Hello Ladies Gymnastics Fans! It's been a few years since I wrote my last Gym Talk, but it's great to be back! Stepping back on Centenary's campus again was like coming home. I am so thrilled to be back on the other side as a coach. Big things are happening at Centenary and I am excited to be a part of it!
This week the Ladies were busy getting ready for finals. We talk a lot about our activities in the gym, but these Ladies work just as hard in school. As I was sitting in on study hall this week, it was great to see the collaboration and mentoring going on between teammates.
We have such a talented group of Ladies on the team this year, and on Sunday during our intrasquad, we got to see how our preseason efforts have been paying off. The intrasquad started off with a bang on floor! The floor girls were going for those HIT landings and showing off their dance. Next was vault, and I can definitely say that the vault shakers came with the power. We had some upgrades from last year with Senior Lacey Wedge doing a font handspring pike and Sophomore Emma Lavelle doing a round off ½ on front tuck off. Sophomore Carissa Martinez made her vault line up debut with a beautiful Yurchenko full. Then we swung on over to bars for some beautiful Bar Star routines. Congratulations to Junior Izzie Plaza, who made her bar line up debut! We had some seasoned veterans in the lineup, Rose Deshler, Kendall Huff and Taylor Wilson, who all competed beautifully. Not to be forgotten, Freshman Sophie Schmitz had a beautiful single bar release. Last but not least was beam. We had some beam royalty present on Sunday. Freshman Amy Foret competed a made routine with a stuck landing. Senior Taylor Wilson debuted her new dismount connection, be on the lookout for it this season! Sophomore Emma Lavelle had a beautiful leap series and stuck landing. Senior Kennedy Stephens competed a gorgeous triple series. Sophomore Carissa Martinez brought it home for the Ladies and had a HIT series.
A special shout out to Claire, Olivia, Mylia, Rylie, Roxy, and Leilani. They were not able to compete today, but it takes a village for a team to run smoothly on the competition floor. We need people to move mats, set the board, play the music, record the videos, set the bars, and most importantly cheer each other on. Every person on the team plays a vital role in the success of the Lady up on the event. Having a team there for support is the best part of college gymnastics!
The Ladies are now hard at work on finals. Then they will be headed home to celebrate the holidays with family. It will be a great time to recharge before we hit the ground running in preparation the start of season. Mark your calendars for our next intrasquad in the Gold Dome on January 8th!
Tune in next week for Freshman Sophie Schmitz Gym Talk about her first semester experience at Centenary!
Happy Holidays,
Coach Meg
