Practice makes perfect.
Athletes have had this saying drilled into their heads from their earliest moments on the mat, field or court. You practice like you play, and you play to win the game.
Things work a little differently on UF’s gymnastics team.
Sit in on a typical workout at the O’Connell Center’s practice facility and the atmosphere paints a picture different from what you would expect out of the nation’s No. 1-ranked gymnastics program.
Coaches and athletes joke among each other, laughing over music booming throughout the studio.
The scene likens more to a friendly hangout than a gathering of elite athletes. Things are decidedly normal.
And that is exactly what first-year head coach Jenny Rowland wants.
"Really, we haven’t been working on being perfect in the gym or anything," Rowland said.
You wouldn’t be able to tell based on UF’s performance.
During No. 1 Florida’s win against No. 5 Alabama on Friday, a trio of Gator gymnasts — sophomores Alex McMurtry and Kennedy Baker and senior Bridget Sloan -—notched three perfect 10s across three different events, a first in the UF gymnastics program’s 44-year history.
McMurtry and Sloan posted the first perfect 10s of this season nationwide on the uneven bars and the balance beam, respectively, while Sloan’s perfect effort also proved to be the first of its kind in the O’Connell Center.
"To be honest, getting a perfect 10 on beam, in general, is really hard," Sloan said. "But, at the same time, (on) this team, every single one of us is capable of a 10. And that’s incredible."
Baker’s first career 10 came on floor and helped propel the Gators to a team score of 198.175, the nation’s highest score of the 2016 season.
"It’s a testament of what we’ve been doing in the gym," Rowland said following Friday night’s victory. "And what they do in the gym and what I tell them all the time is to be normal. … I don’t know if they heard that so many times tonight, (but) when they’re normal in that sense, they are unbelievable. Really, it’s a subjective sport and they (were) undeniable with those 10s."
What’s impressive, however, is the way in which the gymnasts performed. They compiled perfect 10s under immense pressure with a high degree of difficulty.
For example, McMurtry’s 10 capped off a bar rotation that saw senior Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto take a fall on her skill of specialty. Three Gators followed Dancose-Giambattisto, and each scored progressively better than the last, helping Florida edge the Crimson Tide for the rotational victory.
And, once again, that trait stems from the squad’s seemingly unconventional practice habits.
"Again, Jenny always says ‘be normal’," Sloan said. "Well, if you guys were to see what we do in the gym, we are so relaxed. We are laughing, goofing around. Whether it’s a good day or a bad day, you’ll never know because we’re always laughing or having fun."
Contact Alejandro Lopez at alopex@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ajlb95.
Bridget Sloan performs on the balance beam during Florida’s win against Alabama on Jan. 29, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
