Alabama Gymnastics Opens Season Friday in Gainesville
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
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The Alabama gymnastics team opens the 2005 season on the road with a powerhouse lineup at the Super 6 Challenge Friday in Gainesville, Fla.
The Super 6 Challenge, in its sixth season, features three Southeastern Conference and three at-large teams in a championship style meet. All six teams in this year's Challenge are ranked in the preseason top-20, and the SEC half of the lineup ranks in the top-6. Alabama comes into the season at No. 4 while Georgia and Florida are No. 2 and 6 respectively. No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 Iowa and No. 19 Penn State make up the at-large field.
Crimson Tide head coach Sarah Patterson and her troops are ready to get the season going, after a long preseason.
"We're ready to start the season," Patterson said. "We're at a point where we need a meet to move forward. We've done as much as we can without going out there and testing ourselves. After this weekend, we'll have a better idea of where we are and where we need to go from here."
Developing depth will be the Tide's first order of business early in the season. Alabama lost three key seniors to graduation from last year's third place NCAA team, including national all-around champion Jeana Rice. The addition of two-time Olympic Silver Medalist Terin Humphrey will certainly strengthen the Tide's lineup, but after a fall spent traveling with the T.J. Maxx Olympic Tour, she won't be ready for competition right away.
"Terin is an amazing talent and will be a big boost for us down the line, but right now she is in the process of getting her skills back, getting ready for competition," Patterson said. "She hasn't trained or really competed since the coming off the podium at the Olympics and she spent the Fall doing 'show gymnastics' instead of competitive gymnastics. There is a progression we have to go through to get her ready and we're going to be smart. We need her for April."
The Tide will be led by three-time NCAA Champion Ashley Miles as well as All-American seniors Shannon Hrozek and Alexis Brion and All-American junior Mari Bayer. Junior Dana Filetti, who competed mainly on the uneven bars last season, is slated to compete all-around at the Challenge. Miles, who competed three events last season, will add the balance beam to her list of duties in '05, putting her in the all-around.
Miles has enjoyed great success at the Super 6 Challenge during her first two seasons, coming into this season as the two-time defending vault and floor exercise champion. She is the only returning champion this season.
Fans who cannot make it to the Super 6 Challenge in Gainesville, Florida this Friday evening have an alternative for following all of the action. The University of Alabama's campus station will be carrying the LIVE broadcast on the internet. Those who are interested should visit http://www.rolltide.com/ and click "Live Audio" on the gymnastics page. Coverage will begin LIVE at 5:30 PM (CST) from the O'Connell Center in Gainesville. Rolltide.com will also carry live scores and commentary on the web.
