Hey Centenary Gymnastics fans! Freshman Lauryn Stiff here with my first gym talk!
The week before Thanksgiving break was an incredible week of training. The amount of progress every one of my teammates has shown is fantastic! We really pushed through the last day and managed to cross off our Thanksgiving goals!
We started out the week with our usual dark and early Tuesday morning practice. This is our day for basics and drills – where we can really focus on the details and the small things which will make a difference as we progress towards the end of our season! Tuesdays also give us some time focusing on the newer skills we are wanting to add to our routines.
Thursday we have now been going to the pool instead of the track. It's great to get in the water and get a good work-out in while giving our legs a break! While it's a bit early, and the water is pretty cool when we first get in, Coach Jackie gets us warmed up quick. We worked hard and did some great cardio, so we were rewarded with a rousing came of pool volleyball at the end! It was a fun way to end a great work-out.
As we progressed into the week-end practices the team was really motivated to get those goals crossed off the board. Everyone knew these specific goals for each person will be a vital part of our teams' success this year, and we were really determined to get them done! Not only as individuals, but teammates encouraging teammates to dig deep and reach their goals. What a great feeling of accomplishment to watch each and every teammate work so hard and finally achieve success.
Some highlights from our goals were: Kendall Huff moved her triple series to the high beam, a huge accomplishment for her! Cami Bea Austin caught her Tkatchev in her new combination on the real bar. Kendall Knaps is becoming very consistent with her Geinger. She also moved her vault upgrade to higher mats. Xie-Pie (Xian Baumgartner) got her new pass on floor, which looks great! Taylor Ann Wilson and Rose Deshler also put their new series on high beam, making our depth on beam even better. Lacey Wedge is tumbling again after shoulder surgery, first up was getting her front lay front full on floor. Leilani Johnson and Kennedy Stephens are making awesome strides on their bar upgrades. Jenny Jackson is working hard cleaning up her vault to be ready for competition season, and it is looking great. And I have finally been given the okay to put 25 pounds of weight on my foot and will be working towards full weight in a couple of weeks!
We also had a few more floor routines get finished before we left, and it is going to be so exciting to see our fun choreography on the competition floor. Just a sneak peek for our two new routines; Kennedy Stephens (Flex) will be saving the world from destruction, and Xian Baumgartner gets a little freaked out, but finds her way home!
One of the things I've noticed, being on the injured list and unable to fully train, is the grit and determination my teammates have shown during practice. I can't wait to see how this will transition to our competition season.
The Ladies left campus Tuesday to head home for Thanksgiving break. This is the first time most of us have been home since we moved in August 2nd! We're all excited to see our families and eat some good food!
Lots of hard work going on over here as your Ladies prepare for an amazing 2020 season! The Ladies' will return Sunday afternoon to get back to work for just 9 days before finals week hits! We will be digging deep to push ourselves to be ready for the beginning of season.
P.S. You guys better watch out for these Ladies' because they're on fire!
With love,