UCLA gymnastics associate head coach and former UCLA gymnast Chris Waller lightheartedly claimed that he once owned a faster motorcycle than former teammate Michael Chaplin, whom he will see again soon from the other side of the mat. Chaplin is no longer a competitive teammate, but has become the competition as a coach of the Oregon State University gymnastics team.
“He’s fiercely competitive,” Waller said. “It’s always fun when our respective teams compete against each other because you bring that friendly fire, and we have a good time with it.”
Sunday night’s meet will present rivalries old and new as coaches and gymnasts have legacies to uphold or reclaim. UCLA will host Oregon State at Pauley Pavilion, an apt stage for a rematch after UCLA relinquished the Pac-12 title to Oregon State at the Beavers’ home arena last season.
Waller remembers last year’s Pac-12 Championship as a difficult one to have lost to his former teammate.
“They had a great meet, and we gave up just a little bit,” Waller said. “That was a stinger to lose that one of course.In terms of them winning last year, it couldn’t have gone to a better program, except us of course, so we’ll bring it back home this year.”
Coach Valorie Kondos Field said the upcoming meet will be fun because of the rivalry between the two coaches and mentioned the reunion that will take place after the meet. Members of UCLA’s gymnastics program in the 1980s will be honored, including Waller and Chaplin as members of the 1987 men’s national championship team.Oregon State’s coach and Chaplin’s wife, Tanya Chaplin, who is also a former UCLA gymnast, will be another of the athletes recognized on Sunday.
Members of the team are also looking forward to the meet with last year’s defeat in mind.
“The last time we competed against them they took the Pac-12 title from us at Oregon State, so it’s kind of a little revenge meet for us,” redshirt junior Samantha Peszek said. “We’re really excited to go out there and put on a good show for the great crowd again.”
Peszek will not be competing on vault this Sunday because of a stress reaction in her heel. Kondos Field said she will not participatein the event because they are trying to make sure that her heel injury does not turn into a stress fracture.
Unlike Peszek, Kondos Field is not preparing the team with last year’s loss in mind.
“In our sport, there is nothing we can do about the competitor, so I personally don’t think about them,” Kondos Field said. “I don’t scout them. I don’t do anything. I just try to prepare our athletes the best way we can.”