Gymnastics Diary: Stephanie Keaton
October 08, 2010 11:32 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Throughout the WVU gymnastics team’s 2011 fall preseason, the Mountaineers will take the time out of their busy schedules to share stories of practice and preparation with the fans.
This year’s fourth entry comes from senior Stephanie Keaton. One of the hardest workers in the gym, the Medina, Ohio, native worked her way onto the vault lineup last season, and despite never vaulting in a collegiate competition prior to 2010, she scored 9.7 or better in five of her eight attempts. She also spent the first half of the season as a mainstay on the WVU floor lineup. A three-time NACGC/W Scholastic All-American, Keaton is working toward a degree in fashion design.
Last Friday marked the last of our four team challenges. We were anxious about the task of running the WVU Law School hill all week, and we were really fired up when it came time to get the job done.
Despite our nervousness, we passed as a team with flying colors, and we all finished well under our goal time. With the team challenges behind us, I can really feel a sense of accomplishment among the team. We are stronger than we were in September and stronger than last year – and it’s only the beginning of October!
Now that we are well into the semester, I feel back in-tune with the swing of things, and I think everyone else is getting used to their schedules as well. The result of this is awesome progress in the gym! Every returning gymnast is enthusiastic about upgrading her skills from last year. We definitely are not playing it safe; we want to wow the judges this year.
I’ve been seeing great, new bar dismounts from Kaylyn Millick, Amy Bieski and Emily Kerwin. Tina Maloney has been a very busy student this semester in the nursing program, but she has still found time to work on upgrading her vault. Freshman Bethany Yurko has really stood out to me as a hard worker. She never stops pushing herself, and her determination and love for the sport are really inspiring.
Right now the team feels more close-knit than ever, and even though is it very early in the year, I feel like we are on the verge of something really great. This team is all about gymnastics and is determined to leave nothing behind. Not only do we have fun in the gym, we leave better than the day before and hungry for more. The Mountaineer gymnasts have big goals to reach this season, and we are laying down the ground work for them right now.
The best is yet to come! Let’s go Mountaineers!
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
John Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Zac Alley | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 18
Saturday, April 18
