The Medalist Club
BannerAds

The Medalist Club - Gymtide.com


The Booster Organization for the University of Alabama Gymnastics Program
<< 2003 - Bama vs Auburn >>
(Thursday, March 06, 2003) [ Salto's Spin: Archives ]

The numbers game...

'10.0'

Let's look at that score again: '10.0'

Ashley Miles' 1st-ever home score: '10.0'

Ashley Miles' career home scoring average: '10.0'

I know, I know, Ashley has performed only one time at home, and in only one event, but that is her average. More amazing is that it wouldn't be surprising at all if her home scoring average were 10.0 after next week's meet! After all, Ashley's overall scoring average, by my calculation, is 9.93 on vault and 9.95 on floor.

How about some more numbers from the Auburn meet?

Words from the wise...

Auburn head coach Jeff Thompson on Alabama's first rotation:

"Their vaults looked like they were landing in glue tonight." 1

Ashley Miles on her 10.0 vault and her first home meet action:

"I felt like once I landed I would be happy with any score...I just had a great time. So much fun I can't describe it." 2

Coach Sarah Patterson on the 197.975-196.600 victory over the GymTigers:

"It was obviously a great night...But give Auburn credit, they are closing the gap. We're in the portion of our season where we are home for several weeks now and we have the opportunity to add more skills in and to continue to improve and tonight was a great step in that direction." 3

And now for something completely different...

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. To be more accurate, March came in like a 'Tiger' for the GymTide. I, for one, was glad to see the end of February and the Bama "Road Trip'. But, hey, let's stop looking back; let's look ahead. We have a lot of freshmen that are about to experience something very special for the first time: springtime in Tuscaloosa. By way of a 'heads up', I thought I would point out a few of the salient features of a Capstone spring:

  • We've had, for this part of Alabama, a fairly 'wintry' winter - so far, that is, since winter isn't officially over until, I think, March 20th. By 'wintry' I mean that we have had perhaps 20 days this winter during which folks would have looked at you like you were a complete nut if you had worn shorts. That's a lot of cold days for T'town. What this portends for spring, of course, is exactly nothing. To paraphrase Mark Twain, if you don't like the springtime weather in Tuscaloosa, wait a minute.
  • On the subject of the weather and those March winds, this is the beginning of one of our 'tornado seasons' here in Alabama. There is little to be concerned about with tornadoes if you take reasonable precautions, and then take those precautions seriously.
  • Yes, those were flowers you saw blooming in February. Spring may be fairly timed by the arrival of various blooms throughout the season. The daffodils and crocus come early, followed by the Japanese magnolias and the redbud trees. Of course, the state flower, the camellias, have been coming into bloom all along according to their type. Soon we may expect to see rhododendrons, flowering pear and flowering cherry trees. With luck, the azaleas and dogwoods will then bloom late enough still to be pretty for the Masters and for Easter. Naturally, the flowers I have mentioned are just the tip of the bouquet, so to speak. By May there will a regular riot of color in a sea of green, and not a moment too soon for this winter-hater!
  • Now, all those flowers blooming can lead to only one thing: pollen. If you get 'allergic smelling hay', you might want to start right now building a good relationship with a local ENT. The pretty flowers depend on all the busy little bees to pollinate them. Alas, not so the ubiquitous pine tree. No, pine trees depend on the wind. And because of this, they produce a fair amount of pollen - make that an enormous amount of pollen. At some point this spring, you may notice that something is keeping your car all dusty. To find the culprit, just look up.
  • Spring also means warm weather and warm weather means that soon folks will want to go to the beach. With all due respect to places like Waikiki, Bondi, South Beach, and Venice Beach, I think that Alabama has the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's true that you may not find pounding surf there, nor will you be able to view the beach from a rocky promontory. You won't see bar after disco after nightclub filled with hundreds of earnest party-ers and you certainly won't see anyone even remotely resembling a Baywatch lifeguard (in fact a lifeguard of any kind is rare). However, you will see turquoise water, little sea-oat covered dunes, flocks of surf-dodging sand pipers, flying wedges full of brown pelicans, squawking sea gulls, the world-renowned 'sugar-white' sand (and it really is sugar-white), and, if you're really lucky, Kenny Stabler!

Good things come to those who wait...

Coach Sarah Patterson will be in a big hurry after the meet with Kentucky on Saturday. She has a Saturday night date in Birmingham to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame; only the sixth woman to be so honored. Upon hearing of her election to the hall, Coach Sarah was quick to point out that the honor was really for two people: "While it's my name that's going into the sports hall of fame, I know and everyone else associated with the program knows that it is because of the work that David and I have accomplished together...I hope people realize that it's the accomplishments of the two of us that are being recognized." 4 And it's true enough, it's hard to think of Coach Sarah without thinking of Coach David. Just a small portion of what they have accomplished together over the past 25 years at the University was on display at the meet last Saturday night. GymTide Alums from far and wide returned to stand under the many championship banners and to honor the coaches by helping them celebrate their first quarter-century at The Capstone. The coaches' emphasis on family, on academics, on the community, and on athletics have resulted in, not only champion gymnastics teams, but also champion young women. Athletics can have such a positive effect on a young person's life and coaches are the keys to it. There's an old saying, 'you can't pick your parents'. You can pick your coaches, though. And, also unlike with one's parents, where one is obligated by nature and affection to submit to their authority, being 'coached' is often the first time in a child's life that he or she freely and willingly submits to an authority in order to learn a skill and to be a part of a team. We can all hope that when we join a team - or, more especially, when our children do so - that coaches, no, make that real heroes like Sarah and David Patterson are there to lead the way. Roll Tide!!!

1 The Birmingham News, March 2, 2003
2 The Birmingham News, March 3, 2003
3 Rolltide.com, Sunday, March 2, 2003
4 The Tuscaloosa News: Patterson heads to the hall, by Andrew Carroll, September 29, 2002


©2008 Alabama Medalist Club
All rights reserved.
Computers, Electonics, Walmart, Sears, Department Stores, Shopping Malls, Security
Google