Defending NCAA Champion Gymnastics Team Finds Way Home
1/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
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Alabama Gymnastics is finally coming to a gym near you, if you live in Tuscaloosa that is.
After staring the season off with four road meets in three weeks, the Crimson Tide will finally compete at home this Friday, Jan. 31 against the Michigan Wolverines.
"Our ladies were beginning to think this weekend would never get here," said head coach Sarah Patterson. "After spending two straight weeks in Athens, our freshmen were starting to think that was our home arena."
The Tide rookies will quickly find out the difference between an Athens crowd with 200 Alabama fans standing strong against an arena of Georgia fans and having 10,000-plus fans dressed in crimson and white cheering for them.
"I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and I've finally clicked the heels of my ruby slippers," head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Because even though our freshmen don't know it yet, there is no place like home for Alabama Gymnastics. We have some of the absolute best fans in the world and I am so excited for our ladies to get to experience them this Friday."
And just like the Tide's first four meets, the tussle against Michigan won't be easy. The Wolverines have been a fixture at the NCAA Championships for the last 10 years, including seven top-6 finishes.
But the Tide has already proven this season that it is no push over. Alabama has scored over 197.0 each of the last three meets, using a different lineup each time. In fact, Alabama is the only team in the nation to have produced three road scores of 197.0.
After getting the opening meet jitters out of the way at the Super Six Challenge, the Tide has become especially solid on the balance beam, hitting 18 straight routines through the last three meets.
Freshman Ashley Miles has made a big impact on the Tide's scoring already, posting eight scores of 9.9-plus in 12 routines, including a 9.975 on the floor exercise at Arkansas.
"Ashley is definitely one you notice right off," Sarah Patterson said of her rookie with the huge tumbling. "When she lands her tumbling passes on the floor exercise, she lands with a bang."
The Tide's freshman-seven have accounted for a third of the Tide's 96 routines to date including 12 from Miles and 10 from Mari Bayer.
Bayer's style is different from Miles, but no less noticeable. Her long lines and graceful movements have quickly made her a crowd favorite.
Tickets for this Friday's contest are on sale through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum. The first 1,000 fans through the doors get a bobble head doll of 2002 National Gymnast of the Year Andree' Pickens. Pickens, now a student coach for her old team, will also be on hand before the meet to sign a poster commemorating her standout Crimson Tide career. Doors open for the meet at 5:30 p.m.
