By making a conscious effort to push tomorrow out of their minds, the Gators have strived tirelessly to avoid jumping ahead of themselves throughout the season.
But the time to focus on the Southeastern Conference Championships is finally here, and it’s become their top priority.
No. 1 Florida, the defending SEC champion, will compete in what its gymnasts call the “funnest meet ever” on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.
On top of facing six conference squads, the stage set for the competition will present a different surface beneath the gymnasts’ bare feet.
The SECs are performed on a podium, which is a raised, championship-style floor that has bouncier equipment, requiring the gymnasts to work arduously to control their bodies on the springy surfaces.
Sophomore Ashanée Dickerson remembers being introduced to the format for the first time in last year’s SECs.
“It was hard trying to get used to it,” Dickerson said. “Once the first event was over, you knew what you had to do, and it was fine after that.”
UF coach Rhonda Faehn said the athletes will have to make adjustments, including backing up their runs on vault so they don’t overshoot. They will also have to be extra careful not to gain too much momentum, causing them to go out of bounds on their floor routines.
Although the Gators don’t have a podium to practice on in their home practice facilities, the team held a mock meet this weekend to mimic the upcoming competition as well as possible.
Compared to the intrasquad meets the gymnasts have performed in all season, Faehn said Saturday’s was phenomenal.
“Normally when we have an intrasquad, there’s a little bit less energy because it’s not the actual competition,” Faehn said. “It didn’t happen this time. They were really up.”
And being “up” is something UF will have to squeeze every last drop out of come 5 p.m. Saturday.
With the podium, the teams have to stay in a designated corral, separating the performing athlete from her cheering teammates. This stains the usual screaming huddles in which the Gators engulf the performing gymnast after the close of her routine.
“You’re on a stage and it’s your show time,” sophomore Liz Green said. “Even though our team has to stay in a corral down on the podium, it’s kind of like you try to be as loud as you can.”
But fellow sophomore Marissa King said Saturday’s competition will ultimately come down to the fine details and polish of the routines, a focus of the entire season.
“We have the gymnastics in the bag,” King said. “We know the gymnastics skills, we know our routines.
“Really, it’s just about focusing on those small details because our bodies can do it, it’s just the concentration and the focus that we need to be able to do those skills perfectly.”
