Fantastic freshmen
One team.
Three juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen.
Out of 13 girls, four were hurt. How many does that leave?
Enough for everyone to get a piece of the action. Two freshman all-arounders, the only all-arounders when the season began, stepped up to the plate.
The Alex Martin and Gretchen Goerlitz duo was created this season when two incoming freshmen took the positions of the team’s only all-arounders. The all-arounders compete in every event and at the end of the meet all of their event scores are tallied into one all-around score.
“Two young freshmen have walked into the program and have made a significant difference,” said gymnastics Head Coach Ray Corn. “They’ve been extremely successful.”
And he is right.
As the team’s only all-arounders as freshmen, they must have been under pressure. And they handled it gracefully as both girls’ career best all-around scores exceeded a 39.000. Martin with a career best 39.350 and Goerlitz with a 39.400.
Goerlitz is from Neenah, Wis., while Martin is from Longmont, Colo. What compelled them to attend Utah State?
“It was the feeling I got when I was here,” Goerlitz said.
Martin added that the campus was really pretty and that she liked the coaching staff and team.
Although both girls came to Utah State on recruiting trips, Corn had an opportunity to see Martin compete as a junior and senior in high school. He later got the chance to work with her at a week-long gymnastics camp.
As for Goerlitz, Corn said he knew she would make a great all-arounder when he saw her.
“We were totally excited about her ability to vault and tumble,” he said about Goerlitz.
Although both girls are good in every event, they both have a preferred one. Goerlitz likes the floor event best because she likes to flip and tumble. With the scores she gets on the floor, it’s obvious why she likes the floor. She’s good. With a career high score on the floor of 9.950 she has to be. Goerlitz scored her career high several times during the season.
Martin, on the other hand, likes the uneven parallel bars the best. She said she liked them the best even though it is the hardest event to be consistent in.
Her career high is 9.925. Not bad for being a freshman. In fact, not bad for anyone.
So, besides being the duo freshmen all-arounders for the Utah State gymnastics team, what else are they about?
Goerlitz put it nicely, saying, “I like to do anything.”
Anything and everything, that is. From writing and fishing to sleeping and shopping, Goerlitz is willing to try new things. But for Goerlitz, gymnastics is a passion.
Martin’s hobbies include listening to music, dancing and shopping.
“I like shoes,” she said about her shopping hobby.
Goerlitz added that they had been planning on going camping together.
Though the duo has performed well with limited experience, Goerlitz said the meet against the University of Utah as an example of a time when experience would have been helpful. No one on the team had ever competed there before. Goerlitz said with a young team everyone is still excited about the sport and wanting to learn.
“Once in awhile, it would be good to have more experience to help calm nerves,” Goerlitz said.
Martin said it would be good to have more people so they could get some rest every once in awhile.
“Both young ladies have gelled, meshed and accepted the coaching styles of what we have to offer,” Corn said.
So what is in the future for the duo? While Goerlitz is undecided, Martin is planning on going into business and eventually owning her own spa where she can help all of the “broken athletes.”
Goerlitz, Martin said, will get a free membership.
-vramirez@cc.usu.edu