Jan. 10, 2005
DAVIS, Calif. - In the sport of gymnastics, the importance of balance is so obvious that it seems extraneous to mention its value. After all, the very word "balance" is contained within an event name, and the quality itself is crucial for success in all facets of every event of competition.
For UC Davis head women's gymnastics coach Ray Goldbar, the term carries a different meaning, serving both as his team's greatest asset and the key to the Aggies' progress in 2005. His squad consists of a fine blend of both experienced veterans and gifted newcomers. His charge is to find the perfect combination of high-level gymnastics and consistent execution that will allow the UC Davis program to rise among its peers in the USAG Collegiate Division, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the NCAA West Region.
Although the Aggie gymnastics program has already held NCAA Division-I membership for more than a decade, Goldbar's program has seen a similar rise in competition as the other UC Davis sports, which are in the second year of a transition to D-I status. Thus, the early portion of the 2005 schedule features such programs as UC Berkeley, Stanford, Denver, N.C. State and Boise State - arguably the Aggies' toughest opposition to date.
"We have a tough schedule. Those first three meets are a wake-up call," Goldbar says. "We get a reality check on what we need to do to compete against those schools. It's better that we meet these schools early and get a sense of where we stand, rather than meeting them later only to find out that we're not strong enough."
UC Davis made strides with a relatively young team in 2004, finishing third at the MPSF Championships with a school-record 194.350, a significant improvement over the fifth-place showing in 2003.
Last year's conference meet marked the first time in program history that the Aggies had surpassed the 194-point barrier, a standard Goldbar now holds as an objective for the upcoming season. "Although we like to focus on performances than scores, one of our goals is to become a consistent 194-point team," says Goldbar. "We're trying to be competitive at the next level."
"Our other goal is to be in position to contend for conference title. It's a tough meet, but it's a nice goal to shoot for. To do it, we need to raise the level of our gymnastics."
Helping that cause will be the venue: UC Davis will host the meet for the first time since 2000, when the event was called the Western Independent Championships. The overall departmental move to Division I will also mean the Aggie farewell to the USAG Collegiate Nationals. The increase of athletics grants-in-aid offered makes UC Davis ineligible for the meet starting in 2006.
The Aggies have enjoyed recent success at the USAG meet, having won the team title in 1999 and captured 11 individual championships in the past five years. Goldbar would like to see his team make a strong showing in its final year at the meet. "We have the bulk of the team that finished third at nationals last year. It would be nice to go back and finish better than that in our last year," he says.
Among those who return from last year's third-place team is a trio of veterans who captured four USAG All-America awards. Nicole Doherty captured a share of the uneven bars title at the national meet in Denton, Texas. Hanna Anderson shared fifth place on balance beam in her first trip to nationals. Tiffany Chan, a two-time USAG floor champion, added All-America awards on vault (2nd) and beam (8th) in her junior season.
Anderson's honor was perhaps the most heroic of the three, as she did not become a regular part of the beam lineup until midway through the season. Best yet, Goldbar considers her to be his most improved returner for 2005. "She's the one that stands out in my mind. She has just improved on everything this year."
Chan and Doherty are two of four Aggie seniors who will be called upon to provide valuable experience to a young team. Sabrina Seus, who redshirted as a true freshman, should see action on bars and beam this season. And Kelsie Kear, who transferred from Arizona State two years ago, has battled injuries for most of her Aggie career. She contributed as a vault and floor specialist in her first UC Davis season, and could contribute on beam this season if she stays healthy.
ALL-AROUND
Only one Aggie, Mei Ling Clark, saw time as an all-arounder in 2004, scoring 38.400 in two of her four appearances. However, her recovery from an ankle injury late last season may relegate her to the uneven bars. Doherty and junior Arianne Furman competed as all-arounders two years ago, but both are primarily specialists.
Sophomores Julia Richards, Joanna Pizzo and Carrie Lujan were slated as potential four-event performers last season. Lujan sat out the entire 2004 season and Pizzo was sidelined after six meets last year. Both have potential as all-arounders in future seasons, but the return from injury may prevent such opportunities in 2005. Richards was a strong contributor on vault, beam and floor, so her prospects as an all-arounder will depend on her development on uneven bars.
Thus, the freshman duo of Brianna Shebby and Andrea Dolinsky are the most likely all-arounders in the upcoming year. "They are both capable of doing the all-around because they can be in every event and still help the team," says Goldbar. "It depends on whether or not we have strong specialists who might replace them on certain events."
"We would like to qualify all-arounders to the NCAA regionals, if possible. That means they will need at least six meets, with no more than two at home. So we've got to at least give them that opportunity."
VAULT
Less than one year after learning her Yurchenko full, Chan placed second at the USAG nationals. This year, her vault is even better, according to Coach Goldbar.
Freshman Michelle Kulovitz enters the program with strong credentials in this event, being a former Level 10 state and regional champion.
"We tried to do something harder with Tiffany, but I think that's what we will stay with. It's already a 10.0. Michelle's needs a little perfecting, but it's a strong vault." he says.
"We've been working with everyone else's vault, adding twists to Yurchenkos and handspring fronts. Our goal is to not have anyone under a 9.9."
According to Godbar, achieving that goal will be a substantial key to reaching the next level of competition in the conference and region. To do so will require finding the right balance between high-scoring, high-difficulty vaults and the ability to execute them on a consistent basis.
"The top schools all have 10.0 vaults. If we do 9.8 vaults and they're doing 10.0s, we're already a full point behind," Goldbar explains. "But if we can have three 9.9 vaults and three 10.0s, we're giving up only three tenths. We go for the stick and doing the best we can."
Sophomores Pizzo and Richards and freshmen Shebby and Dolinsky each are working on bringing their vaults to those standards.
UNEVEN BARS
The bars squad struggled early in 2004, hovering in the mid-46s, before finding its stride and scoring as high as 48.875 at the MPSF meet. This season, a majority of that team returns, now looking to rise to a higher level.
Doherty, Anderson and Furman now have at least two years of bars. Sophomores Brandi Forte and Nickie Byhkovsky were regular contributors in the event last season. Clark posted a career-high 9.875 on bars shortly before injury ended her sophomore season. Seus and junior Sophia Chaban also look ready to become a significant part of the lineup.
"Sabrina and Sophia have not competed a lot, but they both have 10.0 routines," Goldbar says. "If they can go feet-to-feet, they should score well."
Freshmen Shebby, Dolinsky and Kimmi Costa both bring high-level skills that, under the tutelage of assistant coach Ron Manara, should result in strong performances in 2005.
Michelle Gau also returns to the program after a one-year absence. She redshirted in 2003 and was out for all of last season. Originally brought in as a bars specialist, Gau could contribute to the squad once she solidifies her major release.
BALANCE BEAM
Like bars, the beam squad has a strong corps of returning veterans. Chan, Doherty, Richards, Furman and Anderson all were in the lineup at the MPSF and USAG meets last year. Pizzo appeared in five meets on beam before her injury.
Dolinsky and Kulovitz also bring strong acro skills in their first year with the program. Seus, Shebby, Furman, Lujan and Kear may see time in this event as well.
With that amount of depth, Goldbar's primary objective is execution. "It's easier to get your bonus and start with a 10.0 on beam than it is on bars. We want to make sure that our leaps, jumps and connections are done really well, so we can at least separate ourselves from the other teams," he says. "Our new coach, Hilary Oliver, has been working hard on perfecting their technique, the amplitude of the leaps. Consistency is important on beam, so we've been working on the mental and physical approach."
FLOOR EXERCISE
For a four-year span from 2000 to 2003, UC Davis scored 49 or higher on floor exercise eight times, including a school-record 49.425 at the 2002 USAG meet. With the heightened level of competition on this year's schedule, Goldbar would like to see his floor squad return to that level of gymnastics.
"For the teams we're competing against, if you don't score a 49-plus on floor - which is a 9.8 average - then it's hard to be competitive," says Goldbar. "We have to find the right combination of tumbling and presentation."
To help serve that end, Goldbar has added volunteer choreographer Kerry Proctor, who competed for the Aggie program in the mid-1990s.
"We didn't have that position in the gym last year, a person who could clean up routines," he says. "Kerry has been working really hard on their dance and presentation, execution of leaps and jumps."
Chan, Richards, Kampf and redshirt sophomore Megan Nakagawa all return from last year's USAG lineup. Lujan and Pizzo also bring high-level tumbling skills, although injuries interrupted that process last season.
Shebby, Dolinsky and Kulovitz were recruited largely for their contributions in this event. Each brings D-level skills or higher to the program. Two more freshmen, Maleah McGuire and Stacey Marks, also bring strong floor skills although their development has been slowed by various ailments. McGuire was sidelined for much of the summer due to an ankle injury, while Marks returns from a bout with mononucleosis.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
After its heady January schedule, UC Davis will see four MPSF foes throughout the month of February. The Aggies have home and road duals with Sacramento State and San Jose State. UC Davis will also see Alaska Anchorage and Seattle Pacific during that stretch. In March, the Aggies will head to Corvallis to compete in the Oregon State Salbasgeon Suites Invitational with Iowa State and Washington.
Another highly anticipated event is the January 28 dual with UC Berkeley, held jointly with Aggie wrestling's match against Cal Poly as the second annual "Beauty And The Beast" promotion. Last year, more than 1,500 fans were on hand to see the inaugural event, as UC Davis swept Springfield College and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
In line with Goldbar's philosophy as a coach, this year's schedule is yet another means by which the program continues to improve.
"You should always try to step up your routine," Goldbar says. "If you're not getting better, you're just getting worse. If you don't present yourself with a challenge, it's what I call getting by instead of moving forward. That's something we won't allow as coaches."
The Aggies begin their season Friday with a four-team meet at UC Berkeley that includes region opponent Stanford and Ivy League member Brown.
