Feb. 13, 2008
There's no place like home!
This past weekend I got incredibly spoiled as we headed to my freezing cold hometown for a dual meet against the Michigan State Spartans. With my Michigan family and my Maryland family all in one place, what could be better?! After months of built-up anticipation and excitement, it was a bittersweet feeling to have this weekend come and pass already. The season is flying by! Nevertheless, this past weekend was nothing short of a memorable adventure (as traveling with 14 girls tends to be), not to mention a successful competition for the team!
We began Saturday's meet on bars, where Abbey had an awesome debut! Her 9.7 set was one of six hit routines, giving us a solid start to the competition. Moving to vault, we had more clean performances, and once we again went six-for-six! Brandi's 9.75 score led us into floor with momentum rolling, and we definitely used it to our advantage! Michele really played up to the crowd with her consistent floor set, and Brandi tumbled high to earn an outstanding 9.825. We entered the last rotation with energy and focus, knowing that beam is the one event that can make or break a team. Although we had some struggles, we were able to turn out several solid performances, like Talia's 9.775 set. Despite some mistakes, we were able to put together our season high team score!
Beyond achieving our highest score of the season so far, it should be noted that this weekend was full of a couple more little triumphs for the team. First, despite Brett's lack of trust in my keen sense of direction (I manage to get lost in my own neighborhood), we made it through the entire weekend without any U-turns-- definitely a team first! Secondly, all of the southern-born girls successfully made it through their first encounter with negative temperatures-- brrrr! Congrats everyone!
After surviving the cold and a couple of bumpy plane rides, we made it to College Park and are itching to get back in the gym and improve every little thing that we can. We are slowly but surely taking steps in the right direction, and every week our confidence is growing. With the team's strong sense of dedication, I know that big things are headed our way-- starting with this Friday's home meet against George Washington University!
Thanks for supporting Maryland gymnastics and GO TERPS!
Allie
P.S.- It was so wonderful to see all of my friends and family this weekend, and of course I have to give a BIG thanks for the custom-made t-shirts that filled the crowd! :)
