With less than 24 hours between the preliminary round and the finals, the Bruins will have to get rested quickly.
Injuries have plagued the team throughout the season and the national championships haven’t been an exception thus far. Coach Valorie Kondos Field had originally planned to use backups Thursday night so the regulars could get some rest. However, with the meet so closely contested, the team had to use every gymnast.
“It’s amazing to see that we are all contributing,” junior Jordan Schwikert said. “I trust everyone on my team. It doesn’t matter who goes up, we all have faith that she’ll hit.”
Sophomore Ariana Berlin, who is also the team’s leadoff gymnast, has been hampered over the last couple weeks by pain in her leg. The pain is being caused by a metal rod that was surgically inserted into her leg prior to her freshman year after she was in a major car accident.
Although she competed without much pain last season, the rod has been irritating her lately. But Berlin has kept on fighting through her injuries and continued to perform.
“I want to compete no matter what,” Berlin said. “I won’t be sitting there watching no matter how much pain I’m in. My leg will be fine once the adrenaline kicks in.”
Also struggling with injuries is Schwikert. After sitting out most of last season following a shoulder surgery, she came back strong midseason and competed in the all-around for the team’s final five meets.
Recently, a high hamstring injury has been causing a lot of discomfort and the slow recovery of the injury has made competing on floor difficult. However, she will be available to compete in tonight’s floor and has no plans to sit out.
“It is what it is,” Schwikert said. “I’m on painkillers but it didn’t affect me (Thursday night). I will be ready to do my floor routine at the Super Six.”
The Bruins have also had to do without sophomore Kristina Comforte all season long. After a phenomenal freshman year, the team was counting on her to be a major contributor to this year’s team. However, an injury to her ankle forced her to undergo surgery and she had to sit out the year.
“Kristina and Brittani McCullough were supposed to be two of our all-arounders this year,” Kondos Field said. “But you have to play with what you’ve got. You don’t think about what could be and what you don’t have.”
In the absence of their teammates, the remaining gymnasts have stepped up and picked up the team.
Sophomore Janelle Dantzscher recently returned from injury and has filled in on the floor routine over the last two meets. Thursday night she gave the team a huge boost as she hit her routine to earn a 9.775, keeping UCLA within striking distance at the end.
“Her floor was awesome. She hasn’t competed that much this year so we were happy to see her come off an injury and still perform as well as she did,” Schwikert said.
As the team gets set for the biggest meet of the season, every athlete on the squad knows to be ready to compete. With all the injuries the team is dealing with, any gymnast on the roster could get called up to hit the routine that gives UCLA its 100th national title.
SCHWIKERT NAMED HONDA AWARD NOMINEE:Junior Tasha Schwikert has been selected as one of four nominees for the Honda Award, which honors the nation’s top gymnasts. She joins an elite group that includes Iowa State’s Janet Anson, Georgia’s Katie Heenan and Nebraska’s Emily Parsons.
“It really touches my heart to earn the nomination,” Schwikert said. “It is such a prestigious award. Words can’t even express how excited I am about this opportunity.”
Schwikert, the 2005 NCAA all-around champion, has had an outstanding season, averaging 39.456 in the all-around and winning the all-around in six consecutive meets. She has already been named the NCAA West Region and the Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year and is the only gymnast in the nation to be ranked in the top 15 on all four events.
“Training with her every day is inspiration to me,” freshman Anna Li said. “From the beginning of competition season, I have been asking her how she does it. It’s been really amazing her having her as a teammate and someone who I get to compete with.”