"When I finished my 'Salto's Perspective': Despite Loss, Sun Rises the Next Day', I suddenly realized that I had several unrelated 'odds and ends' I wanted to mention, but they just didn't fit in. So, I decided to put them in sort of a separate postscript:"

TUSCALOOSA, ALA - The No. 3 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team closed out its home season with a 197.325-196.450 win over No. 17 Arkansas here in Coleman Coliseum tonight, sending the senior trio of Lauren Holdefer, Stephanie Kite and Jeana Rice with a bang.

It was a teary-eyed moment for those three and senior manager Allison Spidle, as they came together after the last routine with red and white confetti falling all around them for a group hug and one last wave to the home crowd. The 9,138 fans in attendance pushed Alabama's season average to 10,283, the second best in school history and the third best nationally over the past decade.

"This is just a great venue for these ladies," head coach Sarah Patterson said of her seniors. "They have worked really hard and put so much into this program and into performing at their absolute peak for the fans. It was just really, really nice for them to able to go out one last time in Coleman Coliseum and show our fans how much they mean to us."

We've got a new slide show and a photo album for the Tide Tykes & Teens

• Slide Show: Tide Tykes & Teens
• Photo Album: Tide Tykes & Teens

Here are a few of the Photos:
(Click on a thumbnail to view a full size picture)

45 kb 01.Fiesta Time begins with nametag pros Jeana and Lauren

73 kb 02.Lauren, Stephanie and Alexis decorate faces

33 kb 03.Dana F. is all concentration for this fan

For the No. 3 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team, the end of the regular season is right around the corner, and the end of the home season comes this Friday (Feb. 27) night.

The Crimson Tide will face No. 17 Arkansas starting at 7:30 p.m. in the final Coleman Coliseum outing of the season. It is an unusually early ending to the Tide's home season. Alabama hasn't had its last regular season home meet in February since the 2001 season.

It will also be Senior Night with Alabama honoring Lauren Holdefer, Stephanie Kite and Jeana Rice. The trio helped Alabama win the 2002 NCAA Championship and last season's Southeastern Conference title. All three are Scholastic All-Americans and Rice and Kite have earned All-American honors.

"I know, cute headline. Sometimes, however, these 'Clash of the Titans' matches - like Bama vs UGA last Friday night - cause me to lose my perspective. Now, it's true enough, when we win a meet like that I have a tendency to overlook the perspective angle. But after a tough loss, by less than '3 tenths' at home - and to Bama's rival of all rivals, no less - well, I'm ready for anything positive, even if I have to search for the proverbial 'silver lining'."

"Forget silver, a platinum lining showed up in the GymTide's first rotation. Bama's vault team zoomed up to a 49.675; within a tenth the Tide's all-time high of 49.775 set at the historic Baton Rouge Regional in 1996. Especially exciting was Shannon Hrozek's tremendous lead-off vault for a 9.925, her best so far. I think it is safe to say that Shannon has mastered her new Yurchenko 1/1. In fact, I believe that every Bama vaulter tied or bettered her season high except Ashley Miles. (It's a sign of just how amazing Ashley's vaulting truly is that we were a little disappointed when she scored 'only' a 9.95!) Lauren Holdefer and Dana Filetti both look to be just a 'stuck landing' away from the 9.90 zone. And finally, Alexis Brion got the 10.0 she has deserved for quite some time for her 'pike 1/2 twist' vault - alas, from only one judge - never-the-less scoring an outstanding 9.975."

Alabama and Georgia met for the second time this season in Coleman Coliseum on Friday, February 20, 2004, but the Gymdawgs came away with the victory this time after posting very solid team scores on the floor exercise (49.500) and balance beam (49.400).  Alabama started the meet off in similar impressive fashion on the vault (49.675) and uneven bars (49.425) but proved to be a bit too cautious on the balance beam (49.150), where they yielded vital tenths that helped the Dawgs chip away at Bama's slim lead.  Alabama was unable to make up significant ground with their signature event, the floor exercise (49.300) and now will have to wait until the SEC Championships on March 20 to have another shot at their #1 rival.  The good news from Friday night is that the crowd turnout (12, 297) was the largest in several years for a dual meet in Coleman and Alabama is currently leading the NCAA in average attendance as a result.  The third-ranked Crimson Tide will have one more home meet on February 27, 2004 against the #17 Arkansas Ladybacks before a two week competition break ensues.  Bama will finish the regular season against Michigan in Ann Arbor on March 12.  Let's review some of the highlights from the UA-UGA competition at this time.

SEC-TV, Fox Sports Net's live, weekly Southeastern Conference studio program, continues on - Thursday, 2/26 - at 6:30 p.m. EST (re- airs on Friday, 2/27 at 1 a.m.). Dave Neal hosts this week's live half-hour show from FSN's Atlanta studio, where he will be joined by reporter Jenn Hildreth.

On Thursday's show, Hildreth spotlights Alabama gymnast Ashley Miles. Only a sophomore, Miles has helped the team achieve a No. 3 national ranking behind UCLA and Georgia. Not your typical sized gymnast, Miles stands a tall 5-foot-8. She was the 2003 NCAA vault champion and currently ranks second in the country in vault. Out of 45 collegiate routines, 37 of Miles' scores have been a 9.9 or better (.82), and out of 20 vaults, 19 have ranked 9.9 or better (.95). Miles is quite impressive on the floor exercise as well, scoring a 9.9 or better in all 16 of her collegiate floor routines. Coach Sarah Patterson has this to say about Ashley, "She's our exclamation point at the end of a great lineup." The Georgia at Alabama meet airs Saturday, 2/28, on FSN at 6 p.m.

The show will also feature the "Toyota SEC Moment of the Week"- which this week is unranked Alabama upsetting No. 4 Mississippi State in men's basketball action on Saturday.

The Alabama Gymnastics team is third in the latest national rankings, which are figured by regional qualifying score as of this week.

The Crimson Tide, which faces No. 17 Arkansas at home this Friday at 7:30 p.m., is still ranked No. 1 on the vault, with an RQS of 49.460. Alabama is second on the uneven bars with a 49.315 RQS and fourth on both the balance beam and floor exercise with an RQS of 49.145 and 49.385 respectively.

The regional qualifying score is a formula, which takes a team's three highest road scores, adds in the next three highest scores, subtracts the high score, and divides the remainder by five. This formula will dictate the rankings through the conference championships and will be used to seed teams into the NCAA Regional Championships. Alabama's RQS is 197.285.

• UA vs. Kentucky: (Friday, February 13, 2004)

The 12,971 fans in attendance at Coleman Coliseum to see No. 1 Alabama Gymnastics team take on No. 2 Georgia Friday (Feb. 20) night is the largest gymnastics crowd in the nation this year. It also ranks as the sixth largest single meet crowd of the last decade.

The Tide also leads the nation in average attendance, drawing 10,558 fans per meet, over 1,500 fans per meet than the second best drawing team.

Alabama Gymnastics figures prominently in the "biggest crowd" list over the past 10 years. Since 1995, the first year the Crimson Tide broke the 10,000 fan mark for a single meet, Alabama has hosted seven of the 10 highest single meet attendance totals in the nation. Those seven meets include the SEC record of 15,043 in 1997, which is the single largest crowd of the last decade.

TUSCALOOSA, ALA -- The No. 1 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team got off to a hot start here in Coleman Coliseum tonight against No. 2 Georgia and in front of 12,971, the largest crowd in the country this year, but in the end, the Bulldogs had the better night, winning 197.825-197.550.

Junior Shannon Hrozek posted a career best 39.500 to win the all-around, tying with Georgia's Chelsea Bryd and Kelsey Ericksen.

"Well, I'm glad they are not handing out a championship trophy tonight," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "I am disappointed that we didn't win, but I am more disappointed that we didn't perform to the best of our ability."

It will be a show down second to none Friday night when No. 1 Alabama Gymnastics team takes on No. 2 Georgia at 7:30 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.

The biggest rivalry in collegiate gymnastics would be a big deal even without the rankings, but throw in the fact that the meet is likely to be the only 1 vs. 2 match-up of the regular season and Friday night promises to take on epic proportions.

Tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum or online through www.rolltide.com. The meet is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

"Alabama Crimson Tide, returns home this Friday to face their arch-rival and number two in the country, the Georgia GymDogs. Also on hand will be a large contingent of former Bama greats returning to Tuscaloosa for Alumnae Night."

"The sojourn to the hinterlands of East Alabama and Northeast Kentucky was not without a fair amount of drama - not to mention some notable routines by some 'old hands' and some new faces. I will briefly attempt to hit some of the high points, but bear in mind that I'm leaving a lot out that probably doesn't deserve to be."

"More than 5000 were on hand at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn on February 6th to cheer on the Tide and Tigers, with about 2000 of that number wearing Crimson and White. We were not disappointed as both teams seemed determined to put their best foot forward."

Friday night's show down between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia is previewed by USAToday's Andy Gardiner, giving even more credence to the fact that all eyes will be on Tuscaloosa starting at 7:30 p.m.

• Alabama-Georgia rivalry goes to gym

The rankings are out and it is official - this Friday night in Coleman Coliseum, the two top ranked gymnastics teams in the nation will clash as No. 1 Alabama will face No. 2 Georgia starting at 7:30 p.m.

Alabama is in its fourth week as the nation's No. 1 team while Georgia climbs to No. 2 this week, jumping back over UCLA, on the strength of the nation's top score last weekend against LSU. Defending NCAA Champion UCLA is third, Utah is fourth and Florida rounds out the top-5.

The Crimson Tide is undefeated coming into this weekend's showdown and that 10-0 record includes a win over Georgia in the season opening Super Six Challenge.

We've got a new slide show and a photo album for the Supersix Challenge

• Slide Show: Supersix Challenge
• Photo Album: Supersix Challenge

Here are a few of the Photos:
(Click on a thumbnail to view a full size picture)

47 kb 01 Jeana and David are ready for the season to begin

64 kb 02 Ashley preps her floor

53 kb 03 Alexis is a blur to her teammates

LEXINGTON, KY - It was a busy night for Alabama junior Shannon Hrozek as the No. 1 ranked Alabama Gymnastics squad beat Kentucky here in Memorial Coliseum, 197.075-195.075.

For the first time this season, The Woodlands, Texas native went all four events, posting a 39.300 all-around score. A regular on the three events through the first five meets of the season, Hrozek added in the floor exercise tonight.

"Shannon did a great job," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "She performed very well for her first all-around of the season. What I liked about tonight is that we moved different people in and out of the lineup, changed things around during the meet and we still came away with another 197 score."

The No. 1 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team is back on the road this Friday (Feb. 13), traveling to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats at 7:30 pm ET in Memorial Coliseum.

The meet will be Alabama's second road trip in a row and third of the season. In addition to holding the top spot in the rankings, the Crimson Tide is also undefeated, sporting a 9-0 overall mark and a 3-0 Southeastern Conference record. Kentucky is ranked 36th and sports a 1-8, 0-3 record.

Alabama coach Sarah Patterson will continue to juggle her lineup this week, giving some athletes, like senior Jeana Rice and sophomore Ashley Miles, a rest in some events, while giving other athletes a chance for more experience.

The Alabama Gymnastics team is now in its third week atop the national rankings, following its fifth 197-plus score of the season last Friday at Auburn.

The rankings are figured by season average. The Crimson Tide's 197.290 average makes them the only squad in the nation to average over 197. The Tide is also ranked No. 1 on the floor exercise, second on the vault, fourth on the uneven bars and fifth on the balance beam.

Individually, sophomore Ashley Miles is No. 1 on the floor exercise. The San Antonio native is also ranked fourth on the vault. Senior Jeana Rice continues to climb in the national rankings, sitting at No. 11 in the all-around. She is ranked second on the vault, fourth on the floor exercise and 21st on the vault.

It's said that gator meat tastes like chicken but Big Al was only tasting victory Friday Night in front of 11,380 fans at Coleman Coliseum. A terrific night of gymnastics was displayed by Alabama and Florida but it was the Tide's high performance on all four events that literally blew the Gators away. Bama finished with a season high team score of 197.925 while the Gators had to settle for a 196.175. The highlights were many so let's get to them...

The No. 1 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team hits the road this Friday (Feb. 6) to take on in-state rival No. 16 Auburn at 7 p.m. in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

Alabama, carrying a season average of 197.344, is 8-0 overall on the season and 2-0 in Southeastern Conference competition. Auburn is averaging 195.783 and has posted a 2-2 mark overall, 1-2 in the SEC.

Both teams posted season high marks last week with Alabama going 197.925 at home in a win against Florida and Auburn posting a 196.550 on the road in a win over Kentucky. It was the fifth highest mark in school history for both programs.

"Southerners have a 'sixth sense' about thunderstorms. Oh, sure, thunderstorms are rare this time of year, no doubt. But in two or three months, when the Gulf starts pushing up some of its balmy sea breezes and Canada sends down one of winter's last cold fronts, we'll nod to each other at the gas station and say, "Something's got to give." Could be that knee you twisted playing ball when you were a kid will start to ache or the dog will seem a little jumpy. It might be clear as a bell outside, yet, somehow, you'll still know; a 'big one' is one the way."

"Last season, with so many freshmen on the team - some from places far removed from the Southland - I felt compelled to give out a 'heads-up' about the weather down here. With this year's freshmen coming from Mobile, Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and Addis, Louisiana, far from needing a lesson, I'm quite sure they could teach me a few things about thunderstorms."

"That's not to say that thunderstorms are necessarily bad things, at least, not all bad, anyway. No, far from it. For the most part thunderstorms are quite beneficial. True enough, they often bring damaging winds, and lightening, of course, which is nothing to be trifled with under the best of circumstances. And, thunderstorms can spawn tornados, which, especially early in the year can be quite large - and deadly. But most thunderstorms, let's call them your 'garden variety' thunderstorms, as it were, bring needed rain - and just enough wind and thunder and lightening to be exciting."

Alabama senior Jeana Rice was named Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week for her performance against No. 4 Florida.

Rice, the defending SEC Gymnast of the Year, led the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide to its fifth highest score in school history, 197.925, on the way to a win against the Gators. Individually, the Longwood, Fla. native scored a season high 39.700 in the all-around and won the uneven bars and balance beam.

The Alabama Gymnastics team, fresh off producing the nation's best score of the season, bettered its grip on its No. 1 rankings.

The rankings are determined by overall season average. Alabama is the only team to average a 197 on the season and stands four-tenths better than No. 2 Georgia, having increased its lead by over a tenth form last week.

Alabama used a best in the nation 197.925 to beat then No. 4 Florida last Friday. Florida fell to No. 6 in the latest rankings. Defending NCAA Champion UCLA climbs to No. 3 this week while Utah falls one spot to No. 4. Iowa State sneaks into the top-5 at No. 5. In order, Stanford, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, round out the top-10