Feb. 9, 2015
By Gabrielle Richards, GoPSUsports Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The old saying goes, "practice makes perfect," and if you practice hard, performing in a game or a competition will be easier. While no performance is ever perfect, some come pretty close.
Gymnastics is a sport where the performance on individual can impact the team; it is just as much mental as it is physical. Penn State women's gymnastics head coach Jeff Thompson and his staff preach, "compete how you practice," and "perform like you do in the gym." This coaching tactic remained steadfast in Saturday's meet against Michigan State, as the Nittany Lions won each vent and earned an impressive team score of 197.025.
"It was en exciting night; we finally did what we do in practice," Thompson said. "As a coach of a top collegiate team, you always want to score a 197 [team score]. We accomplished that and more tonight."
Vault: Sibson, Sanabria-Robles and Tsang Set Personal Bests
Penn State started its rotation on vault, a card they have drawn in almost every meet this year. What has changed as the season has progressed is their ability to attack this event, using that adrenaline and momentum for the rest of the meet.
"When you start a vault rotation off with one of the hardest, most challenging vaults in the NCAA, it is hard to gauge the judges reaction," Thompson said, speaking to freshman Oni Timothy's one and a half twist. "Tonight she didn't score as high as she normally does, but we put her first and the judges had nothing to compare it to."
Freshman Briannah Tsang and senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles were later in the lineup. The two gymnasts set personal bests with a matching score of 9.875, contributing to the team's overall event score of 49.175. But, sophomore Emma Sibson's vault stuck out the most. Not only did she stick it, she set a new team record and a personal best with her score of a 9.900.
"I have really focused on cleaning up my form," Sibson said. "I don't focus so much on sticking as I do my technique. I struggled the first few meets where I was ending with my chest too low. I have worked really hard over the past few weeks to get comfortable enough that I end on a solid note."
Welsh Recovers to Win Bars and Floor
For the first time in her collegiate career, senior Krystal Welsh missed her vault landing. But she finished with grace, knowing she needed to perform her best in the next three events.
"I obviously did not like what I did," Welsh said. "But, it is what it is. I will learn from it. It is always hard to let that feeling go during a meet, but I knew I had to. I know I will never do that again."
Despite starting off on an unfamiliar note, Welsh bounced back with a stellar performance. The all-around competitor walked away with a first place finish on bars with a score of 9.875 and tied for first on floor with a score of 9.900.
"From the moment we come to campus we learn to recover from a missed landing," Welsh said. "The team learns how to lean on each other and not let the performance of one person bring them down. We rally and we push through. It is all about trust."
Team Rallies For Fifth Highest Score in School History
The Nittany Lions not only managed to outscore their goal of 197 team points with a finish of 197.025, but their performance was one of the highest in school history. The team was able to recover from a missed landing on vault and still score above the 49 point mark in each event.
"It was fun for everyone," Thompson said. "This team is special."
Penn State takes on Big Ten rival Ohio State on Saturday in Rec Hall at 4 p.m.