Alabama Gymnastics Sells Out Coleman Coliseum
1/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Alabama Gymnastics Sells Out Coleman Coliseum
The Alabama Gymnastics team, in front a sold-out house and a sea of pink, beat the Florida Gators 195.775-194.625 here in Coleman Coliseum.
It marked the first time the newly renovated Coliseum, which opened this fall, has been sold out. It also marked the second time the gymnastics program has sold out Coleman Coliseum with the first time coming against Georgia in 1997. The Coliseum’s capacity for a gymnastics meet is actually 14,823, but tonight’s crowd was an Southeastern Conference and Alabama record 15,162, including 339 standing room only tickets.
The total was the third largest collegiate gymnastics crowd ever and the largest since Utah and Boise State drew 15,168 in 1993. Alabama owns two of the five largest crowds of all time, including a then capacity of 15,043 fans on Feb. 1, 1997.
“It’s hard to describe tonight,” Patterson said. “It was the result of a lot of long hard work. More than just the sellout crowd though was the support for the cause. Tonight if one woman helps herself or a loved one then all our work will be worth while.”
In addition to a match-up between the two highest scoring teams in the nation, the meet was also the Tide’s “Drive 4 the Cure” event designed to raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer. Both teams put aside their school colors for the meet and wore shades of pink. The crowd also got into the spirit of the evening, wearing mostly pink. Tuscaloosa Toyota gave away 10,000 pink t-shirts in support of the event to help fill the arena with pink.
It was the second annual “Power of Pink” meet. Before the meet got underway, a check was presented to the DCH Breast Cancer Fund, which was created to support Patterson’s initiative, for $90,000.
“My most memorable moment of tonight was the presentation of the check because all the money goes to disadvantaged woman,” Patterson said. “That money was what we worked hard for.”
It was another youth-studded night for the Crimson Tide. The Tide got 13 of its routines from its eight-member freshman class, including twin 9.875s from rookies Melanie Banville and Brittany Magee on the floor exercise.
“This is a real young team,” Patterson said. “I was worried about a big lead up in the week and they would come in here and their eyes would get big and they would forget what they were doing. They handled it well because they were so excited.”
And it was senior and three-time NCAA Champion Ashley Miles who brought the overflowing crowd to its feet at the end of the night with a huge 9.95 floor exercise routine, capping the night off just right.
“I was almost like a freshman coming in to this,” Miles said. “To be a part of history like this with a sellout crowd for a women’s sport was great. It was great to be apart of history. I have never seen the student section so crowded. It means so much to have so much support this year.”
Alabama returns to the road next week at Auburn on Friday, Jan. 27. The Tide’s next home meet is Friday, Feb. 10 against the Georgia Bulldogs.
“It’s been a very long week leading up to this,” Patterson said. “And on Monday it starts all over as we try to do this again on Feb. 10 with Georgia.”
