Utah fans who just got done experiencing a football season that hung on every win will have to change gears.
Despite a loss to No. 1 Georgia on Monday, Utah is as much in the hunt for a national championship as it was before the meet started. That’s because unlike the football season, which is much like a walk on a tightrope, the gymnastics season is more like a sculpture that is molded into perfection. That’s what allows head coach Greg Marsden to remain optimistic despite failing to gain a shot of momentum in the team’s second meet into the season.
“It was huge for us to come into this tough environment this early in the season and perform so well,” Marsden said after the loss. “We knew we’d have to be perfect to win here, so you focus on what you can control8212;which I felt we did.”
If the college football regular season is a playoff system, then the regular season in gymnastics is a preseason. Although teams such as Utah want to be the best they can be, the regular season is a process geared toward gaining a seat at the regional championships in early April, and eventually the Super Six, or national championships, later in the month. In fact, most teams choose to build and progress toward nationals and hope to peak and sustain that peak right around March. That allows the inevitable falls and steps on landings to be learning experiences.
“You never like to lose, but the positives of this meet far outweigh the negatives,” Marsden said.
Nothing is more indicative of how different gymnastics is from football than the two sports’ ranking systems. In football, the results are decided objectively on the field and teams are ranked subjectively off of it. In a sport that revolves around judging, gymnastics is a subjective sport on the mats, but purely objective off of them.
Despite beating Utah as the No. 1 team, Georgia dropped to No. 4 in the rankings because its team scoring average is 196.137. Utah is ranked No. 3 for its average being 196.175. Both teams fell behind the new No. 1 Florida and No. 2 UCLA.
These fickle early season rankings allow teams such as Utah to gain positives in nearly every area.
The biggest area for optimism against Georgia came on beam.
After Gael Mackie fell in the leadoff position, Utah stuck its five remaining routines under pressure. As a result, Utah didn’t have to count a fall, which is always a good sign for a team building toward an April crescendo.
“I think we did almost everything we could on beam after Gael’s fall,” Marsden said. “You can always find a balance check here or a step on a landing, but we did a nice job.”
To help further Utah’s progress, the Red Rocks are already preparing for the rigorous national championship schedule. After facing Georgia on Monday, Utah turns around to face Washington on Friday and will only practice once, Thursday, to prepare for the Huskies, who are perennial regional championship contenders.
Lucas IsleyCortni Beers and the Utes suffered their first lost of the season in Georgia on Monday. Unlike football, a loss during the regular season will not cost the Red Rocks a shot at the national championship.