University of Minnesota Athletics
Gymnastics Team Welcomes Freshmen Early
7/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
This is the first time the Gopher women’s gymnastics program has had gymnasts come in early before their freshman season, and head Coach Meg Stephenson is excited about the advantages of having Kayla and Dusti in the gym this summer.
“We have Kayla for the whole summer, and we have Dusti for six weeks,” explained Stephenson. “The biggest difference that it makes is that they’re more comfortable, they’re not going through so many learning processes in September, they’re ready to go by then. Come September, it’s almost like they’ll be returning athletes instead of freshman. They’ve already worked with us, they’ve been on campus, they’ve had classes so they know how the university works, and they know how to get around. They will already know so much about campus life and about working with us in the gym.”
Kayla and Dusti are two of five newcomers joining the Minnesota squad for 2010-11, and will be joined by Justine Cherwink, Megan Alvarez and Alex Feeken come September. Justine is a transfer student, but did not compete in gymnastics last year, so she will be a sophomore in academic standing but will retain freshman eligibility and have four full seasons to compete in gymnastics. Coach Stephenson feels that the experiences Kayla and Dusti have had with the team over the summer will help the entire class of newcomers come fall.
“One of our other three newcomers, Justine, is a transfer student and already has a year of college under her belt, even though she wasn’t a collegiate athlete. She knows the rigors of collegiate academics, which will be helpful,” said Meg. “The other two, Megan and Alex, can definitely take advantage of the experiences that Kayla and Dusti have had with us this summer. They’re already in touch and have been talking, so Kayla and Dusti can share what they’ve learned. It will be a huge asset to Megan and Alex to have two of their classmates be so comfortable and acclimated already.”
Like with all freshmen, Kayla and Dusti are making many adjustments and learning to be comfortable with their team and the university. Training at the club level is different than training at the college level, and these two gymnasts have noticed the differences but are happy with their new training environment. “It’s a lot more focused here,” said Kayla. “At the club, you have to wait around for things, and you don’t always get the one-on-one time that you get here. It’s a smaller group here and there are more coaches. I’ve heard some different views on some things here, and received some suggestions on how to try things differently. “ Dusti added “I do more in the weight room than I used to, and we do more cardio here, but I like it a lot. The coaches here really talk to you and make sure you get it before you go on. They’re really helpful with their critiques and they really motivate and encourage us too.”
One difference between club gymnastics and collegiate gymnastics is the team atmosphere. Collegiate gymnastics is very much a team sport, not individual as in club gymnastics. Both Dusti and Kayla have learned to appreciate the importance of the team here at Minnesota, and love the support and encouragement that their teammates provide. “They have really made me feel like a part of the team,” said Dusti. “They include everybody, and everyone cheers for everyone else in the gym. It’s not really like that in club gymnastics where each person is there more for herself. Here, everyone is excited when others are doing well, and when others are doing well, it pushes you because you want to be just as good. No one is dragging anyone down here, we all push each other to be better.”
Kayla especially appreciates the support of a team after training on her own for most of her gymnastics career. “I didn’t really have a team before coming here. I was at Level 10 for about six years, and I didn’t have a team,” explained Kayla. “There would be people who would come in for their senior year, but then they would graduate and I would be on my own again. Coming here has been great, getting to train with people who are my age, that’s great.”
Both Kayla and Dusti are training in the all around, and Coach Stephenson said that both are working on upgrading their skills. As for their favorite events, they both name the floor exercise, but for different reasons. “I like floor and vault the best,” says Kayla. “I like the powerhouse events, I like going hard and tumbling big.” Dusti says, “It depends on the day, but usually I really like beam and floor the best. I like the dance aspect of floor and being able to play it up and have the crowd get into it. I can be more artistic. Beam is such a mental challenge unlike any other event.”
Each college freshman comes to campus with a set of expectations, and student-athletes have expectations about their team as well as their school. Dusti had an advantage in knowing what to expect, as her older sister Rehana was a member of the Gopher gymnastics team from 2005-07. “My older sister went to school here, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was signing on for,” said Dusti. “Rehana told me about how the coaches run things here, so I knew what to expect. It’s as great as I thought it would be, I really like it a lot here.”
On the other hand, Kayla knew less about what to expect, but is happy about her college experience so far. “I thought it was going to be more scary when I came in,” she said. “But everyone has been really welcoming and it’s been a really easy transition. I’ve been having a lot of fun here, I really like it.”
And, as Coach Stephenson notes, the coaches and returning gymnasts are having fun too. “The whole team has been really excited to see the new gymnastics coming into the gym. We’re always looking for a great freshman class to come in and give us a shot in the arm, and certainly, we can already see that will be true this year. Dusti and Kayla have already started to see that it’s about a lot more than them as individuals now, they are pushing to get better for their team too. It’s going to be a fun year.”
Players Mentioned
