The Barometer Online

Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Luke Wenker Underclassmen Tasha Smith, Mandi Rodriguez, and Kera Bolen listen to head coach Tanya Chaplin during a meet earlier this season. Despite having no senior leadership, the team has thrived this year.

Most gymnasts are introduced to the sport between the time when they are 4 and 6 years old. By the time a gymnast reaches the collegiate level she typically has 14 years of gymnastics experience and has qualified two or three times for the Junior Olympic National Competition. Yet, she is still very inexperienced.

When analyzing the scores of Beaver gymnastics for the 2007 season and considering the team roster, it is shocking to discover one thing: they have no seniors.

The No. 8 Oregon State gymnastics team members are young, and aside from a few exceptions, competing at the college level posts challenges and pressures that differ from those experienced in club gymnastics.

"Club gymnastics is a completely different atmosphere," sophomore Tasha Smith said. "In club, it's all for yourself. When you go out there on the floor you are not thinking about what your team can get, you are thinking about what you can get. If you fall here, you feel like you want to cry because you are letting your team down."

The OSU team is made up of four freshmen, six sophomores and five juniors. Three of these gymnasts consistently compete in the all-around in sophomores Smith, Jami Lanz and freshman Mandi Rodriguez.

Lanz is currently nationally ranked eighth in the all-around, 13th on the beam, 16th on the floor and 23rd on the uneven bars. Rodriquez and Smith are ranked ninth and 14th on the vault, respectively. Their high rankings have earned them all a spot on the Pac-10 All Conference Women's Gymnastics team this season.

"It's exciting," Smith said. "I got it for vault last year and all-around this year. It was different, and I liked it."

It is typical for the senior gymnasts on a team to step up and take on leadership roles. On a team without senior gymnasts, however, the Beavers have learned to feed off one another's performances and compete as one unified team.

"When we compete, everyone has a role," sophomore D'Anna Piro said. "As far as leadership during the meet, we all take a role. And of course Jami and Yuki, being our team captains, will step up and keep us on track when we need to. But we all have a say and we all listen to what each other puts in."

Continued...

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