Spring Break
Hard work - going a long way
Nick Lilja
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Sports
In the hazy gym, the light filtered in from the setting sun in the west.It was augmented by the overhead fluorescent lights. The haze was a chalky dust, and the gym was dry enough to pull the water out of your mouth when you lean back and yawn. But it was a typical afternoon, nothing special.
They have been here before. Practice was as the usual rigmarole. No awards ceremony, no Capri-Suns or orange slices. There was a lot of chanting and cheering, working on individual skills, asking for teammates' approval. You know, nothing new, nothing different.
"Does this look good enough?" "How's my form?" "Were my toes pointed?"
All of those questions have been asked before, and they all know the answers. "Yes," "Great" and "Yes." It's almost an eerie feeling of déjà vu. Sometimes they would pause and look off into the distance, almost as if they recognized the feeling. Just a blank stare.
It's not form tackling drills outside of Reser, jump-shots in Gill or even batting practice in Goss. No, this practice is in a far more chaotic place: Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center.
Even in the chaos, the Oregon State gymnastics team practice was filled with everydayness. Even the most difficult tasks look controlled and calm. Sure, the gymnasts finished second in the Pac-10 Championship, losing to Stanford by .450 points - but they were trying to win it. And they beat every team in the Pac-10 this year - but to them, that's just a footnote.
Pfft, yeah, Tasha Smith and Jami Lanz won a combined three individual titles, but that doesn't mean anything on Tuesday. Coach Tanya Chaplin won Coach of the Year, but that doesn't mean it's time for a margarita. They have to compete at Regionals.
Funny thing, though: they have done that, too.
That's the amazing thing about the seventh-ranked Beaver gymnastics team; while other teams focus on treating the Regional Championships like just another meet, the Beavers actually can do that. The Oregon State gymnastics team has been to Regionals every year since 1979 - seemingly since "Regionals" were "Regionals."
They have been here before. Practice was as the usual rigmarole. No awards ceremony, no Capri-Suns or orange slices. There was a lot of chanting and cheering, working on individual skills, asking for teammates' approval. You know, nothing new, nothing different.
"Does this look good enough?" "How's my form?" "Were my toes pointed?"
All of those questions have been asked before, and they all know the answers. "Yes," "Great" and "Yes." It's almost an eerie feeling of déjà vu. Sometimes they would pause and look off into the distance, almost as if they recognized the feeling. Just a blank stare.
It's not form tackling drills outside of Reser, jump-shots in Gill or even batting practice in Goss. No, this practice is in a far more chaotic place: Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center.
Even in the chaos, the Oregon State gymnastics team practice was filled with everydayness. Even the most difficult tasks look controlled and calm. Sure, the gymnasts finished second in the Pac-10 Championship, losing to Stanford by .450 points - but they were trying to win it. And they beat every team in the Pac-10 this year - but to them, that's just a footnote.
Pfft, yeah, Tasha Smith and Jami Lanz won a combined three individual titles, but that doesn't mean anything on Tuesday. Coach Tanya Chaplin won Coach of the Year, but that doesn't mean it's time for a margarita. They have to compete at Regionals.
Funny thing, though: they have done that, too.
That's the amazing thing about the seventh-ranked Beaver gymnastics team; while other teams focus on treating the Regional Championships like just another meet, the Beavers actually can do that. The Oregon State gymnastics team has been to Regionals every year since 1979 - seemingly since "Regionals" were "Regionals."
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