Going out in style
Senior gymnast Megan Fenton will compete in the final home meet
of her career this weekend
By Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
There are two more days until the last home meet of the season
for the UCLA women’s gymnastics team, but for senior team captain
Megan Fenton, Sunday’s competition will also be the last
home-competition of a career.
"Ever since I was a freshman, the seniors always seemed really
old," Fenton said. "I always watched the seniors getting awards at
the last home meet and thought, ‘Oh, that’s really cool, but it’s
so far off.’ Now it’s here. It doesn’t even seem like four years,
it’s gone by so fast."
Fenton came to UCLA in 1992 and along with senior Kareema Marrow
made up the first group of gymnasts brought in
by head coach Valorie Kondos.
As a sophomore in high school, Fenton had suffered a frustrating
knee injury which kept her from participating in the Olympic
trials, a lifelong dream. After her knee healed, collegiate
gymnastics became one of Fenton’s main goals.
"My biggest disappointment was when I hurt my knee in 1988,"
Fenton said. "At the time it seemed like the end of the world. I
didn’t think it could get any worse. But that injury gave me a
chance to have a regular life in high school. I did miss my chance
to be in the Olympics, but I got a new appreciation for the sport.
I realized I do it because I really enjoy it, not because I have to
or somebody tells me I should."
Recruited as a bar specialist, Fenton did not disappoint. In
1993 she set the school record on the uneven bars and became one of
only three Bruin gymnasts to score a perfect 10.0. In 1994 she
earned first team All-Pac-10 honors on bars for the second year in
a row. This weekend Fenton will add a giant with a full twisting
hop to her routine, an "E" level move, one of the most difficult
bars moves being done in the country.
Gymnasts look up to Fenton, who has been team captain for the
Bruins for two years. Fenton is extremely hard working, which has
resulted in her earning a spot on the lineup on all events. But she
also exudes a certain calmness both in gymnastics and in everyday
life which instills confidence in others. Teammate Leah Homma
describes Fenton as the type of person who will always bring the
card for people to sign when a teammate is injured. Kondos
describes her as having "a faultless integrity about her. She is
honest to the core."
Fenton’s gymnastics and honest leadership have become integral
to the Bruin gymnasts, but as the year draws to a close, Fenton’s
approach is that there is now no time to dwell on the
inevitable.
"The end is close enough now that every day counts," Fenton
said. "I can’t go into practice and blow off a day because I know
that’s one less day that I’m going to have. I try not to think
about it, I don’t want to take my focus off of what I’m doing and
put it on something I have no control over. I just really have to
appreciate what I have left.
"This has been my best year so far, which is kind of nice. I’m
ending on a good note."
* * *
The UCLA women’s gymnastics team embarks on a double-header this
weekend. The Bruins will first travel to Arizona tonight for a dual
meet with the Wildcats, and then return to the Wooden Center at 2
p.m. on Sunday to face UC Santa Barbara in the last home meet of
the season.
Seniors Fenton and Marrow will be honored in their last home
performance.
"Kareema has brought this team to a new level," Kondos said.
"Megan’s integrity and ability to be a team leader is unparalleled.
These are two big holes that will be left at the end of this season
for other gymnasts to step up to."