We have the 2nd of 2 Photo albums (and slide shows) for the 2008 Ghosts and Goblins. This covers beam and floor.

• Photo Album: 2008 Ghosts and Goblins (Part2)
• Slide Show: 2008 Ghosts and Goblins (Part2)

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

424482 bytes 001 Alyssa Chapman starts for the Ghosts

185286 bytes 002 and the ghouls keep sharp eyes

179603 bytes 003 through every pass

The Alabama Gymnastics Team completed an intra-squad on the uneven bars and balance beam this past Sunday to help the coaches and visiting Judge Judy Dobransky ascertain where the team is right now on two of the more critical events for the upcoming 2008 season.  Bama's depth on the uneven bars for 2008 should be improved by 3 to 4 routines; but performances on this date by two-time NCAA Bars Champion, Terin Humphrey, and fellow senior Kaitlin White, were limited due to both rehabbing their respective elbows and focusing on other events (floor for Kaitlin and beam for Terin), so they were not included in the intra-squad.  However, both of the seniors were observed working all four events during the extended practice.  The coaches noted that they are pacing Terin's and Kaitlin's pre-season workouts to help ensure their availability throughout the 2008 season.   The coaches were able to add other gymnasts in the intra-squad line-up who normally would be in back-up roles on these events.  NOTE: The next practice report will not come until right before the team breaks for the Christmas Holidays.  There will be more line-up predictions closer to the first week in January once they return to full work-outs after Christmas and we hope to have more information on the rest of the gymnasts' routines and floor music.  In the meantime, here are some of the observations from PBAs and Salto for the recent intra-squad:

The Medalist Club would like to extend a warm holiday welcome to our newest Benefactor, West Alabama Bank (Reform AL), for underwriting the cost of this year's T-shirts! A heart-felt thanks to Danielle and all the wonderfull folks at West Alabama Bank

Julie Cotter

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama Gymnastics team signed three student-athletes to national letters of intent during the early signing period.

Sarah Patterson, in her 30th season coaching the Crimson Tide, announced that Julie Cotter, Ashley Priess and Geralen Stack-Eaton will be a part of the 2009 freshman class.

"I'm glad this day is finally here," Patterson said. "All three of these ladies committed to Alabama so early in the process that it seemed like signing day would never get here. We are excited to have three young ladies of this caliber join our program. All three of them have tremendous physical gifts, but just as importantly they all are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all that they do."

We have the 1st of 2 Photo albums (and slide shows) for the 2008 Ghosts and Goblins. This covers vault and bars. Look for part 2 soon!

• Photo Album: 2008 Ghosts and Goblins (Part1)
• Slide Show: 2008 Ghosts and Goblins (Part1)

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

430677 bytes 01 A sure sign that the time for Ghosts and Goblins is nigh

225513 bytes 02 Do not be fooled-these happy fiends

218308 bytes 03 will soon show their fierce competitiveness

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - For this year, it is the Ghosts that reign supreme in the annual Alabama Gymnastics Ghost and Goblins Intrasquad, but no one can say it wasn't close.

The Crimson Tide, split into two teams, competed on all four events in front of a healthy crowd in the Frances Smith Gymnastics Practice Facility. The Ghost team, made up of senior Kaitlin White, junior Brittany Magge and Ashley O'Neal, sophomores Alyssa Chapman, Ricki Lebegern, Kassi Price and Jacqueline Shealy and freshman Jennifer Iovino, came away with the narrowest of wins, 93.08 to 93.07.

"It was a great, extremely close competition and we learned a lot about where we are and what we have to do before the season gets underway," head coach Sarah Patterson said. "I'm also so appreciative of our fans who came out to get a sneak peak of this year's team."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Gymnastics team hosts its annual Ghost and Goblins intrasquad this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the Frances Smith Practice Facility in Coleman Coliseum.

"This is the first opportunity of the season for our ladies to compete in front of others," coach Sarah Patterson said. "It really helps give us a better idea of where we are at this point in the year and what we have to work on before the first meet rolls around."

Alabama fans are invited to join the fun at the intrasquad to get a sneak peek at the 2008 team. The intrasquad is the culmination of a week of competition between the Ghost and Goblins squads.

The annual 'Ghosts and Goblins' intra-squad meet will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 28th, 2007. Practice has been intense - neither the Ghosts, nor the Goblins want to lose the meet and end up having to cook a Halloween dinner for the opposing team! The intra-squad will be held in the Frances Smith Gymnastics Practice Facility, located in the Coleman Coliseum annex. Come join us for some spooky fun and a sneak peek at the 2008 GymTide!

We are proud to introduce a new feature on GymTide entitled "Courtney's Chalk Talk" - a weekly journal of what's going on with the team by student coach Courtney Priess.

We have a Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2008 Quad autograph session and Ring Presentation.

• Photo Album: 2008 Quad autograph session and Ring Presentation
• Slide Show: 2008 Quad autograph session and Ring Presentation

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

211626 bytes 01. The path to a championship begins with

217438 bytes 02. a familiar warmup routine that is

307363 bytes 03. smoothly controlled and leavened by

The 2008 NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships will be held April 24-26, 2008, on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. As many of you know, it is sometimes difficult to reserve rooms at hotels close to the UGA campus. However, the Medalist Club has been presented with an opportunity to block a limited number of rooms at the Athens Holiday Inn Express, just a few blocks from the campus. Please go to the Bus and Travel page more additional information. Make your reservations early and come join us at the Championships!

The GymTide began official practice on September 17, 2007 and we got a chance to review some of the video from this past Tuesday's workout. Here are the highlights!

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Even though they just started official practices, The University of Alabama Gymnastics team has a very busy weekend planned.

In addition to preparing for the 2008 season - coaches Sarah and David Patterson's 30th at the Capstone - the gymnasts will be signing autographs on the Quad Saturday starting at 4 p.m. Of the 15 gymnasts on this year's team, three, newcomers, Kayla Hoffman, Jennifer Iovino and Megan Mashburn, will be making their first public Crimson Tide appearance Saturday.

And later in the day, during halftime of the Alabama-Georgia football game, senior Terin Humphrey and sophomore Morgan Dennis will receive their NCAA Championship rings.

The Medalist Club is looking forward to the 2007-2008 gymnastics season, and we hope you're planning on joining us as Coaches Patterson celebrate 30 years of leading the Crimson Tide forward.

We've reviewed our (Medalist Club) program from the last several years, and we've realized we weren't keeping up with the times, so we've made some changes in our Membership Level that will allow us to keep our support of our Gymtide at the highest possible level. Last year our expenses nearly outpaced our income, a situation we can't live with. S-o-o-o, after much discussion, head-scratching, and planning, we've revamped our program in a way which should let the Medalist Club support our team, and our members, in the way we should.

• [ More about this...]

With the 2008 edition of the GymTide set to start classes in just three weeks(!), the Medalist Club has been hard at work making plans for the new season. As part of those plans, the club has reserved a bus for the Alabama-Auburn dual meet on Friday, January 18th, 2008. Since this is scheduled to be our only bus trip for the season, we hope to 'pack the bus' and include some perks to make the trip a special event. For additional information, and to reserve your spot, please refer to the bus trip page.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Gymnastics team placed nine student-athletes on the 2007 Academic All-Southeastern Conference list it was announced this week.

"We are very proud of our history of success when it comes to this honor," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Our ladies know that academics are our number one priority and they work hard every semester to uphold our great tradition of excellence in the classroom."

Senior Erin Rightley made the list for the fourth year in a row while junior Terin Humphrey, a two-time NCAA Champion, earned the honor for the second time. Sophomores Cassie Martin, All-American Brittany Magee and Amanda Montgomery all made the honor roll. It was the second time for both Martin and Montgomery. Both Humphrey and Magee joined the Tide for the second semester of their freshman year and weren't eligible for the honor.

Alabama Gymnastics and the Medalist Club have lost a staunch supporter and friend with the passing away of James 'Tip' Cain on June 24, 2007. The longtime club member was a regular attendee at home meets despite declining health in recent years. A veteran of World War II and Korea, the 88 years young Tip and his wife, Betty, held season tickets near the beam-and not by accident! As Director Lucy Liles related, his nickname came from his first steps as a baby, all on tiptoes, and quickly moved to running in the same way. Tip surely appreciated the grace and strength of gymnasts on the beam, as the best of them work on their tiptoes without a check.

The Medalist Club extends its condolences to the family of James Tip Cain- University of Alabama fan, Veteran, and a great American.

We have a Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2007 National Championships Session01 (Thursday, April 26, 2007).

• Photo Album: 2007 National Championships Session01 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)
• Slide Show: 2007 National Championships Session01 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)

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

446087 bytes 01 Kaitlin White opens floor WU

218476 bytes 02 Erin Rightley in her floor WU

404418 bytes 03 Ricki Lebegern spins

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - This Saturday, for the fifth time since 2001, Alabama Gymnastics assistant head coach David Patterson will meet some friends at the Tuscaloosa IHoP on Skyland Blvd. where they will get on their bikes and take off into the early morning heat that is Alabama in May.

More than 150 miles later, they will climb off their bikes at their destination, Camp Smile-a-Mile, which is located on the shores of Lake Martin at Children's Harbor.

These cyclists, which come from all over the state of Alabama and all over the country, are part of a unique fundraiser called The Ride of Love, which was started in 2001 by Stephanie Wilkins, a counselor and board member at Camp Smile-A-Mile. In 2002 Patterson, himself a cancer survivor, joined Wilkins for the ride and the duo have been 'on the road' ever since helping grow the Ride and its impact.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Sarah Patterson couldn't accept the 2007 E. Roger Sayers Distinguished Service Award in person when it was announced at the end of April because she was in Salt Lake City, Utah leading the Alabama Gymnastics team to its 25th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and 25th consecutive top-10 finish.

So at the recent end of the year reception held for the Crimson Tide by the Medalist Club, Dr. Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama system, presented her with the award.

For Patterson, being named the Sayers Award is special for many reasons.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Gymnastics team celebrated its 2007 season with a year-end reception hosted by The Medalist Club.

At the reception, held at the Bryant Conference Center, the Crimson Tide was recognized for earning its 25th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance, its 25th consecutive top-10 finish as well as its two individual NCAA crowns among many other achievements.

And in a special presentation, head coach Sarah Patterson was honored with the E. Roger Sayers Distinguished Service Award by University of Alabama Systems Chancellor Malcolm Portera. Patterson could not be on hand when the award was initially announced last week. She and the Crimson Tide were in Salt Lake City, Utah at the national championships at the time.

Don't Forget the MEDALIST CLUB AWARDS RECEPTION to be held on Friday night at 7 P.M. in the Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center. If you haven't been contacted by someone and intend to attend, please RSVP to pooh'AT'gymtide.com.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - For Alabama gymnast Terin Humphrey, the time had come to reclaim what was hers, and for freshman Morgan Dennis it was the start of something special.

Humphrey, the 2004 U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist and 2005 NCAA Champion on the uneven bars reclaimed her NCAA title here Saturday night at the Huntsman Center with a near-perfect 9.95. Dennis scored a on the floor exercise 9.9625 with the most electrifying routine of the night to win her first NCAA crown.

"I'm speechless," Humphrey said. "I'm just so excited. Especially with what happened this year, overcoming injuries and surgery and all that stuff, it's exciting. I was jumping up and down."

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - There will be two Alabama Gymnasts in the mix when the NCAA Individual Event National Championships are decided Saturday night here in the Huntsman Center.

Junior Terin Humphrey, the 2005 NCAA Uneven Bars Champion, will compete in the finals of the uneven bars and the balance beam. Freshman Morgan Dennis will compete in the finals of the floor exercise.

Humphrey was fourth last year on the balance beam. As a freshman she was first on the uneven bars and fifth on the beam. Alabama has won 19 individual NCAA titles since Penney Hauschild took home 1985 all-around and uneven bars titles.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - For the first time since 1997, the Alabama Gymnastics team will not advance to Friday's Super Six team finals after finishing fifth in the preliminary session of today's NCAA Championships preliminaries.

"I am personally devastated," head coach Sarah Patterson said. "This only the second time that we have not advanced to the Super Six and only the second time in the 25 consecutive years that we've qualified for the NCAA Championships that we won't finish in the final six."

The Crimson Tide scored a 196.150, its lowest score since a Feb. 10 loss to Georgia in Athens. Georgia, 197.700, Florida, 197.400, and Nebraska, 196.625, advanced to tomorrow night's finals. Oklahoma, 196.250, finished fourth while Oklahoma State, 195.1, rounded out the afternoon session.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The travel that took them across the country is finished. So is the last practice of the season, on the floor of the Huntsman Center here on the University of Utah campus. Even the interviews with CBS and the local and national media that have gathered here to cover the 26th NCAA Gymnastics Championships are over, at least for the moment.

All that is left for the Alabama Crimson Tide is the competition and a shot at a fifth NCAA title.

"It's great to be at Utah and to compete in our 25th consecutive championship," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Utah is a special place for Alabama; it's where we competed at our first championship and where we won our first NCAA Championship. To make it to 25 NCAA Championships in a row is something of which we're very proud. Only the University of Utah has a longer streak. I can tell you to be at the 25th championship is equally as gratifying as it was 25 years ago."

Bama's coaches have been navigating some rather rough waters over the past few weeks in terms of dealing with unexpected injuries to key performers on their #3 nationally-ranked Crimson Tide gymnastics team.  For example, sophomore Ashley O'Neal has required extra rest on the floor and balance beam in hopes of keeping her healthy for nationals, while freshman Kassi Price was held out of  the Central Regional Championship this past Saturday due to a tweaking of the knee during floor practice on Friday the 13th.  As a result, the coaches have had to dig into their storage bin for routines that could temporarily replace these gals and they received a pleasant surprise along the way.  Freshman Casey Overton handled lead-off duties on the balance beam like a pro (9.800) while sophomore Amanda Montgomery proved her mettle on uneven bars (9.700) and balance beam (9.775) Saturday night.  Meanwhile, sophomore Brittany Magee came through on floor (9.750) with her first competitive routine of the 2007 season.  Bama finished 1st (196.700) in convincing style despite the side-lining of two of their clutch performers, led by junior All American Terin Humphrey (All Around winner at 39.475), junior Kaitlin White  (hit 3 of 3 events) and freshmen Morgan Dennis (AA - 39.400) and Ricki Lebegern (AA - 39.375).  Onto the highlights....

"It was truly a Championship Weekend to remember and we are thrilled to be traveling to Salt Lake City, the site of our 1st NCAA Championship in 1988..." [ More...]

Thursday, April 26, 2007 [Session 1]
2:00 PM CST (1:00 PM MST)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama Gymnastics team, advancing to its 25th consecutive NCAA Championships, was informed today that it will compete in the afternoon session of the preliminary day of competition held next week in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Alabama, the NCAA Central Region Champions, will see plenty of familiar faces in the very tough afternoon session that will get underway at Thursday, April 26 at 1 p.m. MT. Southeastern Conference foes Florida and Georgia, ranked first and second at the end of the regular season, will join the Tide, ranked No. 3 nationally.

Oklahoma, which Alabama saw to open the season and at last Saturday's Tuscaloosa- based regional will join the SEC trio. Nebraska, ranked sixth going into regionals, and Oregon State round out the afternoon session.

All National Championship tickets purchased through the Alabama ticket office will be handled by the Alabama Gymnastics staff at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Your tickets will NOT be mailed to you. (Since many of our fans are traveling out to Salt Lake City well before the event, the gymnastics office did not want to take the risk that Nationals tickets would be mailed to their homes after fans had left for Utah.) All tickets may be picked up from members of the Alabama gymnastics staff at the "Player Pass" gate, which is at the Southeast Entrance (Door 1) of the Huntsman Center.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Early this week, Alabama's All-American junior Terin Humphrey couldn't raise her arm above her head. Tonight, with a trip to the NCAA Championships on the line, she went in the all-around and helped Alabama to its 25th consecutive national championship berth.

The Crimson Tide scored a 196.700 to win its 22nd NCAA Regional title. There was a tie between Oklahoma University and Iowa State, which both scored 195.925. In collegiate gymnastics the top five of the six scores on each apparatus counts in the team's total. The NCAA tiebreaker is to add back in the sixth score on each event. Oklahoma edged out Iowa State to advance.

Michigan State finished fourth with a 194.800, followed by Ohio State in fifth place with a 194.650, and Kentucky in sixth place with a 194.025.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The practice day for the NCAA Central Region Championships is in the books and now all that is left is what promises to be the most electrifying competition of the season.

"There is nothing like regionals in terms of excitement and pressure," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "There are six teams that will be competing tomorrow night and they all have one dream - to move on to Salt Lake City and the NCAA Championships. With such a young team, we are excited to be competing at home in front of the best fans in the world."

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 3 ranked Alabama gymnastics team found out who will join them in Tuscaloosa next week for the NCAA Central Region Championships and a chance to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships.

The Crimson Tide will welcome No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 15 Iowa State, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 26 Kentucky to Tuscaloosa for the April 14 Central Regional Championships starting at 6 p.m.

"We're excited to be hosting this championship event and now we look forward to doing our job and advancing on to the NCAA Championships," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Everything we do from this point on will be geared toward qualifying for our 25th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships. I think that would be a tremendous accomplishment and honor."

The Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics Team traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, this past weekend to contend against three of the most talented teams in the country for Southeastern Conference glory. Despite a solid effort on all four events that saw the team endure three byes between each of their first three events, Alabama was still unable to capitalize on several golden opportunities to push their performances up to the level required to knock off the only two teams that had defeated them so far in the 2007 season (Florida and Georgia).  So the GymTide had to settle for a respectable 3rd Place showing that was still within .175 of the Bulldogs and .325 of the Gators. Coach Patterson was happy to see her young team close the gap but realizes that much improvement is still needed in the area of mental toughness if the Crimson Tide is to seriously contend for their fifth national title in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The first challenge comes in two weeks at the Central Regional Championship hosted by the Tide in Tuscaloosa. Bama must be one of the two highest-scoring teams on the night of April 14, 2007, to get the nod for their 25th straight NCAA appearance. Only Utah has more NCAA appearances at 26.  For now, let's review some of the highlights from the SEC match.

We have a Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2007 Midseason Meets (Georgia, Arkansas and Kentucky).

• Photo Album: 2007 Midseason Meets (Georgia, Arkansas and Kentucky)
• Slide Show: 2007 Midseason Meets (Georgia, Arkansas and Kentucky)

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