February 9, 2007
Corvallis, OR (CSTV U-WIRE) -- Oregon State knows the stakes are high.
The Beavers are looking for high scores on the vault tonight as the gymnastics team travels to Stanford for their first quad-meet of the season.
Mistakes will be costly as No. 15 Oregon State competes against No. 5 Stanford, No. 11 Iowa State and San Jose State. With two highly nationally ranked competitors, the Beavers will be facing their most difficult challenge of the season. Stanford took the Pac-10 title last season while Iowa State found its way into the super six at the NCAA National Championships. This season, OSU, Stanford and Iowa State all boast nationally ranked gymnasts.
"I am a little nervous because I know that there is going to be a lot going on," said freshman Mandi Rodriguez. "Our motto this week is 'OSU bubble' so we are all just trying to stay focused in our OSU team and we should be fine."
Stanford has two gymnasts who are currently ranked nationally in the all-around. No. 8 Carly Janiga, the Pac-10 gymnast of the week, has proved herself to be a freshman of phenomenal talent, earning a 39.575 in Stanford's meet last weekend against Cal. Meanwhile, No. 10 Tabitha Yim has been showing the consistency that earned her seven All-American honors in the 2005 and 2006 season.
Iowa State's No. 16 Janet Anson will also be a tough challenge for the Beavers in the all-around as she holds seven All-American honors. Oregon State's two nationally ranked gymnasts, sophomore Jami Lanz and Tasha Smith, will be competing in the all-around tonight. Smith, Oregon State's All-American, just recently returned to the all-around lineup last weekend against Arizona State after a knee injury kept her sidelined for three weeks.
"I am just trying to keep the [skills] that I have now consistent," Lanz said. "And just clean them up a little bit."
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Lanz, known for her consistency, will debut a new floor routine at Stanford which utilizes the same floor pattern as her previous one, but with new dance choreography. However, Lanz points out that start value will remain a 10.0 and her tumbling passes will not differ from the ones she has already shown this season.
"We worked on it a little bit this weekend," Lanz said. "It's really fun, I really enjoy it. It is something new - it is completely different from my old routine. Floor is something I am really comfortable with. As long as I have fun with it, I think I will be okay."
The Oregon State vault lineup will play a huge contribution to the final team score this Friday. The Beavers had placed alternates in the vault lineup in an attempt to replace Yuki Lamb and the once injured Smith. Due to the instability of the lineup, the Beavers have struggled to put together six vaults with a 10.0 start value. With many falls on the vault in competition so far this season, the Beavers will have to find a way to compete as many 10.0 vaults as possible, without falling or suffering large deductions.
"What we have been focusing on more than the skills has been trying to get them healthy enough to vault and strong enough to where they can do their 10.0 vaults," head coach Tanya Chaplin said. "That has been our main focus there, to try and get the bodies healthy, and that has where it has really affected us."
The quad-meet will be an excellent chance for the Beavers to gain some national competition experience as they move further into their season.
"I think that going down to Stanford will be a good test for us," Chaplin said. "With two of the teams in the top 12 in the country it gives our athletes an opportunity to really push themselves and to show the consistency that they have and hopefully they will improve on how they did at home down there."
(C) 2007 OSU Daily Barometer via CSTV U-WIRE
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