Last Friday, UCLA gymnastics fell quickly into a domino effect, letting one unexpected mistake lead to another in subsequent rotations against the No. 4 Utah Utes.
With that loss behind them, the No. 15 Bruins (2-1) are ready to move on. They’ve done so already by switching up their practice routines a bit in advance of their meet on Sunday against the No. 21-ranked Cal Bears (4-0).
The upcoming meet against Cal will be UCLA’s shot to recover from last week’s meet. The Bears are unbeaten so far and bested No. 20 Denver with a season-high total score of 195.900 in their home opener just last Sunday. This is their first time carrying the undefeated title through four meets. Cal’s strongest point right now is its freshmen and sophomore gymnasts, who have consistently performed multiple high-score routines in all events.
Coach Valorie Kondos Field said that the individual gymnasts are faced with the constant pressure of having their performances affect the team’s performance, both positively and negatively. Therefore when one gymnast makes a mistake, the subsequent gymnasts feel added pressure on their routines.
“It is that pressure that gets them to play tight,” Kondos Field said.
Therefore, to better their mistake-ridden performances from last meet, the Bruins have opted for a more team-oriented approach at practice.
“Our assignment has been more team-oriented. You are making team routines with your group so you are held more accountable for your job,” said senior Ellette Craddock. “It is different since we usually have a little bit more of an individual assignment.”
With the team assignments, the Bruins hope to regain their confidence instead of letting their previous mistakes deter them from heading toward the ultimate goal of achieving the national championship.
“What we are working on right now is developing their ability to play big and play to win when they are under the most pressure,” Kondos Field said. “And so we are doing lot of team routines in which they have to hit their routines as a team.”
In addition to getting through pressure-packed competition as a team, the Bruins said that they are honing in on each gymnast’s individual ability to capture and retain her own confidence, but again, for the sake of the whole team.
“Once there is mistake, the natural tendency is to get a little tight,” said senior Samantha Peszek. “So learning that lesson earlier in the season is better than later.”
UCLA gymnastics hopes to put all of its abilities together in time for a win against a rapidly growing team. But more importantly, the Bruin gymnasts will test their abilities to handle pressure in a competitive situation and centralize their focus back into their own routines, instead of trapping themselves in the wheel of a domino effect.
“We are ready to come out and go big,” Kondos Field said. “And take home another W.”