Coaches Update with Danna Durante

Hello Husker Fans!

 

So far we have competed against six different teams in our first two meets, and of those opponents, three teams were ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Up next, we head to Missouri before making it back to the DevaneyCenter for our 2007 home opener against Oklahoma, on Friday, Feb. 2.

 

Here's a brief update on the first few weeks of the 2007 season:

 

The team returned from winter break on Dec. 26 and worked extremely hard for the 10 days we had together prior to the Super Six Challenge. I know they were ready for the competitions to begin! We had a great trip to Arkansas; they host an incredible meet, and we enjoyed seeing some of our good friends from other teams. The meet started off pretty shaky on beam, but the team gave fantastic performances on vault, bars and floor. The athletes stayed tough and focused – really showing what we have been working on in practice. The bars team in particular and those gymnastics pushing to get into the lineup have been working hard to improve not only their form but the aggressive nature in which they swing. We were all very impressed and proud of how they finished the meet to move us into second place. We also had a lot of parents and fans with us in Arkansas, which we always love. Thanks for your support!

 

We returned to Lincoln to start classes and take advantage of a weekend off. The team changed its focus a bit in the gym, especially on beam and floor and increased the intensity so that everyone would be ready to compete in Ames on Jan. 19. We had several one-arounds (also known as intrasquads) during that two-week period, which helped keep the team sharp and focused.

 

Arriving in Ames, we felt very good about our progress and very confident in our abilities. The seniors were motivated to compete aggressively in order to take home their first win at IowaState. We started off on bars not as clean as we were in the previous meet, but Desire' and Vanessa finished the rotation strong to get us back on track. Vault and floor were strong again, and it was great to see Britt on exhibition on floor. The floor team as a whole has been really focusing on not just performing big tumbling, but doing it very cleanly. Going into beam, we were up by about four tenths of a point, which is not a big margin on the road, especially with IowaState going to floor. Our beam team was amazing, and every competitor worked aggressive beam routines from start to finish. We attacked every event and earned our first win in four years at IowaState!

 

This week we have been focusing on our landings and starting off the first event strong. Missouri is also the host site for the Big 12 Championships this year. We are looking forward to using this weekend's dual to prepare us for our conference competition on Saturday, March 31.

 

In the next 10 days we will also be preparing for our home opener. We will be visiting many area schools to promote our Feb. 2 competition, as well as the benefits of an active lifestyle. Come see us Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the DevaneyCenter! It is our Dollar Days promotion night, which means admission, Pepsi products and hot dogs are only $1! And it is also Elementary School Night at the DevaneyCenter for local Lincoln students! Both the Husker men and women will be competing and signing autographs after the meet. We hope to see you there!

 

Go Big Red!