March 6, 2015
By Gabby Richards, GoPSUsports Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team heads to West Virginia this weekend to compete in its last regular season meet of this year's slate. This season has been another incredible year for the program under the direction of Jeff and Rachelle Thompson. With six wins and a deep, talented lineup, the potential that this team has for the postseason is off the charts.
But, before the team heads to the Big 5 meet in Minnesota, the qualifying tournament to the Big Ten Championships, the Nittany Lions take on the Mountaineers this Sunday.
"You never know how dual meets will pan out, especially with changes to your rotation," head coach Jeff Thompson said. "At home, we almost always finish on floor, but this weekend we will be ending on beam, which is different."
Penn State is currently ranked No.11, compared to West Virginia's No. 30 placement. Of the four events, bars, beam, vault and floor, the Mountaineers are only ahead of the Nittany Lions in the rankings on floor.
"We have had two road losses this year," Thompson said. "That plays into where we fall in the rankings. But we have made a lot of adjustments since those losses and the girls have been working hard."
Keys To The Meet:
"Sticks"
When the average person thinks of the phrase "stick a landing" in terms of gymnastics, typically the reaction is "not falling." Sticking a landing is so much more than that; It is the most mentally challenging aspect of the sport. With so many variables working against you, sticking a landing is challenging and a skill where deductions come from, most often. If you step out, wobble or even seem a bit uneasy, you are most likely going to get a deduction and those begin to add up.
"A lot of our gymnasts have incredibly challenging routines," Thompson said. "But if you have the slightest big of a wobble, you are going to lose points. The girls have to be confident. We are ending the meet on beam so we have to keep things consistent."
"Channeling Adrenaline"
The Nittany Lion roster is strong, powerful and exciting to watch. They are incredibly consistent and successful; there is no question why channeling adrenaline is a major component to a successful day on Saturday. It will be even more of challenge due to a change in their rotation; ending on beam is a deviation from the norm.
"Gymnastics is an individual sport and a team sport," Thompson said. "If one person doesn't perform well, it can effect the entire team. But the girls trust each other; they work well under pressure. If they do what they do in the gym, every day, I have no doubt that we will be successful this weekend."
Coming Full Circle...
The team has benefited from the rigorous judging they have seen all season; the way they have been scored all season is similar to the way they will be judged in the postseason. Considering they have generally gotten better, more consistent scores, week in and week out, they are more than prepared for their championship hunt.