Allie Heizelman's Gymnastics Journal
4/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 14, 2010
Hey Tiger fans!
I am so excited to be getting to write the journal this week...we have some pretty exciting news! GAINESVILLE HERE WE COME!! For the first time in school history, we have qualified to NCAA Nationals, which will be held at the University of Florida April 22-24. We can't wait! It is going to be an amazing trip!
The regional meet was a very solid one for us. Starting out on vault, we hit all of our vaults to earn one of the highest team scores this season! After a great start, we had a bye rotation to get prepared for our next event, bars. After another solid rotation on bars, we were still in the lead and moved to beam. After six hit routines, we had one more bye rotation before floor. Our energy along with the energy from the crowd helped us to a great floor rotation, and in the end the win! This performance could not have come at a better time!
Looking back over the course of pre-season and into the season, we have grown so much as a team. We have had some ups and downs, but were able to push through together and meet our biggest goals. This season, we were able to create consistency in our performances. We avoided the "we've got something to lose" mindset; we stayed focused on what was important and realized we had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. We trusted and believed in each other and in our coaching staff, which is one of the most crucial things to have in order for a successful team. We were able to lean on each other when going through rough times; we knew, without a doubt, that any of our teammates would be there for us. Because we met all these small goals, we were able to meet our biggest goal of all: making it to Gainesville. It came down to this past weekend at Hearnes for our last home meet of the season, we approached it with confidence; we saw it as an opportunity. An opportunity to show off all of our hard work, our consistency, our confidence in ourselves and proved to everyone how great Mizzou gymnastics really is! The regional meet was definitely the most fun I have had competing since coming to Mizzou. The fan's energy was unbelievable! That energy definitely helped our team to victory!
I would like to thank all of our wonderful fans for their support. It really does mean a lot to us! I would like to give a special thanks to Jan and Jerry Summers; they have been dedicated Mizzou gymnastics fans, even traveling to away meets to root us on. Thanks for everything you do! It is greatly appreciated. Can't wait to see you both in Florida! Also, I would like to thank Larry Wyatt for being such an energetic and passionate fan. Having you at gymnastics meets is part of what makes the "Mizzou gymnastics experience" unique! I am so glad to have someone who cares so much about our team. And I am glad you got your normal seat for regionals! Your cheers helped keep the noise level up and us excited to compete! Thanks Larry. You are awesome! One last special thanks goes out to Larry Noto, our amazing announcer. You do an outstanding job for us at home meets! Thank you for being a great fan and for all that you do.
It has been an amazing journey this year, and I feel blessed to have been part of it. We needed every single person on this team to make our success possible. Whether it's competing the all-around or competing one event, helping move boards and mats, videotaping routines or keeping track of the floor music, everyone plays an important role. I am so glad to be part of this team and to be a Mizzou Tiger!
The great part is...our journey doesn't end here! We still have another full week of training in the gym before we leave for Gainesville! We are all looking forward to it!
MIZ-ZOU!! Go Tigers! Allie
