By Jared Lloyd
Four and a half minutes.
For that time, there''s no big offensive lineman to hide behind, no center to pass to in the low post, no centerfielder to make a saving grab at the wall.
There''s just you, the equipment, and four and a half minutes to show judges and a national audience everything you''ve worked for.
'The scariest experience for me was getting up on that event at nationals,' BYU all-around gymnast Trisha Ashton remembered. 'Just knowing that you want to hit so bad for the rest of your team. You''re kind of nervous, kind of scared, but it''s a good kind of scared. Then you go and it just flies by so fast.'
The BYU gymnastic team once again sets their sights on returning to prove themselves on the national stage, and the team is confident they have the talent to do so.
'I think people aren''t expecting as much from us this year because of the gymnasts we lost,' all-around gymnast Kari Lords said. 'But I think we have a lot of gymnasts that are really good on three events. I think with that team unity and team strength, I think we have the potential to go to nationals.'
The Cougars, ranked 23rd in the country in the pre-season coaches poll, must replace some of the best performers on the team last season if they are to fulfill that potential.
'We lost four really good seniors who accounted for a lot of our top scores,' coach Brad Cattermole admitted. 'Kelly Parkinson-Evanson was more than a top scorer; she was consistent. She hit when she had to hit. But we''ve got a talented young team. I don''t see us having the big all-around star, like Kelly, but we''re going to have to replace them by committee.'
The focus in college gymnastics is slightly different than the high-profile Olympic gymnastic telecasts every four years. It''s not defined by names like Shannon Miller or Nadia Comaneci, but on how well everyone does together.
'Gymnastics is totally a team sport as opposed to an individual sport,' Cattermole said. 'It''s about how high the team scored and how high did BYU place at nationals. Winning the individual all-around at a meet is like winning MVP at a football game. It''s nice, but a couple of weeks later no one remembers.'
The Cougars open the season next Friday against the 4th-ranked University of Utah in Salt Lake. But the outcome of the meet itself isn''t as important as how well the team does.
'Unlike other sports, whether or not we beat anybody else doesn''t make a diddly-bit of difference,' Cattermole said. 'If we get a good score, it will set us up where we want to be to get to nationals. I would rather lose to Utah and get a high score than beat Utah with a low score.'
The team began practice early last fall, spending 20 hours per week working toward being ready for the season. Now the coaches and the gymnasts are ready to see how they''ll do when everything counts.
'As any coach will tell you, there''s nothing that''s like a meet except a meet,' Cattermole said. 'We need to get that experience and get to the point where things don''t bother us.'
Cattermole believes it''s extremely important for the team to get off to a good start to the year. 'We''re young and a lot of how well we do is going to be determined by how well we come together in competition,' Cattermole said. 'If we start doing well and do the things we''re capable of doing, I think we''re going to gain confidence and that''s what we need.'
So what can BYU fans do to help the team build that confidence and reach nationals? Players and coaches have similar suggestions.
'First, people need to know gymnastics is a different sport,' Lords said. 'It''s very unique and I would like people to find out what''s unique about it.
'Another thing is that people think it''s really easy. I''m like, ''you have no idea.'' We train here for about four hours a day. That''s so many hours of practice for four and a half minutes of competition.'
'I wish people knew how much work we put into gymnastics,' Ashton agreed. 'If they knew what kind of work we put in to just perform that one routine, I think they''d appreciate it more.'
The team believes if people understood the effort they put in and recognized the complexity of their sport, they would be more supporting.
'We want to go out there and show off, and we just want people to come,' Ashton said. 'I wish they would give the team more support.'
'If you''ve got a crowd at home and they''re all yelling for you, you get excited and you can''t wait to go,' Cattermole said. 'The gymnastics crowds try to help the whole team by being really positive.'
Lords even offered an idea about how fans could be supportive at the games. 'I think it would be really neat if the fans brought scorecards that said, ''10.0'' on them,' Lords suggested. 'After a good routine, the fans can show the support by waving the cards. Show the judges that you think the routine was deserving of a high score.'