Nov. 10, 2008

Written by: Allie Dama

I can't believe it is November already! This semester is flying by and competition season is now in plain sight. With our first intrasquad coming up in only a couple weeks, everyone is working harder than ever and the progress is amazing! I see great things for our team this year!

We started off this week with a very relaxing Sunday, thanks to Kyra Phillips! At the end of last week Vicki and strength coach Kilee put some intense pressure on her, saying that if she hit her next beam set we'd have no Sunday lift. With nerves of steel, Kyra stepped up to the plate, nailed her routine and earned us all a day off! I know a lot of us had exams and a stressful workload this week, so we were all grateful for some extra study time. Thanks Ky!

With fresh legs and hungry attitudes, everyone came into the gym this week ready to go. We also started a new tradition during warm-up, where everyone shares a goal that she hopes to accomplish in the next day or two. Letting each other hear our goals has proven to be a simple, but extremely motivating tactic! A lot of the girls put more tumbling passes on the floor, like Brandi George's new front through to double back and Kyra Phillip's double pike. Candice King has been looking great on all four events, putting together a beautiful bar set and some booming layout full yurchenkos. Margaux Meeks also showed some HUGE full-twisting vaults this week and Michele Brenner upgraded to a very nice piked handspring front. Kelsey McDermid's bars have become amazingly consistent, as well as Lisa Reifschneider's double Arabian dismounts. Talia Tossone's tumbling passes look effortless, and Becca Pang's bar routine is coming along nicely. Both Abigail Adams and Kaitlin Joseph have not missed a beat and are returning from injuries quickly and easily!

Pressure sets seemed to be the theme of the week, as bar assignments were geared towards hitting the first attempt, and Vicki used a consistency chart to track our progress on beam. Everyone has been doing a great job of hitting routines when it counts; something that will definitely help us achieve our goal of making it to Regionals. Along with our skills, I think our enthusiasm and upbeat attitudes will help carry us towards success!

I am very proud to be a part of the Terrapin family, and I can't wait to see what this season will bring! Lastly, of course, I'd like to wish Kaitlin Joseph a very happy birthday!

Thanks for all your support, and we hope you can make it out this season! GO TERPS!

Allie

Previous Terps Tumble Talks:
Nov. 3, 2008 - Margaux Meeks
Oct. 27, 2008 - Kelsey McDermid
Oct. 20, 2008 - Brandi George
Oct. 13, 2008 - Lisa Reifschneider
Oct. 6, 2008 - Head coach Bob Nelligan