There has been so much dedication and passion put into this season's preparation and we all know it's going to pay off. This is the best team I have been part of and I am so proud of how hard every single one of the girls has worked.
This past week we had the chance to move a set of bars and a beam out into the main arena of Coleman Coliseum and practice in an actual meet setting. It was extremely beneficial to everyone, especially the freshmen, to get a feel for the competition and just get used to the lights and the environment. We had a bunch of intrasquads all week on all four events, playing with the lineups and trying to come up with the best possible combination of routines. With the intensity, talent, and depth found, I sure wouldn't want to be the one making the decision of what routines to put out in competition:)
Outside of the gym we've all just been hanging out and enjoying the down time with such a quiet campus. Other than other athletes, it basically is just us here so it is a great opportunity to rest up and get ahead for this upcoming semester...that starts on Wednesday!! But, I think we're all pretty much ready to start classes again and get back into a routine.
Last week our team volunteered to work at a soup kitchen just minutes away from campus. I don't think most of us had ever done this before so it was definitely very eye opening and even somewhat shocking. Half of the team served food while the rest of us visited with the people and mingled. It was funny to listen to some of them and their fascination with gymnastics. Others shared inspirational stories and told us about their childhood and time served in the army. Regardless of what was shared, we were all very touched by how grateful they all were and just how appreciative and excited they were about having a new day. It was a perspective that I wish I had and have tried to take on since visiting the soup kitchen. It is so easy to get caught up in your own struggles and distracted by the pressures and frustrations we encounter every day. But in reality, we are all so fortunate and blessed, and live lives that most people only dream of having. Working at the soup kitchen was so humbling and really a rewarding experience for our team.
Lets see, another fun activity we enjoyed was a surprise baby shower for our trainer Monica, who is due in a little over a month. We had a team dinner scheduled at the Pattersons but Monica had no idea it was a baby shower for her. We all came, half dressed in blue and half dressed in pink, since she doesn't know if it's going to be a boy or a girl. We played several baby games and got to witness the fastest present unwrapping session in the world! Ha ha...Monica's energetic daughter Ayana took on the task of opening all the gifts, perhaps hoping to find one for her:) Afterwards, we all headed to the Play Room and enjoyed watching "The Ultimate Gift." It was a movie only one of us had seen and let me tell ya, it was quite the tear jerker. I sure wish I could have seen what we all looked like, piled together and sobbing uncontrollably. It had to have been quite a sight! But if you haven't seen the movie, or even if you have, I would definitely recommend...it's awesome!
Ok ya'll, that's all I've got for you today...I can't wait for next week's column because....well, you know why:) So don't forget to come out to Coleman Coliseum this Friday night at 7:30 to watch the season premiere of ALABAMA GYMNASTICS!!!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
