A tiny hop in place on a vault landing. A handstand just shy of vertical. The slightest shoulder drop in a simple dance sequence on beam. A flexed pinky toe. These miniscule deductions sure don't seem like a big deal...until just one of the errors becomes the difference between finishing in second place and having an SEC Championship ring placed on your finger. We were so close, and there was a 30 minute delay to make sure of the final results it was so close. But after everything was ironed out at the scoring table, we found ourselves tied for second with the University of Florida Gators just .025 behind the Georgia.
.025. Wow. It's so insane that a margin that seems so insignificant can determine the meet. I know we've all been thinking about how many ways that .025 could have been made up. I guess you could say we're a little disappointed. I mean, it's hard to come so close but still come up short of your goal. But our team had such a phenomenal competition this past weekend, we're not dwelling on the final results. We are so proud of ourselves and the way we represented the University of Alabama. The way we competed at SECs displayed true Alabama Gymnastics spirit and pride. The team out there on the floor competed with heart, desire, passion, and pride. And it wasn't difficult for other people to recognize it. I think it's safe to say we put it all out there and had the most fun of any of the seven teams on the floor!
It was an amazing competition and it showcased the best gymnasts in the country. It was pretty cool to watch Morgan and Ricki come away with both the Vault and Beam Titles, Casey also taking her share of the Beam Championship, while Morgan locked up her third win on the floor. Kassi and Kayla also had terrific nights and really contributed to our team's amazing team score of 197.325. And that team score, after being averaged into our RQS allowed us to advance to fourth place in the rankings, moving up two entire spots. And that move helped determine that our Regional site next weekend will be in Oklahoma. With Regionals really just a week away, we are using the disappointment from SECs, despite the stellar performance, to fuel our team to finish the season in style.
We have just two meets left for the 2008 season and we're committed to giving it everything we've got. No holding back, no regrets. We're still hungry, and we want that ring:) Hope ya'll have a great weekend!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
