Welcome back Pioneer fans!
It has been a really fun week for the TWU Gymnastics team. We started off the week with some extra motivation from our return from Oklahoma. We worked hard every day so that we could send the eight seniors out with a bang at their final home meet. We knew it would be a tough week and a very competitive meet, but we knew that if we hit our skills, we would be happy with the results.
The meet started off on vault where we had a few bobbles. But, in true senior fashion Brittany Parker did an amazing vault to help get us back on track. Also, sophomore Kristie Costa competed her first yurchenko full. It was beautiful!! We were all very proud of her since she has been working so hard to upgrade her vault. Next, we moved on to bars where other senior Brista Michael shined for us. Next was beam, and for the third week in a row it was our best event of the night. With beam being one of our strongest events, our beam team rocked it as they hit six for six routines! Often beam is the make it or break it event (as Coach likes to say) and our beam team has really stepped it up the last few meets and done an awesome job! The excitement was high as we headed into our last event, floor. We were all excited to showcase our routines and wow the judges with all the hard work we’ve been putting in. The two seniors brought us to tears as we watched their final performances in Pioneer Hall. Amie Boles and Tonya Pipkorn both had great routines to finish off their senior night.
After the meet it is tradition to have a presentation for our seniors (pictured at left). Coach gave a farewell speech and we heard a list of all of the senior gymnast’s achievements. Then, the junior class presented gifts from the team and recited a speech/poem about each teammate. This year, the floor was filled from one end to the other with the seniors and their families!! When all of them were waiting for their turn, it was quite evident that we will be missing them a lot next year! Each senior had something special to offer this team and they will be greatly missed. As a junior myself, I’ve been with these ladies for three years now and have seen how hard work and dedication can take you far. They have been great role models for my teammates and I and most of all, they have been our friends. It was a great end to the night as we got to celebrate each one of the seniors.
This upcoming week is going to be a big one for the TWU Pioneers! With spring break upon us, we will be preparing for our Conference championship next weekend. Since we don’t have school to worry about, this week will be dedicated to pressing forward in the gym and focusing on the little things so we can do well at Conference! Check back with us next week to see how we did!! 1-2-3 Choj!
Leslie Pladson
Junior
