Gymnastics: Out of routine
Like most athletes, gymnasts love routines. They eat at a certain time, nap at a certain time and treat competition day the same. I have no idea then, how Wednesday's travel woes are going to affect the Utes in the regional championships.
Last I heard the Utes were bound for Billings, Mont., where they were hoping to catch a flight into Minneapolis. They weren't expected to arrive in time for Friday's practice session. Testing out the equipment is crucial for teams. Gymnasts want to know how the floor feels, how the bars are and so forth, so the Utes are going to be at a disadvantage to the five teams they're competing against Saturday.
Luckily the Utes have competed at Minnesota before and are familiar with the arena, that might help some.
Helping more is this team's attitude. They are a laid back bunch, much more so than last year's squad, and their anything goes attitude should help them deal with the unexpected delays.
I'd be surprised if Utah's travel issues affect them much Saturday but we'll see. I hope I'll see first hand. Yours truly is catching a late afternoon flight through Denver. I've got my fingers crossed I won't be spending the weekend in Denver!
For those who are planning to attend the practice sessions at regional sites or at nationals, you won't be locked out this season.
Utah's fans were prevented from watching their team practice at the NCAA regional sites last season, with officials claiming they were following a directive from the NCAA. However, the rule wasn't in effect at all regional sites. There was also talk of keeping fans out of the arena during the practices in the days before the NCAA Championships, but officials changed their minds and allowed fans into the Huntsman Center.
Evidently, there won't be any confusion this season. Christie Purks, the NCAA's Chair for Gymnastics, said fans would be allowed to watch Friday's practices at the regional sites as well as the practices at the NCAA Championships, a decision Utah coach Greg Marsden welcomed.
"It's a good thing to do to promote our sport," he said. "We have a lot of fans who want to watch practices and we bus kids up to watch them. It's the right thing to do."
Last I heard the Utes were bound for Billings, Mont., where they were hoping to catch a flight into Minneapolis. They weren't expected to arrive in time for Friday's practice session. Testing out the equipment is crucial for teams. Gymnasts want to know how the floor feels, how the bars are and so forth, so the Utes are going to be at a disadvantage to the five teams they're competing against Saturday.
Luckily the Utes have competed at Minnesota before and are familiar with the arena, that might help some.
Helping more is this team's attitude. They are a laid back bunch, much more so than last year's squad, and their anything goes attitude should help them deal with the unexpected delays.
I'd be surprised if Utah's travel issues affect them much Saturday but we'll see. I hope I'll see first hand. Yours truly is catching a late afternoon flight through Denver. I've got my fingers crossed I won't be spending the weekend in Denver!
For those who are planning to attend the practice sessions at regional sites or at nationals, you won't be locked out this season.
Utah's fans were prevented from watching their team practice at the NCAA regional sites last season, with officials claiming they were following a directive from the NCAA. However, the rule wasn't in effect at all regional sites. There was also talk of keeping fans out of the arena during the practices in the days before the NCAA Championships, but officials changed their minds and allowed fans into the Huntsman Center.
Evidently, there won't be any confusion this season. Christie Purks, the NCAA's Chair for Gymnastics, said fans would be allowed to watch Friday's practices at the regional sites as well as the practices at the NCAA Championships, a decision Utah coach Greg Marsden welcomed.
"It's a good thing to do to promote our sport," he said. "We have a lot of fans who want to watch practices and we bus kids up to watch them. It's the right thing to do."
12:49 PM
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