For gymnasts transitioning from level 10 to NCAA gymnastics can be a daunting shift. Gone are the smaller, quieter meets held in corporate conference centers, replaced by the electric atmosphere of college arenas often packed with near sell-out crowds. But even for elite athletes, who are more used to the noise and the spectacle, the jump can be equally difficult. Competing for individual success is replaced by the pressure of competing as part of a team, and constructing routines that will contribute to the collective success of the team, week after week is a key challenge in this transition. Coaches, athletes, and teams must balance individual talents with team strategy, creating routines that both maximize a gymnast’s strengths and meet the technical demands of collegiate competition.
“Coming in, it’s super nerve-wracking,” admited Faith Torrez, a standout gymnast at the University of Oklahoma, “I always stayed in really great contact (with my college coaches), and throughout that summer where I was about to come in, I always kind of asked what they thought for routines,” said Torrez.
For many coaches the process of constructing college routines begins long before the freshmen set foot on campus. Associate head coach Lou Ball, who enters his 19th year…
