Gymnasts take time to heal, look ahead

With half of the season already behind them, the Bruins find themselves right where they want to be.

“So far I’m feeling great about the team. They’re improving every week. Team unity is great and competitively we’re getting better and better,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said.

After six grueling competitions in a span of 20 days, the members of the seventh-ranked gymnastics team finally caught themselves a breather. The Bruins used the bye week to practice their routines and, more importantly, to heal their wounds.

Injuries have plagued the Bruins again this season. Sophomore Kristina Comforte, who played a key role in the team’s success last season, has been limited to only beam appearances because of a foot injury. Junior Jordan Schwikert has also been limited but is slowly making her return to the team.

As UCLA gets prepared to travel to Denver for a dual meet this week, the team will be without Comforte and Janelle Dantzscher, who has a stress fracture in her foot.

“We are going to be better off. These next three weeks are going to be rough, but hopefully by March we’ll be getting people back in the lineup,” Kondos Field said. “Unlike last season, this year it looks like we will have everyone back in time.”

However, the biggest story for the team thus far has centered around the return of former NCAA champion Tasha Schwikert and the emergence of senior Michelle Selesky, who has struggled through three tough seasons to become one of the key members on this year’s team.

Tasha sat out for the majority of last season because a shoulder injury. She returned at the end of the season, but was unable to reach her full form in time for the NCAA Championships.

This year, however, is a different story.

“Tasha is fully back. She is on a mission individually and also on a mission to get her team back to the national championship. She’s fired up, ticked off, and more focused then ever,” Kondos Field said.

Tasha is currently ranked fourth nationally in the individual all-around and has posted the highest all-around score in the nation this season, scoring a 39.700 against Arizona on Jan. 21. She has also earned Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week honors twice already.

Selesky has made her presence felt as well. After walking on to the team in her freshman year, she saw little action in her first three years. However, her hard work and determination finally earned her a spot in the lineup this season, and she has made the most of it.

“(Selesky is) the story that should be on the cover of Sports Illustrated,” Kondos Field said. “She has worked hard for four years and it is all coming to fruition.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming month, the team has a lot to be excited about. With the veterans leading the way and the return of injured teammates, the Bruins can feel good about their chances this year.

“No one goes through a season where they’re on a constant high,” Kondos Field said. “But these girls are easy to coach.

“We’re on a mission, and we keep driving it home that the ultimate goal is to make it to the national championships,” she said.

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