Gymwomen look to alter Big Ten trend


Friday, March 20, 1998	Gymwomen look to alter Big Ten trend By CRAIG YETSKO Collegian Sports Writer A trend has developed over the past two years at the Big Ten Championships -- one the Penn State women's gymnastics team wants to change. In 1996, the Lady Lions finished seventh and last year they were fifth, defeating only Illinois and Iowa. No. 14 Penn State is determined to break this string of disappointing performances tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the conference championships in Iowa City, Iowa.
`Penn State Women's Gymnastics Home Page`	Sophomore Nikki Smith said the team has put less emphasis on its past appearances in the tournament and has looked forward to the task at hand. "We try not to think about it," she said, "and since we have a talented team we know we will do better." Last weekend's competition against Nebraska afforded the Lions an opportunity to get ready for the type of atmosphere that will be seen in Iowa. With television cameras around and activity abounding on the floor, it appeared the Lions let their nerves get to them, and subsequently execution was less than perfect.
Penn State gymnast Nikki Smith performs a beam routine earlier this season. At 7 p.m. today in Iowa City, Iowa, Smith and the rest of the team will begin competing in the Big Ten Championships. (Collegian Photo/Andrew Roach - click for full size image)	However, that experience could help Penn State as it faces six other squads tomorrow. The format will be the same as regionals two weeks from now, in that there will be action going on all the time on each event. Since there are several teams competing, each will have two breaks during the meet. "I think it gives a team a chance to regroup and mentally prepare for the next event," Lion coach Steve Shephard said. An area the Lions focused on in practice was doing each routine cleanly. Penn State made a few uncharacteristic errors in its last meet on bars which caused a deduction in score. Junior Ellen Casey said not only will the gymnasts have to do a lot to calm down their nervous energy but they have to make sure their routines are solid. "It was a good reminder that you have to think through every element," she said. "You can't let your mind wander." An event the Lions have spent extra time on this week has been beam. Even though the team has had success on the apparatus, the Nebraska competition was a sign that routines needed some work. Senior Joanna Knox and freshman Maria Taylor suffered falls and received a 8.9 and 9.3, respectively. In addition, other gymnasts in the rotation lost points due to wobbles while on the beam. Most of Tuesday's practice was devoted to the event. The objective was to make sure all of the elements of the routines were performed fully and focus on the little details, according to Casey. Sophomore Ashley Wilson said beam is usually the event that plays a role in which team comes out successful in a meet. "That's always an event in which you can win or lose a competition on," she said. The one Lion gymnast who will enter the championships with a wealth of confidence is Smith. Last Saturday, she set a career high on floor (9.925) and bars (9.9). The knowledge gained while competing at last year's Big Tens will also help Smith. She placed fourth on beam with a 9.925, which was the highest on the team. "It was definitely one of my best last season," Smith said. "I'm hoping to do the same and do the same on the other two events (bars and floor)."