Gymnastics: Red Rocks don't love Thursdays
By: Tony Pizza
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Sports
Monday has never been a popular day of the week. Idioms such as "having a case of the Mondays" and song titles such as "Blue Monday" and "I Don't Like Mondays" have stemmed from the general apathy revolving around the start of the work week. For the U gymnastics team, Mondays pale in comparison to what Thursdays are like.
It's not the actual work that causes the apprehension of Thursdays, either. Rather, it's the increasingly daunting task that directly follows practice on those days. On any given Thursday between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., head coach Greg Marsden announces the starting lineups for the upcoming meet. Given Utah's talent breadth, this weekly ritual has become a daunting moment.
"It's really intense," Nina Kim said. "It's really intense this year because so many of us are so good."
The gymnasts aren't the only ones feeling the intensity of Thursday evenings.
"(Jan. 31) was especially difficult because a lot of people were ready to do routines and everyone was healthy," Marsden said.
The difficulty surrounding the selection process is a direct representation of how far the Red Rocks are ahead of where they were last season. It also foreshadows things to come as Utah's depth can only get better.
Last season, Marsden struggled at times to find enough people for events, especially on bars. This season, Utah doesn't have enough slots available to give every gymnast worthy of a spot in the lineup the chance to compete. Against Minnesota, for instance, the Utes had to send two gymnasts through an exhibition routine just to get every deserving gymnast the chance to showcase their skills.
Last season, someone like Daria Bijak, who came to the team in the middle of preseason, couldn't get into the lineup fast enough. This season, not only can latecomer Gael Mackie take her time easing herself into collegiate gymnastics, she doesn't even have a guaranteed place in the lineup.
That depth comes particularly in handy when illness and injury hit the Red Rocks like last week when they were in preparation for BYU. The result is that when people are forced to fill in for usual all-around performers like Ashley Postell, Utah hardly misses a beat. It actually makes the selection process a little bit easier as well.
It's not the actual work that causes the apprehension of Thursdays, either. Rather, it's the increasingly daunting task that directly follows practice on those days. On any given Thursday between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., head coach Greg Marsden announces the starting lineups for the upcoming meet. Given Utah's talent breadth, this weekly ritual has become a daunting moment.
"It's really intense," Nina Kim said. "It's really intense this year because so many of us are so good."
The gymnasts aren't the only ones feeling the intensity of Thursday evenings.
"(Jan. 31) was especially difficult because a lot of people were ready to do routines and everyone was healthy," Marsden said.
The difficulty surrounding the selection process is a direct representation of how far the Red Rocks are ahead of where they were last season. It also foreshadows things to come as Utah's depth can only get better.
Last season, Marsden struggled at times to find enough people for events, especially on bars. This season, Utah doesn't have enough slots available to give every gymnast worthy of a spot in the lineup the chance to compete. Against Minnesota, for instance, the Utes had to send two gymnasts through an exhibition routine just to get every deserving gymnast the chance to showcase their skills.
Last season, someone like Daria Bijak, who came to the team in the middle of preseason, couldn't get into the lineup fast enough. This season, not only can latecomer Gael Mackie take her time easing herself into collegiate gymnastics, she doesn't even have a guaranteed place in the lineup.
That depth comes particularly in handy when illness and injury hit the Red Rocks like last week when they were in preparation for BYU. The result is that when people are forced to fill in for usual all-around performers like Ashley Postell, Utah hardly misses a beat. It actually makes the selection process a little bit easier as well.
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