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Tumblers' Tales: The Road Ahead
December 15, 2015 03:54 PM | Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - There is a lot of buildup to a collegiate gymnastics season.
The West Virginia University gymnastics team has been practicing inside Cary Gym at least four days a week since Sept. 14. For three months, the Mountaineers have showed up each day, stretched, constructed routines, digested feedback, memorized cues, stretched again, labored over hour-long circuits and studied nutritional tips. Add in a full class schedule, and one can easily understand why these Mountaineers circled their winter breaks on their calendars weeks ago.
Yet, now is not a time for the team to battle fatigue, weariness or exhaustion. In fact, these weeks of training and the gradual buildup of skills and landings were diligently thought out and executed in an effort to prepare the Mountaineers for the ultimate race – the 2016 season.
Following a 2015 campaign which saw the Mountaineers finish ranked No. 28 nationally – the team’s highest postseason position since sitting at No. 21 in 2012 – WVU opens the year at first-time Big 12 Conference opponent Denver, with Southern Utah, on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 8 p.m. ET. The meet against the Pioneers and Thunderbirds, ranked No. 16 and No. 24, respectively, in the coaches’ preseason poll, is just the first of six tough road competitions for WVU this year. The squad also will compete at No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Alabama and in Philadelphia against No. 17 Penn State. A reprieve does not wait for the Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum, as they also will play host to No. 21 Kentucky and No. 22 Ohio State late in the year.
No doubt, the Mountaineers are going to be challenged this season. One of the biggest questions facing WVU as it rounds into the final stretch of the 2016 preseason is how will it maintain its focus, energy and strength as it barrels through the schedule, particularly when the Mountaineers trek through a tough gauntlet in February that features three straight road meets at Iowa State, at Oklahoma and at Alabama?
Simply stated – WVU is going to take the 2016 season one mile at a time, approaching the four months of competition as a marathon, not a sprint.
“That’s a favorite phrase of coach Jason Butts and it can apply to so much in life, especially sports,” assistant coach Kaylyn Millick explained. “Seasons are so long, and it’s natural for an athlete to want to race to the finish right away, but you can’t do that. You have to focus on the little steps to get there.”
Coach Butts has hands-on experience with marathons, too, as he, along with associate head coach Travis Doak and WVU Sports Nutritionist Nettie Puglisi Freshour, ran in the inaugural Morgantown Marathon Thirteener on Sept. 20, a 13.1-mile race held throughout the hills surrounding the WVU community. Millick and the Mountaineers were waiting for the trio near the finish line that Sunday morning, and she says her team’s faces lit up with inspiration as they cheered their coaches on to the end.
“I don’t think the team realized just how hard running a half-marathon is,” she laughed. “They think one mile is crazy! I loved watching the admiration and inspiration take over their faces as they watched Jason, Travis and Nettie near the finish line. I instantly thought we needed to capitalize on that energy for this season.”
Millick and the coaching staff drew comparisons between the training necessary for running a 13.1 mile race and the preseason redundancy the squad has been working through since September.
“We’re in the training phase right now,” Millick said of the team’s focus. “It’s like we’re training for our own marathon – we’re putting in our five or six miles each day, preparing for the big race that is our season. We’re nearing the point where we’re ready to start. We know what’s coming up, and we’re in autopilot mode. We aren’t thinking about anything except our routines, and our training, circuits and nutrition.”
As luck would have it, the Mountaineers’ 2016 schedule features 13 meets, including an NCAA Regional Championships competition. The final one-tenth mile? The 2016 NCAA National Championships, a meet the Mountaineers strive to qualify for each season.
“That .1 is our gauge – what extra work can we do now in practice to help get us to the national championships,” Millick explained. “When you break it down, it is basically saying the same thing we preach every season – where can we get the extra tenth of a point in each routine? It seems really easy – it’s a handstand on bars, a stuck landing or good execution on floor. If we can get those extra tenths from all 16 student-athletes in practice, we can position ourselves to reach our ultimate goal.”
Like all WVU student-athletes, the Mountaineers are wrapping up their fall semester finals this week. The squad will hold its final practice on Friday, Dec. 18, before breaking for an eight-day holiday vacation. When the team reconvenes inside Cary Gym on Sunday, Dec. 27, Millick fully expects to see their race faces.
The Mountaineers have a daily reminder of their 2016 road hanging inside Cary Gym.
“When the race starts, the race starts – you’re either prepared or you’re not,” she said.
WVU will rely on seniors Melissa Idell, Jaida Lawrence and Audrey Tolbert to set the pace this season and hopes the trio can help the Mountaineers maintain a healthy mental frame of mind.
“There is such a large mental aspect with running, and it’s easy to draw comparisons to gymnastics,” Millick explained. “You get to a point in your career where gymnastics is the easy part. As a student-athlete, you need to execute and be ready to go, even when you’re tired and your body is sore. If you focus on mentally preparing for the tough weeks, you set yourself up for success.”
The Mountaineers have a map of the 2016 season hanging inside Cary Gym, a visual reminder of the road ahead.
“I really think the map will help keep the team focused this year,” Millick said. “We can look at it at the start of each week and figure out where we can add our extra tenths.”
WVU looks to receive the tenths from bigger gymnastics.
“This team is not afraid to go after the bigger gymnastics,” said Millick. “They all expect more of themselves this year. We’re working on our difficulty, and they’re not going holding back on the big skills. We’ve trained hard all fall, and everyone’s attitude has been great. I like that we’re not holding back this year – it’s something different that we didn’t see from past teams.”
After months of planning, stretching, training, laboring and studying, the WVU gymnastics team stands just 25 days away from the great race of 2016. Gymnasts – take your mark!
GYM: Florida Quad Recap
Tuesday, January 13
Assistant Coach Kaylyn Millick | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Assistant Coach Jessica Yamzon | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
Associate Head Coach Travis Doak | Intro
Tuesday, September 09
