Miller’s first Pioneer Post! My name is Keri and I am a junior from Richardson, Texas. I am a kinesiology major and I train floor, bars and beam. I am really looking forward to this season. We have a great group of girls with strong leaders and very talented freshmen, and we have all started to get really close!

This past week was full of exciting events for TWU gymnastics! We finished our last week in Rock-tober with great activities and lots of hard work both in and out of the gym. We have been working hard on the October goals set out by the coaches; we accomplished about half of them! Every day we had people achieving big things in the gym, getting ready for November and intrasquad, which is less than thirty practices away!

Tuesday we attended Oksoberfest at the Union after practice, and learned the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. We also heard some great personal stories from people affected by such tragedies. Not only did it remind us to be safe, but also become advocates throughout TWU and the community.

School has been keeping us very busy. It seems we all have a full plate this semester, but time management and extra study hours have really helped us stay on top of our work.

Thursday we came in for a great surprise! We got ready for practice and coach calls us over to tell us its Pumpkin Patch Day! This is a great TWU tradition that we get to experience every year right around Halloween. We headed out to Aubrey to a little pumpkin patch owned by a longtime TWU gymnastics supporter, Myra Smith. After our hayride, we each get to pick our own pumpkin out and take pictures (see photo) with all the great pumpkin decorations!

The best part of Pumpkin Patch Day is when we all share our personal and team goals for the season! We have some great goals for this year; we are definitely raising our standards both in and out of the gym, and have really upped the level of expectation. It was great to sit down and all get on the same page, especially after such a busy month. It was nice to have a break and spend some quality time together.

Friday was such a great day to end the month of October. Tim definitely won the award for best costume, and we all had a little Halloween spirit pushing us, especially on the beam game! Friday was also test day on floor; it was nice to see so many girls tumbling. Routines are starting to make their way into the picture!

This week’s P.O.W. was announced at the end of practice, and it was no surprise to all of us that Amie Boles got the award! She has been such a positive constant in the gym, working hard every day in practice with such a great attitude and beaming smile on her face. Outside the gym she has been actively involved in the Kinesiology club, Honors and NSCS, and has been volunteering a lot all semester. Amie is always on top of her schoolwork - even with her full schedule she still finds time to help others out with their work as well! Way to go Amie!