Gymnastics team falls to Hamline in Minnesota
Blugolds fail to earn first win of year despite season high for points, will travel to Winona on Tuesday
Breann Schossow
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Sports
The UW-Eau Claire gymnastics team earned a season-high score of 172.950 at Friday night's meet against Hamline University (Minn.) Despite that success, they were unable to add a win to their list.
Instead, Hamline took the meet with first place finishes in all events, including the all-around.
Head coach Jean DeLisle was not expecting Hamline's presentation.
"I was really surprised with Hamline's performance," she said. "(They were) definitely stronger than what they had been doing."
Sophomore Sarah Hulbert said the meet on Friday night opened with the uneven bars, but not well, as the team wanted to. But after that event, the team and successive events improved.
"We definitely had a lot of fun," she said. "Our score was way up from our last meet."
DeLisle said she was pleased with the performance of the team, especially with the falls at Friday night's meet. She said that while the number of falls did not necessarily decrease in comparison to their last meet at UW-Stout, they were 'positive' falls.
"Instead of holding back and creating falls that way, they went all out," she said, laughing. "We had good falls … the girls were really going big and our score shows that."
Another goal DeLisle mentioned for the team two meets ago was the increase of start values. Since then, the Blugolds have succeeded in that area by adding bigger skills, she added. However, on the balance beam, the Blugolds are still not hitting all of the connections in order to get the start values they need.
"We're continuing to work in the right direction, that's for sure," she said. "The team has a really good outlook right now."
In comparison to previous meets, Hulbert said she felt as though there was more team unity.
"Overall, I think our team is improving at every meet," she said.
Even though the team counted a number of falls, Hulbert said by watching the team's routines, everyone is improving.
On Tuesday, the Lady 'Golds will travel to Winona State University (Minn.) for a dual meet. DeLisle said she would like to see connections made in order to continue the increase of start values and not cause falls.
"I think one thing that we need to learn is to have a little more confidence in ourselves … and therefore not create the falls that we're taking right now," she said. "But that is a huge step in the right direction."
Vault still continues to be the strongest event for the team, which DeLisle said she does not expect to change.
"I'm just hoping that the other events can catch up a bit more," she said.
Overall, DeLisle described Friday night's meet in one word - fun.
"It probably sounds ridiculous, but it was the first meet this season where it (was) just fun," she said. "It wasn't disappointing … overall, the performances were so much stronger."
DeLisle described Winona State as a good, tough team, but the Blugolds are making good progress, despite their losses.
"I really still feel like we can surprise people in the end," she said. "Eau Claire's been known to do that. I'm hoping that we can slowly climb into that position again."
Instead, Hamline took the meet with first place finishes in all events, including the all-around.
Head coach Jean DeLisle was not expecting Hamline's presentation.
"I was really surprised with Hamline's performance," she said. "(They were) definitely stronger than what they had been doing."
Sophomore Sarah Hulbert said the meet on Friday night opened with the uneven bars, but not well, as the team wanted to. But after that event, the team and successive events improved.
"We definitely had a lot of fun," she said. "Our score was way up from our last meet."
DeLisle said she was pleased with the performance of the team, especially with the falls at Friday night's meet. She said that while the number of falls did not necessarily decrease in comparison to their last meet at UW-Stout, they were 'positive' falls.
"Instead of holding back and creating falls that way, they went all out," she said, laughing. "We had good falls … the girls were really going big and our score shows that."
Another goal DeLisle mentioned for the team two meets ago was the increase of start values. Since then, the Blugolds have succeeded in that area by adding bigger skills, she added. However, on the balance beam, the Blugolds are still not hitting all of the connections in order to get the start values they need.
"We're continuing to work in the right direction, that's for sure," she said. "The team has a really good outlook right now."
In comparison to previous meets, Hulbert said she felt as though there was more team unity.
"Overall, I think our team is improving at every meet," she said.
Even though the team counted a number of falls, Hulbert said by watching the team's routines, everyone is improving.
On Tuesday, the Lady 'Golds will travel to Winona State University (Minn.) for a dual meet. DeLisle said she would like to see connections made in order to continue the increase of start values and not cause falls.
"I think one thing that we need to learn is to have a little more confidence in ourselves … and therefore not create the falls that we're taking right now," she said. "But that is a huge step in the right direction."
Vault still continues to be the strongest event for the team, which DeLisle said she does not expect to change.
"I'm just hoping that the other events can catch up a bit more," she said.
Overall, DeLisle described Friday night's meet in one word - fun.
"It probably sounds ridiculous, but it was the first meet this season where it (was) just fun," she said. "It wasn't disappointing … overall, the performances were so much stronger."
DeLisle described Winona State as a good, tough team, but the Blugolds are making good progress, despite their losses.
"I really still feel like we can surprise people in the end," she said. "Eau Claire's been known to do that. I'm hoping that we can slowly climb into that position again."
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