Feb. 21, 2006

Well, this week we continued the journey. We worked hard but had tons of fun in the gym. Kira has been talking about landings a lot lately and finishing proud after everything we do. So, we continue to focus on our landings and some of the finer details of our routines, which is really great to see. It may not seem like much, but these "little things," like landings and finishes are so minute. They are the things that, in years past, we were rushing to polish up on at the last minute before Big 12 and Regionals. This is one of the reasons this team is so strong this year. We already have all the big stuff right. We continually go into each meet every weekend and hit our routines just like we practice them in the gym all week long. Now it's time for the fine tuning that is going to make us stand out from all of the other teams this year.

After a great week in the gym, we all arrived at the Hearnes on Friday night ready to face Oklahoma and show them what Missouri's got this year. And we definitely did. We went out and nailed all of our routines. It was amazing. The Tigers went up one after another and hit routine after routine. (and the finishes and landings we had been working on all week were awesome, if I do say so myself) We all knew that the scores were going to be tight, and they definitely were. We fell a little short to OU. Our team total was a 196.00; just below their 196.10. No one was frowning though. That 196.00 is our season high and should keep us sitting very pretty in the rankings, and that's all you can ask for right now. The Tigers did their job on Friday, and when we meet OU again later in the season, we will definitely be giving them another run for their money.

After the excitement of the meet wore off a little, our focus changed to promoting the annual Cat Classic. I think this has to be one of our favorite meets, and it's definitely a crowd favorite. We all spent some time handing out flyers on Sunday at Hy-Vee to let the Columbia area residents know that the meet is coming up this weekend. We are all hoping to draw a huge crowd this year, after all, it's just not the same without the support from the stands.

Come see your Tiger gymnasts and some great gymnastics next weekend at the Cat Classic on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Hearnes Center.

GO TIGERS!!!!!!

~Ali Gilmore