In the back right corner of the Yates gymnasium on Wednesday, the gymnastics team sat on the mats surrounding the balance beam, watching intently as Mizuki Sato performed her routine.
Every time the junior completed a difficult skill, her teammates would shout out some encouragement, exactly like they would in a real meet.
Intersquad competitions were a big part of the Bruins’ practices this week in preparation for the NCAA regional meet, the first qualifying round for the championships in Gainsville, Fla. During training, the primary focus for the team has been attention to detail in order to avoid unnecessary deductions during competition.
“We are not just trying to do the skill but we are trying to do it as beautifully as we possibly can,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “We want to get rid of all of the little quarter and half tenth deductions.”
“It’s easier to go from a 9.4 to a 9.8 than it is to go from a 9.90 to a 9.95. That extra little half-a-tenth at the end is really difficult.”
For Kondos Field, the best way for the Bruins to avoid those .05 point deductions is to stick their landings. She believes that if the team could hit roughly two-thirds of their landings, UCLA’s overall score would be about a half point higher ““ a significant difference in a competition that can potentially be won with a margin as tiny as .025 points.
There will also be a few unexpected changes in UCLA’s lineup up going into Saturday’s home competition.
Freshman Lichelle Wong hyperextended both her knees while performing an uneven bars dismount and then sprained her ankle while practicing a simpler dismount on the apparatus. Her injuries, however, are not season-ending; if the Bruins advance, she will be able to compete in the championships.
Despite Wong’s untimely injury, Kondos Field believes that the Bruins have enough depth to compensate for their loss on bars and floor. Senior Anna Li will return on floor exercise after withdrawing from the event in Pac-10 competition because of an ankle injury.
“I have really been working on strengthening my ankle enough to get back in on floor and come back into the all-around for this last home meet,” Li said.
“I’m excited because this is going to be my last home meet. The fact that it’s regionals and such a big competition makes it even better since our home crowd is always supportive. Hopefully Pauley will be packed.”
Although No. 3 UCLA enters the meet as the top-seeded team, Kondos Field refuses to count out the rest of the competition, who are all capable of stellar performances.
No. 9 Arkansas could make a run for the title, having previously defeated the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion two seasons ago in 2008. Kondos Field is also keeping her eye on Pac-10 rivals, Arizona and Arizona State, although for different reasons. Arizona gave one of its best performances of the season, completing all 24 routines in the conference championship. Arizona State however, had one of its worst meets, and Kondos Fields believes the Sun Devils will be eager to redeem themselves.
“You always have to be worried about those teams that come in right after a poor performance because they are ready and want to make up for what they did last time,” she said. “This is the first round of nationals, and it’s like March Madness. You have to be on your game otherwise you are not moving on.”