With their entire season on the line, the Bruins know that it will take nothing less than perfection to win it all in Utah as they compete for the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time in practice on the details,” sophomore Ariana Berlin said. “We can hit our routines but every tenth of a point matters at nationals so we have to be perfect.”
To achieve that perfection, the Bruins will have to put their lack of experience behind them and focus all of their energy on every routine. One of the biggest factors the team has focused on over the last 10 days has been overcoming the jitters.
With only four upperclassmen on the roster, for the majority of the girls this will be their first NCAA Championship experience. Fortunately, the team has had nearly 10 days off to visualize it all and prepare themselves after a close victory at regionals. The Bruins feel that they can handle the pressure.
“You really have to just go out there and enjoy the moment,” senior Ashley Peckett said. “If you go out and think about the pressure, it’s going to get to you. Luckily, most of our girls have competed in high-level events before so they have been in high-pressure situations and can perform in that.”
In addition to the pressure, the team will also have to deal with fatigue and injuries. The Bruins will compete first on Thursday night in a preliminary round. Should the Bruins finish in the top three, they will then compete again the following night in the Super Six. The possibility of competing on back-to-back nights is something the team hopes will not be a problem, in part due to a long season of conditioning.
“All of us are in prime shape so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Berlin said. “We are all very fit and well-conditioned. The only concern is injuries, and we’re hoping to set up our lineup on Thursday to give some of the gymnasts a break so they’re ready on Friday.”
The team also hopes to be able to ease up the load by dividing it up among the gymnasts. At regionals, Berlin and junior Jordan Schwikert were unable to compete on the floor due to minor injuries. Their substitutes, sophomore Janelle Dantzscher and freshman Ashley Jenkins, performed well in their place and will provide the Bruins with some much-needed depth.
The Bruins will hope to rest as many regulars as possible on Thursday, giving them the energy they need for Friday and Saturday. As long as the team finishes in the top three it is guaranteed a spot in Friday’s final and thus some of the injured gymnasts will be held out of the preliminary action.
Berlin, who leads off for the Bruins, has been struggling with pain in her leg from an injury she sustained several years back. Her energy and enthusiasm has been vital to the team, and she does not see the injury holding her back this week.
“My leg will be fine,” Berlin said. “It got worse for awhile but it’s getting better day by day. I will be just relying on adrenaline. I want to compete no matter what, and so I am going to play through whatever pain I feel. I won’t be watching.”
Jordan Schwikert, who sat out because of a hamstring injury, will also be ready to go and the Bruins hope that with the addition of sophomore Melissa Chan, who was recently reinstated to the team, they will not have any problems in their lineup.
Although the team is already thinking about bringing home UCLA’s 100th national title, the Bruins cannot overlook Thursday’s preliminary round. They will be going up against Utah, Stanford, Michigan, Denver and LSU. They have already lost to Utah, Stanford and Denver during the regular season.
“You can’t take Thursday for granted,” Peckett said. “The finals are not a guarantee and we cannot overlook that fact. You have to make it to the next round, so (the preliminary round) is really just about as important as Friday.”