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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Gymnastics: Red Rocks rally behind Wilson’s motivational words

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Even after her season-ending injury, Red Rock senior Tory Wilson has made it a point to still make her presence felt — even when she isn’t actually present.

Utah got off to a rough start on Saturday, and went into its first bye of its NCAA Regional meet in true danger of not advancing to Nationals, but when the Utes went into their locker room, they found some messages.

Wilson wasn’t able to make the trip to Berkeley, Calif. for the meet, but she was watching from a far, and she wasn’t too impressed by what she saw. But like she had done all season, she gave the team a pep talk.

Wilson had sent text messages to the team, and instead of rebuking their performance, they were messages of inspiration.

“They were messages like, ‘You guys need to calm down, you got this, we’ve been doing this all year,’” freshman Tiffani Lewis said. “It was a cool thing getting text messages from Tory while we were competing. We all just came together and took a breath, thinking we got these routines, and we trained for this so let’s just prove to be what we are — Utah.”

Lewis was one of the gymnasts that helped Utah do just that. Performing in place of Wilson on three events, the freshman posted two 9.850s and a 9.825.

Lewis knew more weight would be put on her shoulders after Wilson went down, and the week leading up to the Regional meet the pressure started to build.

“You kind of have to step back, take a deep breathe and realize you have been doing these routines, and just because you are going to go out and your score is going to be counted doesn’t make the routine any different, you’re not adding any new skills,” Lewis said. “I’ve been training all year, so I just had to take a step back and breathe and realize I have been doing this for years.”

Lewis wasn’t the only freshman to have a good performance in Berkeley. Maddy Stover took over Wilson’s normal beam lead-off spot, and had one of her best performances of the year. Utah had Wilson go first mainly because of her consistency on the beam. She simply didn’t fall, and it got the Utes off to a good start.

By moving Stover to the leadoff spot from her normal third spot in the lineup, the Utah coaches are showing the same kind of confidence in the young freshman.

“It felt nice that they trusted me and thought that I would be good for that spot,” Stover said. “For me personally I didn’t change a thing, going first or third isn’t really that different. On beam the more pressure you put on yourself the worst you end up doing, so I just made sure my whole body and my mind were calm before I got up on the beam, because that’s when I do the routine I know I can do.”

The confidence Utah put in Stover paid off as she posted a 9.875 on the event.

Utah coaches have said that the other seniors have filled the role of vocal leader now that Wilson is out. Georgia Dabritz said that she and fellow senior Corrie Lothrop have tried to be more vocal, but she says that Wilson is still doing her fair share.

“Tory is still here, a couple times a week, and even though she isn’t on the floor with us, she is still a leader for us,” she said.

Wilson may have to send some text messages again come next weekend when the Red Rocks head to Fort Worth, Texas for the NCAA National meet, but she will at least be a little bit closer to the action — Wilson will be traveling with the Utes.

“I think she has to stay in the stands — it’s a little hard to push the wheelchair — which is sad, but we need her morale support,” Lewis said. “Just having her around and seeing her makes it all better.”

[email protected]

@millerjryan

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