Hey everyone! I want to apologize for the lack of Chalk Talks recently. Things have been pretty crazy for me lately but everything is back on track and I promise to keep ya'll updated for the remainder of the season. It's sure hard to believe that all that is left is SECs, Regionals, and Nationals! I don't know where the time goes!

Well the last time I last wrote, we were just getting ready for our trip out to the West Coast. Needless to say that weekend definitely didn't go as planned. However, I feel that the disappointment and frustration we experienced out in California has made our team so much stronger and has brought all of us closer. It really served as a reality check and forced all of us to really dig down deep, decide what we want, and what we are willing to do to get it. Since that weekend, the intensity in the gym has picked up immensely, but at the same time it has been so much more enjoyable because every single person is in there doing what they love to do and giving it 100%. And when that is the main focus, success follows.

When we took on Penn State it was our chance to redeem ourselves and show everyone that we are a much better team than what we put on the floor out at Stanford and UCLA. And that was exactly what we did. We created so much energy that night, despite having our smallest crowd of the year due to the start of Spring Break. It was just incredible for us to come away from that meet with our highest score of the year, cementing the fact that we are a team competing for a National Championship.

This past weekend was our final home meet of the year, also meaning it was Senior Night. It's so hard to see teammates leave but it's so exciting to think of what all is ahead for both Terin and Kaitlin. Luckily for us, the season is not over so we don't have to say our goodbyes yet Once again, we went into the meet ready to do our job and excited to add to the count of consecutive wins over the Auburn Tigers. The meet went extremely well except for a wobbly beam rotation, but we fought back with an impressive floor performance. Actually, that is an understatement. With Ashley O'Neal back in action leading us off with a 9.85, she got the ball rolling and we didn't let up. Ricki, Kaitlin, and Kassi all followed with 9.925s and Kayla threw in a 9.9, perfectly setting Morgan up for her well deserved 9.975. We were all so excited and so proud of everyone's efforts. Nobody could ask for a better way to end the regular season!

So we find ourselves just four days away from meeting the best schools in the country, all vying for the coveted Southeastern Conference title. I would have to say there is a pretty even playing field this year and the championship is up for grabs. We're doing everything we can and ironing out the final few kinks so that we can go into SECs with the most confidence and determination knowing that we are fully prepared. The repetitions have been completed and the intrasquads have been judged. At this point it is entirely a mental game. Our team is pumped and ready to get the job done Alabama style...We head to Duluth on Thursday for a practice day Friday and then the competition on Saturday. I hope lots of you will be able to make it out to watch the best gymnastics teams go head to head.

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Alabama Gymnastics...