Now that the 2003 edition is well over and behind us, I can freely admit it: I just don't much like Regionals. Oh, I like Bama's record in the Regionals, 19 championships and 21 consecutive advancements to Nationals - it's hard to dislike those kinds of numbers. And Bama has a history of putting up big scores in the Regionals, right at the top of the nation year after year (2nd this year, behind UCLA). In addition, this year's Regional was another chance to see our talented, youthful, and enthusiastic team in action. It's just that - even though this year's Regional lacked that one last ingredient to make it the ultimate pressure cooker - the Regional Championship is just too much for my nerves.

Oddly, the fact that Bama would end the evening on the Balance Beam was a bit of good news. For one thing, it put Beam off until the end! But, the main point was that Bama has just 'worn out' the 'up on beam last' rotation in championships over the last year or so. So, first up was the Floor team.

Floor team score 49.625 - Michelle Reeser 9.700, Lauren Holdefer 9.875, Kristin Sterner 9.950, Jeana Rice 9.925, Stephanie Kite 9.875, Ashley Miles 10.000:
The GymTide's Floor team really has no weaknesses. Every gymnast the Tide puts out there is perfectly capable of scoring in the 9.90+ range. In fact, I thought Michele's score was a little low, even taking into account her step out of bounds. It's hard to imagine a floor routine more action-packed, fun to watch, and fan interactive than Michele's, especially when you factor in her infectious enthusiasm and delightful personality. In a dual-meet, I think every score would have been .05 higher (yes, I think Kristin deserved a 10.0 - and Ashley should have gotten a 12.0!) .

Vault team score 49.450 - Jeana Rice 9.850, Alexis Brion 9.900, Dana Pierce 9.800, Kristin Sterner 9.900, Lauren Holdefer 9.850, Ashley Miles 9.950:
Since the change a few years back to one vault per gymnast, vault has become a real strong suit for the Crimson Tide. Currently ranked fourth in the nation, Bama has - as with virtually every apparatus - shown tremendous depth throughout the year. The Tide put itself in excellent shape for the rest of the Regional with a sky-high 99.075 after Floor and Vault. And, with a little luck, it could have been even higher!

Bars team score 48.950 - Shannon Hrozek 9.825, Dana Filetti 9.850, Kristin Sterner 9.825, Larissa Stewart 9.325, Jeana Rice 9.750, Mari-Christine Bayer 9.700:
The 'uneven' bars were, perhaps, well-named for the Tide. The first three GymTiders (see above) performed with few difficulties, the last three had a bit of a struggle. Larissa's surprising fall occasioned a chance for us to see some heroics applied by Jeana Rice and some timely coaching tactics applied through Mari-Christine Bayer's routine. Jeana landed her release from the high to the low bar in an out-of-balance handstand. Sensing that she was about to fall, Jeana quickly recovered her balance by adding a piked swing under the low bar followed by a pirouette into the rest of her usual routine. Now, this all happened pretty quickly, so forgive me if I've described what happened incorrectly. The point is, only a gymnast with Jeana's tremendous athletic ability and almost uncanny spatial awareness could have saved the day. Next up came Mari and, not needing a high score so much as needing to avoid a low score, the coaches had the Tide freshman go with her 'big-release-move-free' routine. This tactic worked to perfection as Mari's safe, and nearly flawless, routine scored a 9.70 - despite having her start value reduced to 9.90 or 9.80, depending on the judge's discretion.

Beam team score 49.525 - Michelle Reeser 9.900, Rachel Delahoussaye 9.900, Shannon Hrozek 9.300, Mari-Christine Bayer 9.875, Kristin Sterner 9.950, Jeana Rice 9.900:
The moment had finally arrived. Almost as if to make up for the bobble on the floor, Michele posted a brilliant beam routine for a 9.90. Rachel then returned the favor with an excellent 9.90 of her own. The mean old beam just didn't seem to want to cooperate with Shannon during warm-ups, and then went so far as to nudge her off it's back at the end of her flight series. It was then, once again, up to Mari-Christine Bayer to start everyone's breathing back up, which she did with a graceful 9.875-scoring routine. Up next was senior Kristin Sterner, who made her last ever performance in Coleman Coliseum a memorable one with a flawless 9.95. The PBA's commentary at the time perfectly described Bama's last competitor of the night, "Jeana Rice is up on the beam and she has that ferocious look on her face." Even with what appeared to be both premeditated and 'on the fly' changes to her routine, Jeana still scored a strong 9.90, easily securing Bama's number one spot for the Regional and with it, their ticket to the National Finals.

The nerve-wracking Regional continues, in many ways, to be the most important - if not always the most memorable - tournament of the year. I have been privileged to be in the audience for a few of the GymTide's most outstanding Regional Championship performances. The record setting 1996 Regional in Baton Rouge comes to mind, where Bama scored a 198.075. Or, the 198.00 a home-standing Tide put up in the 2001 Regional. Much to my chagrin, I've also missed a few stand-out Regional appearances by the Tide in recent years. A prime example of that, of course, would be last year's Regional in West Virginia, which included Bama's NCAA record 49.725 balance beam score. It is truly fitting that this year a youthful Tide added to it's sparkling all-time Regional Championship records with significant contributions from several freshmen and sophomores. However, the Regional Championship - wedged in as it is between the rivalry-filled SEC Championship and the 'for all the marbles' excitement of the National Championship - remains a tournament on the road to somewhere, with a lot of side-roads to nowhere along the way.

...Oh, that last ingredient that this year's Regional lacked to make it the ultimate pressure cooker? Listen to Dan Kendig, head coach of National Championship host Nebraska describe it after his Cornhuskers qualified for the 'big dance': "I was a little nervous coming into this meet today because you don't want to hold a party without you being there."

I hope most of you will be able to join me in Nebraska on April 24th to help cheer the GymTide on to another Super Six final. If so, be sure to come over and say hello. I'm easy pick out, I'm the one being fanned and having smelling salts and cold compresses applied by a small crowd of concerned - if somewhat annoyed - friends during Bama's balance beam rotation. And if you're not coming - hey, why not? It's still not too late! Roll Tide!!!