The Red Rocks will leave Salt Lake City on Saturday morning to make the cross-country trip to Athens, Ga., the site of last year’s national championships.
This will be the first trip back to Athens for Greg Marsden’s squad since its runner-up finish in the national championship to the host team.
“In the past couple years we have always been a little nervous going down (to Athens) and we’ve kind of doubted ourselves a little bit,” said senior Kristina Baskett. “But this year, we’re totally excited, we believe in ourselves and we’re excited to go down there and give them a run for their money.”
Although the Red Rocks were able to take down Georgia when they hosted the Gym Dogs at the Huntsman Center during the regular season last year, Utah fell just short in nationals, finishing No. 2 for the third straight year.
But the holiday weekend came at the perfect time for the Red Rocks8212;not only did the extra few days give them more time to work on their routines, but it gave them time to rest as well.
“It’s really nice to have the longer weekend,” Baskett said. “Normally, we’re turning around really fast and preparing for a meet Friday night but it’s nice to have the longer weekend to nurse some injuries that naturally come from the first meet of the season. So it’s a nice break.”
The short landing Baskett took during her floor routine Jan. 9 against UCLA aggravated some soreness she had in her ankles over the summer after a similar stumble in last year’s national championship.
Everyone on Utah’s roster was in Athens last year for the championships except for true freshmen Cortni Beers and Stephanie McAllister. The experience was a valuable one, something Baskett thinks will be a big factor Monday night.
“It really helped to have nationals down there last year, so that most of the team knows what it’s like8212;they know it’s not our crowd, they know it’s a huge rivalry and they know it’s going to be tough,” Baskett said. “We’re more on the positive end this year then we have been in past years.”
Baskett said she knows that although the win is something she and the Red Rocks will be striving for, the road to their ultimate goal of winning a national championship is a long one.
“There is so much out of our control,” Baskett said. “But the thing we’re confident about is that we can go in there and hit a good meet. We are confident in where we are physically and after the first meet, we’re stronger mentally.”
From past experiences, Utah knows Athens is not the kind of place you just walk into and get a win.
“We’re prepared for the large crowd,” Baskett said. “But we need to focus more on what we’re doing and not what the crowd is saying.”
With so much hype swirling around the biggest rivalry in collegiate gymnastics, it’s interesting to note that most of the gymnasts on both sides knew each other long before they committed to their respective universities.
“A lot of us know each other from club gymnastics and elite gymnastics,” Baskett said. “So one-on-one, a lot of us are good, but in the team atmosphere you always want to have that competitive edge, but there’s no hostility at all.”
Although a lot will change between now and when the teams will meet up again for the national championships, which will be held in Lincoln, Neb., Monday’s meet will showcase the two premier gymnastics programs in the country.
Erik DaenitzKristina Baskett performs on balance beam in the season opener versus UCLA.
Erik DaenitzUtah?s Kristina Baskett brings senior experience to the gymnastics team traveling to No. 1 ranked Georgia for their meet Monday. With several gymnasts injured, the Red Rocks look for strong performances from all at the site of last year?s national championships.