Jan. 3, 2005

In the world of sport it is almost impossible for a team to reach its full potential every time it competes, especially over the course of a long season. There are only some competitions in which every member of the squad is performing at their best. Seasoned through competition and training, the Mizzou Tiger gymnasts look to make consistency the winning element of their 2005 season.

Facing the uncertainty of success, Mizzou looks to be a team that has the ability to consistently perform at its highest level each outing in order to achieve its goals and turn uncertainty to fact. Distinguishing the sport of gymnastics, where a single mistake can mean the difference between victory and defeat, the Tigers aim to overcome insecurity with hard work, skill and devotion.

During the 2004 season, the Tigers were a force to be reckoned with in every competition. Finishing the year with a 15-3 record, a third-place finish in the Big 12 Conference Championship and earning berth to the NCAA Regional Championships, Mizzou defined its most triumphant season in history.

After careers of harrowing performances by four great athletes, in Lindsay Davis, Andrea Nervig, Rachel Bridges and Lauren Owca, helping pave Missouri's way were lost to graduation. Despite their absence however, the upcoming squad is dedicated to continuing the strides initiated by its predecessors. Looking to further their ambitions, the Tigers are intent to advance their goals by establishing Mizzou consistently as one of the finest programs in the nation.

"On any given night we can compete with any given team in the country," Head Coach Rob Drass said. "In the past, we knew that in order to beat a team like Nebraska we had to be perfect. We knew if the other team made a mistake, we could beat them. But we also knew that if we made a mistake they would beat us. Consistently performing at the highest level is what separates the great teams from the average teams. This season we know our consistency will be key in vying for success."

Plagued by the necessity to constantly perform at the highest level, gymnastics is also a sport where teams cannot specialize in just one event if it wants to be successful. Each program must be adept at performing each event at the same standard. It is a goal the Mizzou program intends to reach this season.

Sophomore Whitney Crater.

Vault
Last year the Tiger's strongest event was the vault--Mizzou set 10 of the program's top scores, including a 49.375 all-time high. Looking to outdo the previous season, the Tigers are confident that they've actually improved upon a solid rotation. The team has eight to ten athletes capable of performing vaults with a start value of 10.0--a tremendous advantage as many collegiate teams have athletes competing vaults with as low as a 9.8 start value.

"I think our vault line-up is going to be a real strength. We have four athletes who can vault against anybody in the country in Lauren Schwartzman, former All-American Alisha Robinson, Whitney Crater and freshman Ashley Khederian. The addition of Jodie Heinicka, back from a knee injury she suffered two years ago, should also help. We also have three or four additional athletes to fill the last spot in the lineup, Drass said.

Junior Jodie Heinicka

Uneven Bars
Whereas vault was Mizzou's strongest event last year, the uneven bars proved the Tigers' weakest. Set in context, Missouri set the program's top five all-time highest team scores on the apparatus, including a record setting 49.400. In addition, Robinson and Heinicka both rewrote the record books scoring Mizzou's individual high 9.950. Despite these accolades however, of the four events bars proved to be the Tigers lowest scoring round.

Seeking to solve this problem, Missouri spent countless hours in the gym working to improve. After a year of reflection and hard work, Drass believes Mizzou has turned a corner developing its uneven bar rotation as one of the team's strengths in 2005. Missouri record holders Robinson and Heinicka join Khederian, Kelley Andersen, Sarah Zigler, Erin Riley, Katie Kluga, and Julie Abaray as performers capable of making a significant contribution.

Junior Kelley Andersen

Balance Beam
Losing beam standards Davis and Bridges, Missouri looks to its newcomers to carry its tradition on balance beam. Setting eight of the Tigers' top beam scores last year, including two record setting 49.325 performances, Mizzou has made it maintain its prestigious standard on beam. Adding to its already impressive lineup, the Tigers look to incorporate a slew of newcomers to form a reliable rotation. 2004 Big 12 Beam Champion Lauren Schwartzman, the only Tiger in program history to record a perfect 10.0 on beam, anchors the lineup as Mizzou's most experienced beam contender. Joining Schwartzman, Robinson and Andersen possess the skills to consistently perform well earning scores of 9.8 and above. Eyeing the team's fourth position, freshman Julie Abaray, the 2004 Ohio state, Level 10 Regional and Junior National Beam Champion, looks to add stability. Completing the Tigers competitive lineup, Mizzou looks to internal competition to sort the event out during the upcoming year.

"Our top four are really going to have to carry the load this season. We're looking for two people to step up and take charge. With the depth of our team this year I think we'll be able to sort through our options to find good choices," Drass said. "Beam is definitely an area where we'll find competition within the squad throughout the season."

Sophomore Amanda Pezzullo

Floor Exercise
Rounding out the gymnastics rotation, the floor exercise looks to again rise as one of Mizzou's strong points. Last year, Missouri recorded six of the program's highest all-time marks, including two 49.575 team totals. As it is with their other events, the Tigers have four athletes that Drass says, "can stand up with the best in the country."

Heading the lineup, All-Big 12 floor contenders and Mizzou record holders Robinson and Schwartzman join Andersen and Khederian to bolster the Tigers final event. Looking to fill in Mizzou's competitive roster, sophomore Amanda Pezzullo, a floor standard in 2004, joins Crater as strong choices.

Adding up the Tigers' four events, Missouri's goals for the 2005 season are simple. The Tigers want to take one meet at a time, one event at a time. Convinced looking ahead to future match-ups is the kind of thing that can result in an untimely fall or mistake, Mizzou's challenge is to side-step pitfalls. Even discounting their status as one of the top programs in the nation, recognized by their 22nd ranking in the preseason coaches' poll, ensures that the Tigers keep their goals in perspective. If they can do that on a regular basis, Coach Drass believes Mizzou has the ability to reach the Super Six finals of the NCAA National Championships.

"I think we're going to be competitive in every meet," Drass said. "What it amounts to is the need to execute what we want to do, go out, perform and be consistent. If we do that we feel that we can reach any goal, whatever we want to do."

Looking toward the rigors of a tough conference season, Drass believes the Tigers are capable of wining their first Big 12 Conference trophy. But he acknowledges that it's going to be difficult. "Winning a conference title is within our reach. Over the past few years we have greatly narrowed the competitive gap within the Big 12. Generally, whoever has the best day that day, comes out the champion. With all four teams ranked in the top 25, between 10 and 22, the only certainty is it's going to be a night of great gymnastics."

Looking to go out with a tremendous individual showing, seniors Robinson, an All-American and Big 12 champion, and Rachael Dombart, an All-Big 12 beam performer, are poised to lead the Tigers through another successful season. Although four of Mizzou's groundbreaking athletes have graduated, the freshmen class was recruited to step in and help right away, a task they seem poised to accomplish.

The team is going to face some adversity, a fact already made evident by a case of mono that swept through the squad in the fall. But the Tigers believe if they hold to their goals and consistently perform to their potential, Mizzou gymnastics can engrain its place as one of the nation's premier programs.