The Red Rock faithfuls have had this date marked in their calendar for a long time now.
Tonight will be the first time this season that fans can catch a glimpse of the 2009 Red Rocks. It’s been a long preseason and it seems as though the team is ready to get the season under way.
“I’m really nervous, but I’m super excited,” said Utah freshman Stephanie McAllister. “I can’t wait to get out there.”
The native of Indianapolis is one of two freshmen who will be getting her first taste of action inside the Huntsman Center, the other being Cortni Beers out of Tulsa, Okla. The jump from club gymnastics to the collegiate level is not always an easy one, but with help from teammates, the transition has been made a little easier for the duo.
“One of the things I really like is the team atmosphere,” McAllister said. “I love that, especially because our team is really close. The other girls on the team have been awesome8212;they have made adjusting really easy.”
As the freshmen continue to adjust to life as collegiate gymnasts at the U, the other teammates are looking to the preview as the beginning of another run at a national championship, a goal they fell just short of for the past two years.
“We worked really hard this summer, which led to starting the preseason off right and we’ve been training really hard, even before gymnastics, so our bodies are ready,” said Jamie Deetscreek.
But if anything, after last year, this team has come back stronger and more determined than ever. After losing a few key players from last year’s team8212;including the most decorated gymnast in Utah history, Ashley Postell8212;some to graduation and others to injury, the Red Rocks have been left shorthanded, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“This year, we have a smaller team and there are no stars,” Deetscreek said. “We all have to pull our own weight and be ready because anyone can be called on at any moment if someone gets hurt.”
But it seems the team is closer than ever. If they’re not pushing each other in practice, then many of the girls are hanging out outside of the gym and the camaraderie on the team really shows that.
“We all have a common goal for the end of this season,” Deetscreek said. “And all our personalities have really clicked so everybody wants each other to do well. We’re feeling pretty confident (the preview) will show us what we need to work on still.”
While the preview is a good opportunity for fans to see the team totally free of charge, it is also equally important to the team members in that it gives them a pretty good gauge as to how they have progressed over the preseason.
“(The preview) gives us a chance to see how we’re going to perform when we’re nervous,” Deetscreek said. “It helps show us what we need to still work on.”
The Red Rocks’ preview gets underway in the Huntsman Center tonight at 7 p.m. free of charge. There will be an opportunity after the meet to get autographs and pictures taken with the team.
Lennie MahlerTonight?s Red Rock Preview is important to Jamie Deetscreek and the rest of the Utah team. The team will use their performances in the preview to see what work is left to do before the season starts.