In UCLA gymnastics’ second-to-last meet of the regular season, the Bruins proved that the issues on beam that plagued the team in its first few meets are long over. In a meet that featured three probable postseason contenders – No. 6 Utah, No. 7 Michigan and No. 8 UCLA – the Bruins used a strong […]
Author Archives: Zachary Lemos
UCLA gymnastics dominates Arizona with season-high score
After seeing her gymnasts run through what she described as a lackluster warm-up in Tuscon, Ariz., coach Valorie Kondos Field sat her athletes down. The longtime gymnastics coach told them that the meet would be over in two hours, and that they needed to find a new source of enthusiasm if they hoped to be […]
Gymnastics switches focus for meet against Arizona
This weekend against Arizona, UCLA gymnastics will use the same routines and lineup that it did in last weekend’s meet against Stanford. Because of this, there is a strong chance its competition in Tuscon will look very similar to the one that happened a week ago in Pauley Pavilion, but that doesn’t mean something hasn’t […]
UCLA’s Danusia Francis gets fortitude in gymnastics career from her mother
At any given gymnastics meet, Danusia Francis has thousands of eyes fixed on her – and the former Olympic reserve never fails to give the crowda show. Whether she’s completing an NCAA-first aerial or shooting the audience a broad grin, coach Valorie Kondos Field said Francis is always doing something to draw cheers. But amid […]
Former Olympian Jennifer Pinches returns from retirement to compete for UCLA
The day after representing Great Britain in the Olympics, Jennifer Pinches was done with gymnastics.
Despite enjoying a storybook career, complete with a documentary centered on her life as an 11-year-old gymnast, multiple national championships and a trip to the 2012 London Summer Olympics, the English native decided to move on.
From Olympics to UCLA, Samantha Peszek rises to the occasion
As her feet pressed into the mat below her, Samantha Peszek took just a small stutter step backward. For a short moment, she raised her arms, signaling the end of her routine on uneven bars and somberly forced her eyes toward the Olympic judges. Then her eyes flicked down, her shoulders slumped and she quickly […]
Gymnastics: The Competitive Demands – Samantha Peszek
As her feet pressed into the mat below her, Samantha Peszek took just a small stutter step backward.
For a short moment, she raised her arms, signaling the end of her routine on uneven bars and somberly forced her eyes toward the Olympic judges.