Ashley George ... Saturday 12:00 noon
The feelings going through the Warhawk gymnasts' heads as they were announced last night was irreplaceable! Walking in with that spotlight on us was amazing. We were immediately ready to compete after that. There was a swarm of purple in the crowd supporting us. Many families traveled miles and miles to come and watch us complete. We are so thankful to have such awesome fans who come and support us through everything! We had a few struggles throughout the competition, but we never gave up. As we were announced as the third place team we we more than happy. We were so proud to be a part of this program and this family. The look in each of our eyes was a moment to remember. Smiles, tears, and excitement were just a few emotions you could see on this team. We had become a part of the highest finishing team in Whitewater history. That is something to be proud of!Along with finishing third, individuals also had a lot of success. Justine Weyer finished fifth in the all-around earning her All-America status once again. Individual that will be competing for All-America honors today are Allison Nelson on vault, Ashley George on bars, and Justine and Danni Doll on beam. The entire team and our fans will be there to support these girls. Go Hawks!
This morning the team started off having a breakfast together in the hotel. Everyone is still full of emotions as the realization that this season has come to an end. Tonight the seniors will be recognized and the goodbye to the sport which has been our lives since we were young will become clear. We may be done with the sport of gymnastics, but the family we have created here at Whitewater will never fade. The love for each other is something we will never let go of. This Warhawk family has had such a successful season and we should all be proud of our accomplishments.
Angel Simonini ... Friday 1:00 p.m.Warhawk gymnasts wake up to the alarm this morning at 9:30 with feelings of excitement, anxiousness and hunger for this competition. We started off the morning by going into the coaches room for breakfast together. We had bagels from Panera and fruit, this is always a nice way to start off the morning. Looking around the room you can see the desire in everyone's eyes, seeing that is a motivation in itself. We are here as a TEAM, we are at a National Competition; this is a dream come true. Being a senior at breakfast I can't help but to think about how much I am going to miss these moments. The 18 girls, 2 coaches and the trainer that are sitting in this hotel room with me, is what has made the past year everything I have ever wanted.
The next few hours is spent having fun and getting ready for the meet. This includes pre- competition rituals that helps us physically and mentally prepare for this amazing experience. We are currently doing team hair, which we do before every single meet. We bond by getting ready together, yea I know this is kind of girly but it is apart of who we are. At 1:00 we will be meeting in Jen's room for a pep talk, one of many that come before the National Competition. Just the thought of this talk gives me chills, it definitely is a motivation and puts us all in the mind set that we are ONE FAMILY, ONE TEAM and we all have ONE DREAM. After we meet and chat, we will then head to Chilli's for team lunch. Eating is not a problem when it comes to the Whitewater Gymnasts, we get a good meal in and then head off to Hamline University to show the Nation what U Dub Dub is all about.
On the bus ride we have a fire up before we step foot into the gym, this is either a motivational song or video. This feeling brings about many emotions for every single person sitting on the bus. As we walk off the bus we make an appearance, usually we are cheering as we carry equipment in and are sometimes loud and obnoxious. Some of us bring purple pom poms and my personal favorite which are hand clappers!!! This gets us all excited, laughing, and helps us get more relaxed.
Time for the training room, the pain and injuries this sport has thrown at us seems so small at the moment compared to what is ahead of us. We set everything aside as we step into the gym, everything but that little girl inside of us that wants to succeed. The TEAM is what this competition is all about; we all want it for each other. UWW Gymnastics is all about ONE FAMILY, and we are going to show the world what we are all about tonight. As I hold on to the girl’s pinkies during the National Anthem, I can feel everyone's heart beat because we all beat with one heart. This is our night, and no one I mean no one is going to come in the way of the Purple Power. Let’s go Hawks!!!
Katie Cosentino ... Thursday 11:00 p.m.Tonight we had our banquet for Nationals. We had a few hours after practice to go back to the hotel, eat some snacks, relax, and get ready. The banquet is so much fun to get ready for because we all get so dressed up. We always only see the other teams in leotards or sweats so it's really nice for a change. Everyone looks like different people in dresses!
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the NCGA Division III National gymnastics meet. In order to honor that fact, the coach from UW-Lacrosse put together a short video showing different pictures and video clips of the teams present at this years meet and also from previous years. We also had a guest speaker, John Roethlisberger, talk to us. John Roethlisberger was a three time Olympic gymnast. He gave a very good speech tonight because he was both funny and inspirational at the same time. He really knew how to relate to all the teams since he has gone through so many years in this sport.
After the banquet we had a team meeting to find out the line-up for tomorrows meet. We are all very excited for tomorrow! There will be a lot of good competition at the meet and all the teams are going to be so fired up. This is the meet that everyone has worked for the entire season and now it is finally here! We are all heading to bed soon so that we can get a good nights sleep and be rested up for tomorrow.
Danielle Crinzi ... Thursday 4:45 p.m.
The team and I just got back to our hotel here in Minnesota. We've been at Hamline University for most of the afternoon getting one last practice in before competition tomorrow. It was nice for all of us to get to practice on the equipment we will be competing on tomorrow because it gives us some extra time to get a feel for everything. Overall, the practice went well and we're getting really pumped for tomorrow.
We have a little bit of time now before we have to head to the Nationals Banquet. It will be fun to socialize with our team as well as other teams and of course have a nice dinner. After the banquet, we'll head back to our rooms and get a good night's sleep so that we're ready for the meet tomorrow! The Warhawks are ready to hit all four!!
Allison Annala ... Wednesday 3:15 p.m.
Excitement is high among the UW-Whitewater Gymnasts! Right now, the girls are getting their final treatments in the training room before we head up to the NCGA Division III Gymnastics Championships at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. After the training room, we'll start loading the bus with all of the mats and equipment that we bring to meets, and then it's off to Nationals!
The last week of practice has not been an easy one for the Warhawks. The gym has been full of mixed emotions, ranging from nervousness to exhaustion and of course, excitement. Coming in second at the WIAC regional was definitely an accomplishment for this team, since only the top 3 teams qualify for the National meet. We are so proud to be representing UW-Whitewater at the National Championships again this year!
Tonight we're having a team dinner at the Olive Garden (our team's favorite restaurant), and then we will be checking in to the host hotel, where all of the teams will be staying. We are so excited for everything about the next 3 days! Tomorrow we will have our practice day, where the team will get to work out in the competition gym and get a feel for the equipment they will be competing on. After practice, we'll be heading back to get ready for the banquet! Friday is the team competition and Saturday will be individual finals! It's going to be a busy 3 days, but this is what we've been waiting for all season! Let's go 'Hawks!
