Season is so close! For the first time in five years, I’ll be on the fan side of NCAA gymnastics, which is definitely going to be an adjustment. However, I know exactly what these athletes are feeling as the countdown to the season nears single digits.
Welcome back to another day in the life! Months and months of hard work have brought us to this point, and the season is right around the corner. Since August, the main goal has been to make lineups, travel with the team, and finally get out on the competition floor. To actually get to this point though, there is a whole lot to get through to show you should be in these spots to compete.
Building up to the season, beginning around the end of October, teams will have intrasquads to test out different lineups, put people in different spots, and practice potential pressure situations; all to determine what will be the most effective on competition day. These intrasquads start with one event where whoever is training is given the opportunity to go, which could mean six people or 16. From the athletes who show they’re ready, the coaches will build lineups with who they think will set a good tone to be a leadoff, who will keep the scores building in the middle, and who should anchor, usually based on scoring…
