Gymwomen look to bring routines to highest level

The Penn State women's gymnastics team is focused on two goals.

From now until the conclusion of the season, the Lady Lions will focus on incorporating more difficult skills into their routines and performing those skills cleanly. If these goals are accomplished, the Lions can increase their national ranking and make the NCAA Super Six.

"(Increasing difficulty) is our main focus," sophomore Nikki Smith said. "But only when we get done with our original assignments."

While it's important to perform more difficult skills, a routine executed with minimal flaws is highly valued. Such was the case in last weekend's meet against Alabama. Though the Lions used more difficult skills in their routines, they did not perform them as cleanly as Alabama and had to swallow a 195.575-193.125 loss.

Both junior Ellen Casey and Smith faltered when they attempted their more difficult skills. Casey missed her full-in on the floor exercise and Smith missed her full-twisting dismount on bars.

"Ellen and I tried to do our more difficult skills and both of us missed," Smith said. "But that's the kind of chance you have to take in competing with it."

While the risks are great, the opportunity to impress the judges must be taken advantage of early in the season, assistant coach Tracey Wilkinson said.

"Even though they fell, they're probably not going to again," she said. "We've got to start increasing our difficulty now in order to prepare for the Big Tens and nationals."

Executing difficult skills, which takes increased strength and endurance, is also imperative to the Lady Lions' national ranking, which is based on team score. As of now, Penn State incorporates some of the most difficult moves in the nation, junior Janae Whittaker said.

"We haven't watered down our moves like a lot of teams seem to do," she said. "It's very important if we want to keep up with the top teams. We need to keep up our difficulty but keep up our execution as well."

The Lions' loss to Alabama, though substantial point-wise, had brighter aspects. After viewing a videotape of their performances, the Lions could be encouraged with at least one positive, Whittaker said.

"I think the TV commentator said we looked like we're the best athletic team Penn State has had in a long time," she said, "which is great that they're recognizing our potential. This year we've done a good job of incorporating more difficult skills."

But implementing skills with increased difficulty, such as a pike half instead of a pike on vault, may be a lengthy process.

"Sometimes people pick up the skill right away and sometimes it takes a whole summer," Smith said. "It all depends on your strength and endurance."

The Lion gymnasts are currently working on increasing the difficulty of their vault skills. A change in start values has determined a pike on vault to have a 9.9 start value and a pike half to have a 10.0 start value. Last year, a pike on vault was good enough for a 10.0 start value.

"It's difficult because you need a good pike to begin with," Whittaker said. "There's days when they're just not as good, but I think it's great I can finally work into a pike half."

Though the team's vault rotation has some flaws, Whittaker believes her team has an inherent advantage because of its considerable depth. Competing three women who have 10.0 vaults and three women with 9.9 vaults ranks among the highest start values in the country.

Impressing the judges and making a case for a higher national ranking aren't the only advantages to implementing more difficult skills, however. Sometimes it's just the challenge itself that warrants new skills.

"It gives you more of a sense of satisfaction," Whittaker said. "And that way you don't get bored or burned out."

Perhaps that's what matters most of all.