Heading into the Salt Lake Regional on Saturday, there were many storylines surrounding the Utah gymnastics team that needed to be fulfilled. This included the team finally defeating UCLA, the pressures put on the older gymnasts to deliver and defying expectations the team faced at the beginning of the season.
Not only did the Red Rocks create positive storylines from their first-place finish, they checked off all the boxes in their competitive performance over some of the best teams in the nation. They defied the odds to defeat their Pac-12 and in-state rivals, they came back from a deep deficit to take first in the meet and all the gymnasts stepped up when they were needed most.
But the most important box they were able to check was their focus on themselves and what was best for the team.
Kailah Delaney, who had big performances on the beam and vault, mentioned right away that she only wanted to focus on herself and her other teammates, not the headlines that came with winning Regionals.
“Our goal was to just compete in all four events, have a good meet and stay in our Utah bubble, which we did,” Delaney said. “We only wanted to focus on ourselves. It was a great meet and we’re so excited on how we finished.”
After the second-place finish in the Pac-12 Championships, the Red Rocks decided to take their two week break to regroup and focus on the ‘Utah bubble’ — setting their minds only on themselves and their teammates.
With the mindset instilled by the coaching staff, the team went into top gear to put on a show in front of the home fans. They certainly delivered. In every rotation each gymnast knew what to focus on and developed a new sense of professionalism that is needed to be a top competitor in gymnastics.
Baely Rowe also agreed that their team mindset is what really set the Utes apart from the other teams, especially during tough moments when many away fans in the Huntsman Center became a distraction as they cheered on other teams.
“We stayed in our Utah bubble,” Rowe said. “We didn’t really realize what was going on the outskirts of the routines. We made sure that we cheered really loud and focused on the event we were on, not the things that were going on around us.”
Another characteristic that was developed over the course of the season was trust, which is a major component to success in gymnastics. Being in the ‘Utah bubble’ created trust in the gymnasts and those around them.
There were moments during the regular season where that trust was lost. But Breanna Hughes believes that the team’s trust in its training over the course of the season is what brought Utah to the top. She also mentioned that the team treated Regionals like any other gymnastics meet, putting less pressure on themselves in the process.
“Each routine we try to approach it the same no matter what,” Hughes said. “We use the same mental choreography just like we’re in practice doing the routines. Having the whole team there backing you up, and cheering for you helps as well.”
With the mental components clicking and redemption reached by the win, the Red Rocks now look towards improving and tuning their training and trust as they prepare for their next major challenge at the Semi-Finals in Texas.
They will face even more challenges not being in Salt Lake City to compete, but are ready to give it their all as they set their sights on another spot in the Super Six.
@chad_marquez