To gymnasts, the other team should never matter. Whether the opposing team may be the best in the nation or unranked, gymnasts’ performances should not falter.
The UCLA gymnastics team hopes to bring this mentality to Georgia with them on Saturday as the No. 3 Bruins (9-2, 5-2 Pac-10) battle the No. 5 Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) in their last away meet before the Pac-10 Championship. After two consecutive weeks scoring more than 197.00, the team will attempt to extend its winning streak against the defending NCAA national champions.
“Georgia was the only meet last year where I noticed what the other team was doing because they were No. 1,” sophomore Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs said, referring to the Bruins’ 197.725-196.125 loss against the Bulldogs in 2009. “We need to do what has really been working for us these past two meets, which is paying attention to ourselves and not Georgia.”
This year marks the seventh straight year the two teams have competed against each other during the regular season. Georgia has won four of the past six meetings, including two consecutive wins in 2008 and 2009. Combined, the two teams have won the past seven national team championships, with the Bruins emerging victorious in 2003 and 2004 while the Bulldogs won from 2005-2009.
Georgia has nine returning gymnasts from its championship team, including All-American senior Courtney McCool, who scored her first career perfect 10.0 on beam last year at UCLA. McCool is currently ranked first in the nation on floor, and senior Grace Taylor is tied for third on balance beam.
The meet against UCLA will be Georgia’s fourth consecutive against top-10 competition and seventh of the season. The Bulldogs, who entered the season No. 1, are coming off a 196.575-196.050 win against No. 10 Louisiana State after losing by one-tenth to No. 4 Florida the previous week.
For the Bruins, the Bulldogs’ statistics are irrelevant. Coach Valorie Kondos Field said they need to continue ignoring their opponents’ performances during competition in order to win on Saturday.
“We are such a great team when we are together and intend on doing what we need to do,” Hopfner-Hibbs said, echoing her coach. “If we can just stay in our UCLA team bubble, it’s going to be awesome, and the win will take care of itself. Obviously, winning is important, but we are not focusing on that.”
Winning against Georgia would solidify UCLA’s current national ranking and provide a boost of confidence to the team, which has only one more meet after Saturday before postseason competition begins. The meet is also significant as an indication of the level of contention the Bruins will encounter at the NCAA Championships.
In preparation for the meet, UCLA has been practicing on performing “bigger,” according to Kondos Field. “We’ve been working on higher vaults, better dismounts off beam and more stuck landings on bars. We are trying to take it up another notch and not be satisfied with just doing well,” she said.
The Bruins’ aim against Georgia remains the same as it has been throughout the season: to hit 24 for 24 routines. Avoiding a fall will be crucial for the Bruins, who will most likely need a high score, around 197.00, to defeat the Bulldogs.
But Kondos Field refuses to look at the competition from a points perspective because it limits the team’s scoring potential, she said.
“Who knows how high this team can score?” she said. “We can never feel like we have arrived because everyone can hit a 10.0 vault, and that should be our goal.”