Open Discussion With Gymnastics Staff
December 16, 2014 04:54 PM | General
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Coach Jason Butts believes this year's squad is his strongest team since 2012.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks Photo
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After four months of preseason training, the West Virginia University gymnastics team opens its 2015 campaign on Saturday, Dec. 20, with a preseason competition at the Atlantis Crown Invitational, in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Four-year coach Jason Butts believes 2015 could be the Mountaineers’ most promising season since 2012. Led by seniors Beth Deal, Dayah Haley and Lia Salzano, WVU looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2014 campaign and reclaim its spot among the NCAA’s top teams.
Q: What is the best way to describe the 2015 WVU gymnastics team?
Associate Head Coach Travis Doak: The takeaway from this year’s squad is that while we lost a few high-scoring routines, we make up for it with an incredible amount of depth and uncertainty, which is great. The uncertainty is welcomed because we don’t know who will compete where. Last year, we knew who we needed, we just needed to get those student-athletes focused. This year – anyone can step up and fill a lineup hole at any moment.
Q: Who has assumed the leadership for this year’s team?
Assistant Coach Kaylyn Millick: Dayah Haley, Lia Salzano and Beth Deal were freshmen when we won the 2012 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championship – they know what it takes to win a title, and they learned under great seniors in Nicole (Roach) and Tina (Maloney). They’re very confident in their leadership.
JB: They remember what their freshmen season felt like – there was a lot of excitement and hope. Those three want their legacy to be leading this squad back to a place like that season. That is their motivation for 2015, and the rest of the team is thriving off that.
Q: The team just missed qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Regional Championships. Have you seen a new fire in the gymnasts’ eyes throughout preseason?
JB: I think not qualifying stung for this year’s senior class, but I also think we had a young team last year and they did not fully comprehend what it meant to not qualify for the regional championships. The coaches and the seniors are really behind the drive this year – we’re all out for redemption. Also, we’re hosting a regional this season, so we’re focused on representing the University on that stage.
Above all that, I look at this team, and I see a lot of talent in front of me. There is enough talent on this team to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. I don’t want outsiders to assume that our lone goal is to qualify for regionals – that’s the expectation. My goal is still to take this team to the national championships. Our end goal is not the regional championships. We should have qualified in 2014, but for numerous reasons we fell short. I feel confident that we fixed the issues we had last year, and we’re ready to move forward.
TD: Last year really lit a fire inside this entire coaching staff. Our theme for 2015 is ‘No Regrets.’ A lot of us walked away last season with some regrets, but we’ve all put the work inside the gym this preseason to make sure we eliminate those regrets.
Q: Similar to 2014, there are seven newcomers on this year’s squad. What lessons can last year’s newcomers pass on to this season’s freshmen and transfers that will help them compete right away?
TD: I think the biggest change from last season to this season are our training habits – they are infinitely better. Every gymnast is pushing harder and not limiting herself. We have a blank canvas with most of these gymnasts this season, and that’s a luxury we did not have last year.
This year’s freshmen are learning excellent training habits from a hard-working senior class, and we should see the benefits of those habits not only this year, but also in years to come. I think that’s going to solve a ton of the issues that we had last year.
JB: I also think we have an extremely strong group of newcomers, between our five freshmen and our two transfers, senior Brittney Harris (Pitt) and Audrey Tolbert (Ohio State). They all have a lot of experience at high-level meets, and we did not have to go through a lot of growing pains this preseason. I’m confident they can hit under pressure.
Q: The team competed in a lot of big venues last season, including a podium setting at The Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma City and in front of 4,200 fans at Florida’s Stephen O’Connell Center. Will that experience help this year’s squad?
JB: I think that while some of those experiences last season were disappointing, each of the returning gymnasts learned valuable lessons, and we should be able to grow from those situations this year. This year’s schedule is a smaller one – we aren’t competing in as many large arenas. Therefore, this year’s squad should have the confidence to compete in front of any type of crowd, in any arena. My hope is that experience also will help us in postseason, too.
Q: After competing in the Big 12 Conference for two seasons, what has the program learned and where would you assess the program’s progress?
JB: We’re coming off two third-place finishes at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, and I think we’re the second-best team (behind 2014 NCAA National Champion Oklahoma). We just have to make sure that we’re firing on all cylinders when we compete at the championship.
TD: I think the 2014 team responded well to a disappointing showing at the 2013 championship. Regardless of the finish, we scored almost two points better than we did in 2013. Now, we have to continue that trend and improve our quality of gymnastics. We did a good job last year, but it wasn’t good enough.
Q: The WVU gymnastics team was featured on TV three times in 2014. The program’s exposure continues to grow. Have you seen any benefits from the extra exposure?
TD: Recruits know a lot more about WVU gymnastics, and I think that’s helping us bring better gymnasts to Morgantown.
JB: The Big 12 Conference has legitimized this program and has been essential to our growth and development. It’s been huge.
Q: Kaylyn Millick, a 2013 graduate, joined the coaching staff during the offseason. How would you describe the staff’s coaching philosophy?
TD: This has been one of the most effective preseasons that I’ve ever been a part of; we’re all on the same page, and we work very well together. We all rotate between events, which allows each coach to utilize all of his or her strengths. There are three minds working on each event, and we think that’s effective.
KM: It helps that I was a gymnast on the team just two seasons ago. I remember what helped me to compete successfully, and I try to communicate that to the gymnasts. I’m taking my ideas and throwing them out there for them to try. Each gymnast’s skills are there, and as a staff, we are working on helping build the student-athletes’ confidence.
TD: We always admired Kaylyn’s work ethic when she was a Mountaineer gymnast, and that is the greatest attribute that she brings to this year’s staff. She is instilling a strong work ethic in each of these gymnasts. She personally knows that it isn’t easy to compete in college gymnastics, and therefore she can help the gymnasts work through issues and toward results.
JB: Kaylyn takes initiative, and I’m excited about that. She pinpoints areas open for improvement, and then she puts a plan of action in motion. It’s very refreshing.
Q: The WVU gymnastics program returned to the national stage in 2014, as Hope Sloanhoffer individually qualified for the NCAA National Championships. Despite losing Hope to graduation, how does her qualification help develop this year’s team?
JB: It motivates me to know that WVU was accounted for at the NCAA National Championships. Hope was a very talented individual, but as a team, we are so much stronger this year – we have a full team of Hope Sloanhoffers this year.
TD: In a season where it didn’t all work out, Hope’s qualification showed this team that anything can happen. We didn’t have a great season as a team, but WVU still had a national championships’ qualifier. Imagine if we competed up to our capabilities? That’s what we need this team to believe in – anything can happen, and still you can have a positive outcome.
Q: The program will welcome an NCAA Regional Championships to the WVU Coliseum for the ninth time in 2015. What advantage does competing in the WVU Coliseum give your team?
JB: The WVU Coliseum is absolutely one of the best venues in all of collegiate gymnastics. This University does a phenomenal job hosting the NCAA Regional Championships, and I love that we continue to bring the championships to Morgantown. The Coliseum is a premier venue. Our fans provide an excellent atmosphere. No one on our team would ever want to compete anywhere else.
Q: This team continues to improve in the classroom, too. How do you push the student-athletes to attain athletic and academic success?
JB: It’s a challenge – you can’t sugar-coat it. The WVU Academic Services staff provides excellent resources for the student-athletes, and I make sure that they each take advantage of those resources. I want gymnastics to be the No. 1 academic team on campus. As a team, we aren’t where I want us to be, but we’re improving each season.
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