Getting into the Utah competition line-up is more difficult than actually competing on the weekend:
On any given Thursday between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., head coach Greg Marsden announces the starting lineups for the upcoming meet. Given Utah’s talent breadth, this weekly ritual has become a daunting moment.
“It’s really intense,” Nina Kim said. “It’s really intense this year because so many of us are so good.” …
Utah is as good as it’s ever been. Is there a risk of let-down as the season progresses?
When a certain level of excellence is reached, winning can become, well, boring.
For almost as long as the U’s gymnastics program has existed, it has not had to worry about winning. In fact, the Red Rocks have qualified for every single NCAA Championship meet — the only program to compete in all 26.
With that type of success, the team can afford to treat the regular season as if it were actually a preseason. Utah gymnasts often remind everyone else that the wins don’t matter as much as improving as a team in preparation for when the really important regional competition begins.
What the U really has to worry about right now is staying excited about its opportunities.
“There’s a point that I start worrying about taking things for granted and becoming lackadaisical and not being passionate about improving throughout the season,” head coach Greg Marsden said.
Marsden has coached Utah to every one of its NCAA Championship appearances and all 10 of its national titles. Over the years, he has seen some teams lose their vigor and falter as the season wound to an end. …
Read on for Marsden’s strategies to avoid his team getting stale: Utah finds ways to stay passionate
==== How tough is it to get into this line-up?
I’ve always said, China should hire an NCAA Head Coach to teach their talented gymnasts how to “hit” under pressure.
Perhaps a Utah coach.
From an article on their last competition:
… Leadoff Jamie Deetscreek fell off the balance beam, just the fourth fall in 144 routines for the Utes.
Back to the glory years? – Salt Lake City Tribune
Utah is hitting (OK, not falling) on 97% of their routines right now. That’s just astonishing to me.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 