Jan. 26, 2009

Written by: Kyra Phillips

Hey Terps Fans!

Wow, what a great feeling it is to be a Terp! Friday night was definitely a night to remember, as we finished first against the University of Denver and NC State University. Going into this competition we all had an extreme amount of confidence in one another - a confidence that we could do anything we put our minds and HEARTS into.

This past week in the gym was "Rivalry Week" as coach Brett Nelligan stated. The gym was filled with tons of intense energy, hard work and loads of teamwork! Every day we pushed ourselves to the limit with goals in mind for the weekend competition. Everyone took a step up and gave everything they had to contribute to our team and to make us the best we can possibly be.

We started the meet off with 7-for-7 great vaults with solid stuck landings by Candice King and Brandi George and an impressive new vault from Michele Brenner! The energy from vault flowed into the next rotation and into the rest of the meet. On bars Margaux Meeks started us off with another beautiful bar set and Candice was in bar lineup for the first time this season and impressed us all with her long lines and gorgeous routine. As the team moved to beam we approached it with confidence and held it together! Becca Pang again showed us another beautiful hit set full of confidence! Kaitlin Joseph hit a very impressive beam set on her first time out on beam this season, and we were all so proud of her confidence. As the team moved on to our final event, floor, we were so pumped.

We had a great crowd Friday night and you could tell that they were not only feeling our energy, but also contributing to it! During our floor touch our Fight Song was played and I'd just like to thank our Gymkana friends for emerging from the crowd and helping show the fans how great it is to get involved. This lead to the team hitting 6-for-6 powerful and energetic floor routines! Talia Tossone presented a great routine with solid passes and Abbey Adams finished the meet off with a huge, brand new first pass, a full in, and hit the set beautifully to receive a 9.8!

It was a great feeling to finish the competition and to see how hard work and teamwork pays off! We have "Nothing to Lose" and as the season continues we are going to continue giving it everything we have.

Thank you everyone for coming! All the support is tremendous and it makes such a difference! You're Awesome and we can't wait to see you again for our next home meet - February 20th at 6PM. It's our Breast Cancer Awareness Meet, so come wearing my favorite color.... PINK!!

This weekend proved to be a busy one as Sunday morning the team met and drove into Baltimore to visit the children's ward at the University of Maryland Medical Center. We brought books to read and had a great time talking to some of the children. At first they were a little shy, but once we surrounded them with a handstand contest they were all pumped to go home and start trying some of their own! As I said earlier, it truly felt great to be a Terp.

There was also another great touch to our weekend... our awesome Ms. Allie Dama, who has been ill, got released from the hospital on Sunday and will be on her way home today! It is such a blessing to see her doing better. Allie you are an inspiration and such a fighter. It is not the same without you! We love and miss you and can't wait to see you soon!

Thank you for reading! GO TERPS!

Kyra

Previous Terps Tumble Talks:
Jan. 21, 2009 - Candice King
Jan. 12, 2009 - Abbey Adams
Dec. 15, 2008 - Associate head coach Brett Nelligan
Dec. 8, 2008 - Michele Brenner
Dec. 2, 2008 - Kaitlin Joseph
Nov. 24, 2008 - Assistant coach Vicki Chliszczyk
Nov. 17, 2008 - Becca Pang
Nov. 10, 2008 - Allie Dama
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