I hope everyone had a great weekend and a bunch of ya'll had the chance to come watch some incredible gymnastics on Friday night! What a way to start off the season! Our team went into the competition with unwavering confidence and excitement and the performance just took care of itself. We got the job done exactly the way we had been in practice. I had the opportunity to enjoy a different perspective this year being out on the floor as a coach instead of an athlete. I sure missed being part of our elaborate march out, but it was so exciting watching our new freshmen and the rest of the girls! I also have to get used to the fact that I can't be doing everybody's floor routines out there in heels! Ha ha...I'm already learning from experience:)
Competing against the Fighting Illini, our first meet was referred to as "I-Night." Throughout the evening, members of the audience were randomly chosen to win an iPod, iPhone, iTouch, and an iMac as well as a host of other prizes including a 42-inch television. The possibility of winning one of those prized items only added to the electricity and thrill of the competition. There were so many awesome routines and highlights from the night and I'll let the PBAs give their full write up, but of course I'll share with you my side of things.
First of all, major congratulations to Kassi for her all around title, starting this season off right where she was before injuring her knee last year. Her most impressive performance came on bars, highlighted by a newly improved gorgeous double layout dismount. Kayla sure rose to the occasion in her collegiate debut and quickly became a crowd favorite with some huge tumbling and the stylistic showmanship that you don't get the chance to see too often. Ricki also had a terrific meet on all four events, but her exhibition bar routine kept her out of the All Around rankings. Morgan was our fourth all arounder and if her middle pass on floor (front through to double back) wouldn't have been a good thirty feet high, that floor routine would have been something else! Even after watching her routine over and over, we still can't quite figure out what she did on that pass. None of us had ever seen someone over rotate so much that they fly backwards yet falling forward as if she had underrotated. Hmmmm...
I also want ya'll to know how awesome of a night Miss Kaitlin had! She had three solid routines on vault, bars, and floor and showed that she's going out on a high note for her final season here at Bama! Alyssa exhibitioned on vault, and that was her first time out in front of a crowd. She has one of the most explosive tsuk fulls I have ever seen. We were all so excited to see her nail that! Everybody else's routines were phenomenal and everybody contributed to the team score.
It's so crazy how fast everything gets rolling once season hits. Just a week and a half ago, we were all a little bored on a lonely and deserted campus. Now, classes are in full swing, we just had our first meet, and we have two practices and three days of classes until we are on the road for our bus trip to Auburn! And if last week's showing against Illinois was any indication of what is yet to come for this Alabama Gymnastics Team, ya'll should be awfully psyched...Buckle up 'cause it's going to be an exciting and unforgettable journey!
