Newsflash: Gymnastics at 11 a.m.
Miscommunication. Perhaps that is the best way to explain why Friday’s gymnastics meet against No. 14 Ohio State was moved from 7 p.m. to 11 a.m.
What’s done is done though, and Utah State Head Coach Ray Corn is hoping his No. 22 squad is up to the challenge.
“I hope that they are focused enough and prepared for this mentally,” Corn said. “The most important thing is to hit routines and continue this climb up the rankings that we’ve been on.”
The meet — which Corn said was originally scheduled for March 1, but was changed last June because of the basketball game against Idaho — saw its time changed because of the country concert scheduled in the Spectrum.
Corn said something just “fell through the cracks,” but he was extremely appreciative toward associate Athletics director for external operations Kevin Dustin and Athletics director Rance Pugmire, who have worked to figure out how to accommodate both events.
Pugmire said the Athletics department must submit a schedule to Facilities for any event going on in the Spectrum, and Facilities, which scheduled the concert, didn’t realize there was a gymnastics meet slated for Friday night.
It was considered that the Aggies might move the meet to the Fieldhouse, but the idea was struck down because of safety reasons.
The Logan Recreation Center was also considered, but was nixed because of safety reasons and the lack of ability to put the necessary equipment in the building, Pugmire said.
The bottom line: A morning meet seemed to be the most logical choice.
And Corn has found the silver lining in it all.
“You have to learn to travel, it’s an art form,” Corn said. “And you have to learn to compete early. If we qualify for the national championship, all 12 teams don’t compete at the same time. The first rotation starts at noon. This can be a learning experience for our team if they get to go to Nationals and are in the first rotation.”
Not only is it important for the Aggies to perform well in the morning meet, but Corn is also concerned about the performance of Ohio State (5-4). Not so much because of the competition, but because of the relationship he is hoping to continue with the school.
He said he doesn’t want the Buckeyes to have a bad experience, because it’s taken USU a long time to schedule them.
“I hope [the meet change] doesn’t deter us from a good relationship in the future,” Corn said. “I want them to have a good competition, too.”
Besides, as Corn is often noted for saying, gymnastics is not about winning and losing, but about scoring, which determines which teams move to Regionals and eventually Nationals.
And when both teams are comfortable with the environment, the scores tend to rise, as seen in competitions against Boise State University and the University of Utah.
The Aggies (6-5) will look for continued success from all-arounders Nicole Kilpatrick, Meagan Nelson and Jessica Parenti. But perhaps more importantly, Corn is expecting the rest of his team to pull through.
“Even though we have three great all-arounders, if they were the only three high scores in every event, we wouldn’t be doing what we’ve been doing without the very talented group of gymnasts collectively.”
Utah State and Ohio State have only seen each other at neutral sites, where the Buckeyes hold a 2-1 advantage. Aside from the meet in the Spectrum, the Aggies will compete against OSU on March 22 in Columbus, Ohio.
NOTES: Autograph night was originally schedule to follow Friday’s meet, but has been rescheduled for March 10 against Southern Utah and Central Michigan
* Because of the time change, the university is offering $1 general admission seats. As usual, students can use their ID card to get in for free.
–juag@cc.usu.edu