Brindle provides motivation for Big Ten Championships

By DARREN STEELE
Collegian Staff Writer

Atmosphere is a factor that is indicative of the mood of a collegiate sports team. When high, it exemplifies a team soaring on the high winds of success, but when down, it is often the sign of a dragging team.

The Penn State men's gymnastics team is no exception.

Last week, the atmosphere of the Nittany Lions team practice was similar to that of a funeral. The team was suffering from injury -- namely senior Danny Beigel, sophomores Dominic Brindle and Rob Saliski and freshman Jose Palacios.

The week grew worse, as the Lions discovered teammate Tobias Ekman had injured his heel in a meet in Sweden. The team was somber and seemed to struggle to find a glimmer of hope.

This week, however, could be another story. In practice for this weekend's Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, the Lions were ignited into an uproar of excitement. For the first time in nearly a month, Dominic Brindle traded in his sweats for his practice clothing and took to the mat.

"It is amazing," coach Randy Jepson said. "He has only practiced for a week, and he looks that good."

Brindle seemed to be back on his game, showing few signs of a rib injury that has sidelined him for more than a month.

"I feel good," Brindle said. "I still have some to go. I just want to get some competition under my belt."

Brindle's return has changed the aura of the gym. On Wednesday it was filled with the sounds of loud cheers and clapping, and the Lions wore a look of intensity, a look they had been missing in recent competition.

"This is big for our guys," Jepson said. "This is motivation for our team. Right now we could use a shot of enthusiasm."

It was obvious that Brindle's presence had taken effect. Adam Benas, Palacios, and even senior captain Tim Lashua looked good in practice.

"This has rebuilt our confidence," Lashua said. "It's great to have everyone back and on the road to health. This is going to be tough competition, it well help us to get ready for regionals."

The Big Ten Championships is a monster of a wall in itself. All six of the teams are ranked in the top 10 nationally. Other teams are suffering from injury as well, but that does not help Jepson's confidence.

"I am not confident, not at all," Jepson said. "I feel there are a lot of questions about our health. I could envision us being anywhere from sixth to first."

The team is looking at this weekend's meet as a building block for regionals, which are three weeks away. The Lions have been very clear, however, that they are also going into this battle of gymnastics powerhouses with their eyes set on the big prize.

The team remembers the heartbreaking loss it suffered at the hands of this year's host, Iowa, at last year's championships.

The Lions have looked to that loss as a reminder of what can go wrong. With a healthier-than-expected team and their priorities in order, the Lions have entered the atmosphere of a team in good position to erase the bad memories of a year ago.