The Barometer Online

Issue date: 11/24/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Wick Freshman Leslie Mak competed for the first time inside of Legendary Gill Coliseum. Mak was one of three new gymnasts to debut Friday.

It was not the score that was important, or even which team won - the Black Team - the Orange and Black Exhibition was an opportunity for the OSU gymnasts to get out in front of fans and identify what work still needs to be done.

"I think that there is a lot of promise with this team," head coach Tanya Chaplin said. "They're strong and there is a lot of depth. They work tremendously hard and it is a good starting point for us."

On bars, handstands were missed, pauses took place and the occasional fall occurred as the Beavers showed off new and old routines on the apparatus. The gymnasts, however, showed progress from fall practices as they worked on releases and dismounts.

In last season's exhibition, the Beavers did not throw their dismounts and the challenge was met by many, including sophomore Jen Kesler who stuck her dismount. Senior Jami Lanz and junior Mandi Rodriguez shared the title on uneven parallel bars after clean routines.

"We challenged them a little bit more, we put more things in the routines," Chaplin said. "We have a month and a half and the skills are there, now we have to get the consistency."

Rodriguez claimed the vault title in the exhibition as two gymnasts tied for the balance beam title. Showing she has completed her comeback, junior Brooke Barclay led the Black Team on the beam, finishing side-by-side with Kesler. A member of the Orange Team, Kesler completed her solid routine by sticking her landing, giving her the 9.800 score from the judges, which Barclay would match.

The floor ran differently than at Orange and Black Exhibitions in the past, as gymnasts completed full routines with full tumbling passes, which differs from the past when only two passes were used and not all skills were utilized.

"If it were a real competition that wouldn't be our best performance," Lanz said. "We put out full routines with full passes and full skills and that's really a good thing for us to do right now."

Lanz won on the floor as she saved herself from stepping out of bounds on her second tumbling pass. The senior from Eugene was one of four gymnasts who competed in the all-around, joined by Rodriguez, Kesler and senior Kera Bolen.

Continued...

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