Road to Nationals Starts Tonight

CU-UF

Meh
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6:45 pm in the O'Dome the #3 Gators take on #19 Arkansas and the media darling new coach Jordyn Wieber. Wieber is the youngest head coach of any major program or sport at 24 years old. Gators should handle this warm-up with ease and set up what should be the battle for the SEC crown with LSU the following week.

As far as the team, only one major loss from last season with Alicia Boren graduating. One freshman addition in Payton Richards. Richards should see a spot on the rotation on beam perhaps floor depending upon how well she continues to produce in practice.

The team should rebound from a disappointing finish last year, The seniors Hundley and Gowey looked locked in during the intrasquad meet. Hundley finishing her career with a classic rock floor routine. Super soph Trinity Thomas, the only NCAA athlete on the US National team, will be the trendsetter for the team. If you get the chance to watch her on any event I highly recommend it. She has excellent lines and her execution is smooth. She never looks like she is forcing anything.

On the whole, I expect a top 3 finish for the team anything else would be a disappointment and Rowland would be solidly on the hot seat. Oklahoma should still win its 4th national title in 5 years in Maggie Nichols final year. The next two years should be UF's national titles, with the addition of 2020 Olympians Morgan Hurd and Riley McClusker along with Trinity, the team should be dominant. Hopefully, a new training center will come online once the Mac is torn down and the space is available with the football facility.

I really encourage anyone if you get the chance to attend a meet. They are quick, and impressive with the toughness and athleticism of these girls. The O'dome gets rocking with almost 10k every meet, so get their early! Go Gators!!!
 

5-Star Finger

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As far as the team, only one major loss from last season with Alicia Boren graduating.

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Gator by the Sea

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I know I’m in the minority in here, but I’m stoked about Gator gymnastics, too. Most on here would be shocked if they went to a meet to see a sellout crowd and an electric atmosphere. We go to at least one meet every season, but we would go to all of them if we could. Lots of fun! Go Gators!
 

Thick&ThinG8r

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Are we actually building a new training center for gymnastics on the old baseball grounds or are you speculating? I ask because I've been told a new student health center will share that site with football and will actually be built first.
 

Woodstork

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This week illustrates why gymnastics should be given whatever perks normally would go to men’s hoops. Coaches should also swap pay. Actually, Mike White should step down, and let Jenny Rowland coach both teams. Couldn’t hurt.
 

CU-UF

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#2 Gators hit the road tonight against #19 Missouri (7pm SEC Network). Gators look to continue the momentum from their best opening meet in several years. Only Oklahoma posted a higher score. The Gators looked solid on bars and outstanding on beam. Vault continues to be a work in progress. They continue to have issues with shakey and hoppy landings. Baumann had a nice *ss landing, which was the worst for the team. Surprised to see the freshman Paige Richards go on 3 events and holding out Megan Skaggs. It's obvious that coach Rowland is both tinkering with line-up early and holding veterans back to save the abuse on their bodies. Rowland has always had the "build-up to Nationals" approach versus "day-one ready" approach. Highlights from the Arkansas meet:



Two years ago this approach resulted in a loss at Mizzou as several gymnasts were held back and several others under-performed. As we all know, Mizzou is a weird place to go to and usually has no energy so it will be interesting to see how the team comes out and responds. It will also be interesting to see if Rowland continues to change some of the lineup to see who performs and who doesnt. Unless Skaggs is dealing with some injury I see her returning to lineup in bars and beam possibly in place of freshman.

Btw, attendance at the gymnastics meets is about equal to mens basketball (9k versus 8.5k). Gymnastics is also a ticketed event (ie not free except for students). As far as a new training facility, it is more speculation than fact. I do know there have been conversations and in reality, they need it to keep up with LSU who just built a $12mill stand alone facility and Georgia and Oklahoma with similar plans.
 

CU-UF

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Gators brought it last night against LSU. In front of prime time TV audience and a sold out O-Dome the Gators smacked the Tigers 198.375 to 197.775. This marks the second year that UF has beaten LSU and returns the series to the more natural state of dominance. It also puts UF firmly on the inside track to the SEC championship. Freshman Payton Richards continues to impress. She still looks in her top JO shape and has not succumbed to "Freshman 15" that many of the top gymnasts seem to hit when they transition to college. Highlights had to be the first 10 that Trinity Thomas received as a Gator on bars and the teams overall performance on beam. The Gators have now become the second team in the nation to break the 198 mark. I am sure UCLA will follow shortly, but UF is probably the only team with a realistic shot of topping Oklahoma for the national title.

Some highlights:
Trinity Thomas 10


Payton Richards vault


Alyssa Baumann vault
 

Frozen Gator

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Wife and I thoroughly enjoy watching the Gators compete in gymnastics and what a high level it is! It was especially nice to beat LSU who gave us a hard time last year. We sure seem to bump heads with them a lot lately.
 

CU-UF

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It's funny the girls didn't need the excuse that, everyone could sit at home and watch it on the big screen. They sold it out anyhow.
Good point, although to be fair, while it is a $ ticketed event, the price point is different, so the equation probably shifts for some folks. High quality product + great environment + affordable ticket...
 

GatorTom85

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Gators brought it last night against LSU. In front of prime time TV audience and a sold out O-Dome the Gators smacked the Tigers 198.375 to 197.775. This marks the second year that UF has beaten LSU and returns the series to the more natural state of dominance. It also puts UF firmly on the inside track to the SEC championship. Freshman Payton Richards continues to impress. She still looks in her top JO shape and has not succumbed to "Freshman 15" that many of the top gymnasts seem to hit when they transition to college. Highlights had to be the first 10 that Trinity Thomas received as a Gator on bars and the teams overall performance on beam. The Gators have now become the second team in the nation to break the 198 mark. I am sure UCLA will follow shortly, but UF is probably the only team with a realistic shot of topping Oklahoma for the national title.

They are really focused so far this year! Way back in the day when I was a UF student, I ushered at the ODome and got to work a lot of gymnastics meets. TV really doesn't suffice to fully capture the awesome athleticism these girls display at every meet especially when you get to be close to the action. I continue to be impressed and proud of the Gator gymnastics legacy which has been a pillar of the UF sports pantheon for well over 3 decades! :)
 

CU-UF

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#2 Gators hit the road tonight against #12 Kentucky (7pm SEC+). Florida is coming off their most complete meet against LSU scoring the highest team score of any team this season. The most encouraging result of that meet was their performance on vault. While they still are having issues sticking their landings, the landings are tighter and the deductions smaller.

It will be interesting to see how UF responds tonight on the road. I expect the Kentucky crowd to be jacked. Kentucky has only beaten UF once in this series 21 years ago. The Cats in recent years have been pushing for more respectability and are fighting to be on the top of the second tier SEC programs (Auburn, Arky, Mizzou). Unlike the dump that is Missouri, I expect a sell-out crowd hoping to see the upset happen. Kentucky is capable, especially if UF has some falls or comes out flat. It would be nice to see the Gators put up a 197+ score on the road to get closer to Oklahoma but would take the win. Watch Kentucky senior Molly Korth, a really solid all-arounder and leader of the team.

Highlights from LSU Meet:
 

CU-UF

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#2 Gators have a rare tri-meet tonight in the ODome. (6:45 pm SEC+). Should be a challenging environment against #4 Denver and #18 Iowa State. This could be a bit of redemption for the team given last years regional outcome. For those that are unaware (I am sure everyone), Florida was left out of Nationals after counting a fall on beam and losing to Denver and Oregon State last year. That ending to the season seems to have the Gators locked in early this year. Last week they travelled to Kentucky who was undefeated in the SEC and crushed them with a solid 197.8 road score. UF continues to close the gap with #1 Oklahoma and based upon early season scores it appears there is Florida and Oklhoma, a wide gap and the rest of the teams. So this will be interesting to see with #4 Denver if that gap is real or just good fortune with meet scoring. If the Gators are locked in and continue to make progress with the vault rotation, look for a 198+ score.

Denver brings 2 very strong gymnasts in Maddie Karr and Lynnzee Brown. Both are in the top 5 all-around rankings. Trinity Thomas will hopefully have something to say about that tonight. Get there early, The meet should be faster than a normal dual meet since three events will be going at the same time. Should be fun. Go Gators!
 

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