After three years, they are tired of coming in second.
The 2009 Red Rocks gymnastics team insists that things are going to be different this year.
It’s a renewed dedication to success that the team hopes will propel them to the top at the 2009 NCAA National Championship in Lincoln, Neb.
“We’re willing to put everything that we have into this,” said senior gymnast Nina Kim. “We’re willing to do that for the end to be what we want.”
Working extensively on weekends and summer afternoons, the team has used its heartbreaking defeats as motivation.
“I’ll just throw the little things out there that really get them going,” said assistant strength coach Jon Webster. “Do you want to be an All-American or do you just want to be, you know, average? Do you want to win the national championship, or is second place good enough for you?”
Junior Jamie Deetscreek decided that second place wasn’t her goal after she missed out on competing in last year’s national championship loss to rival Georgia. She said the disappointment of not being chosen to compete inspired her to reach a higher level in the sport.
“The whole summer, I just worked really hard and then it just kept getting better from there,” Deetscreek said.
This season, Deetscreek is a regular starter for the team, posting a team-high score of 39.350 at Oregon State and consistently scoring among the top gymnasts on the team.
However, Deetscreek isn’t alone in her hard work. Kim, the senior from Houston, pointed out what separates this team from those of the past.
“Every team is going to be working hard, every school, but it’s just the little things like getting in here on Saturdays, or, you know, coming in here on your own,” Kim said.
She said the tedious task of waking up at 7 or 8 a.m. for Saturday workouts, because the team competes Friday nights, is an exhausting turnaround.
But when the gymnasts hit the weight room, they gain motivation and support from their coaches to reach the ultimate goal.
“What I say goes, you know, as far as, “Hey, we’re going again, we’re doing this, we’re doing this, we’re doing this, and you have no choice but to get that done,'” Webster said.
Although the team has prepared for hours on end and has performed at a championship level all season, it must transfer that to the decisive moments of competition to reach its goals.
“It is a rough sport because we do train forever and a vault will last like seven seconds or something, or a routine will last a minute-and-a-half and you get one chance,” said senior Kristina Baskett.
It’s this one chance that each gymnast hopes to capitalize on starting tomorrow.
Erik DaenitzDedication to summer workouts helped U gymnast Jamie Deetscreek reach a higher level of competition this year. Her approach reflects the Red Rocks commitment to excellence during the 2009 season.