Something went wrong last year.
After the Ohio State women’s gymnastics team finished with a 13-3 dual meet record in 2001, the team stumbled in 2002, ending the disappointing season at a mere 3-15.
A drop-off like that will often result in loads of hard work the next year to get the ship turned back around. This year’s squad hopes to get back on track while using some motivation from another OSU team.
“Some of the girls and I have talked about what the football team did, and that really motivates us,” said senior Sheri Greig, who earned All-Big Ten honors last season. “They never really got too much respect all year long, and look what they did. We want to emulate that.”
Like the football Buckeyes, the women’s gymnastics team will be given a considerable boost by true freshmen. OSU women’s gymnastics coach Larry Cox said he likes what he has seen out of his freshman class so far in practice, and he plans to use his newcomers liberally in competition.
“We’re going to use three of them in the all-around,” Cox said of his freshmen. “There are 24 routines in your competitive lineup, so three all-around freshmen means that’s 12 routines by freshmen. That’s half our lineup right there, and we may even see some competitive action from freshmen walk-ons, so it’s possible we’ll go beyond half our routines with freshmen.”
Shelby Warner, Jill Weber and Kaylin Schlecht, all of whom came to OSU with impressive credentials, are the three freshmen who have already earned their spots in the lineup.
Greig admitted starting that many inexperienced athletes is a risky proposition, but she thinks this group will be able to handle the added pressure that comes with college.
“We are relying a lot on these freshmen, and typically your freshmen are the ones that have the most nerves because they haven’t been in the college situation before, but I think our freshman will able to do really well,” she said. “They’re all really strong.”
The strength of the entire team will be tested tomorrow night, when the team faces Michigan.
The Wolverines are ranked No. 6 in the country and appear to be a daunting first opponent for OSU, especially considering the meet will be held in Ann Arbor.
Greig and the rest of the upperclassmen plan to give the younger gymnasts a little heads-up about what to expect during their first time out.
“It’s Michigan and it’s a rivalry, so there’s a little bit higher tension, I guess,” she said. “Definitely on the ride up there we’ll be explaining some things to them.”
Warner, one of the freshmen expected to make an immediate impact, admitted to a little bit of nerves heading into the opening weekend of competition.
“Yeah, I’m nervous, but I’m just going to go out there and do what I know how to do and what I’ve been doing in practice,” Warner said. “I think we can beat them if we all hit well and have a really good meet.”
If that does happen, all last year’s bad memories might suddenly seem like ancient history.
