 OU Women's Gymnastics Blog |
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Women's Gymnastics Blog |
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Tuesday, February 26 |
Last Friday's 198.375-197.200 win over No. 5 UCLA was one for the records books for the Sooners. Listed below are some of the noteworthy accomplishments and records from the team's big night!
OU's team score of 198.375...
...is the highest score by any team in NCAA women's gymnastics since 2004.
...has only been reached eight times by any team since 1996 (last year of Troester records).
...is the highest score in the nation this season, besting a 198.100 by Florida.
...is the highest score in program history, besting a 197.950 against Alabama in 2010.
...is the highest score in Big 12 history, besting a 198.300 by Nebraska in 2003.
OU's vault score of 49.525...
...is the highest score by an OU team since 2002.
...is the second-highest score by an OU team all-time behind a 49.575 in 2002.
...is tied for sixth-highest in Big 12 history.
...is the fifth-highest score in the nation this season.
OU's bars score of 49.575...
...is the highest score in OU history, besting a 49.550 in 2003.
...is the second-highest score in the nation this season.
...is tied for fourth-highest in Big 12 history.
OU's beam score of 49.600...
...is the highest score in the nation this season and gives OU the three highest scores in the country this year.
...is tied for the third-highest score in OU history.
...is tied for the fifth-highest score in Big 12 history.
OU's floor score of 49.675...
...is the highest score by any team in NCAA women's gymnastics since 2009.
...is tied for the highest score in OU history and the highest since 2003.
...is tied for the highest score in Big 12 history.
...is the highest score of any team in the nation, besting Florida's score of 49.650.
Brie Olson's 39.700 all-around score...
...is tied for the highest score in OU history with Kasie Tamayo (2004).
...is the top all-around score in the nation this season.
...is tied for seventh in Big 12 history.
...is, coupled with Taylor Spears' 39.650 and Keeley Kmieciak's 39.650 in the same meet, the first time three teammates have each earned a 39.650 or above in the same meet since Utah did so in 2004 and the first time such a feat has happened in OU history.
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Wednesday, January 30 |
Today's Sooner highlight is freshman Hunter Price!
What is your favorite TV show?
Law & Order: SVU
Who is your favorite singer?
Carrie Underwood
What is your favorite cereal?
Honeycombs!
What picture do you have as the desktop on your computer?
Me and my brother!
What is your Twitter handle?
@gymnast_hunter
What is something you've always wanted to try?
Skydiving
What movie can you quote word for word?
The Proposal
What is your favorite board game?
Scrabble and Pictionary
What quote or phrase do you try to live by?
"Take pride in how far you have come, and have faith in far you can go."
What is your favorite event and why?
Vault... It's just been an event I've always had confidence on. I love the feeling I get when I do a good vault and explode off the table. For a split second, I feel like I can do anything.
What is the best thing about gymnastics?
I think the best thing about this sport is that it really helps shape you as a person and pushes you to your limits in more ways than one. It's taught me a lot of things and opened up so many opportunities for me.
What is the hardest thing about gymnastics?
The hardest thing for me would have to be the mental aspect of it. You really and have to believe and trust in YOURSELF!! You can have the best coaches and incredible potential and talent, but that'll only get you so far if you don't have faith in yourself and what you can do.
What is your favorite sport other than gymnastics?
It would probably be diving! I don't think it's at all for me, but I love watching it!
What is your favorite moment as a member on the team?
So far, I'd say my favorite moment is when we had the class of 2013 come on their official visit. We all broke into groups for a competition and that was fun because we were required to make a homecoming t-shirt, a pumpkin that exuded OU spirit, and we had to write a poem/rap about Oklahoma gymnastics. It was fun because we were forced to work together and be creative!
What is your favorite place on campus?
Of course, I absolutely love the Sam Viersen Training Center where we train. Aside from that, I'd either have to say the Huff Fitness Center or the library
Who is your funniest teammate?
Brie Olson
Who is a teammate you look up to?
Taylor Spears
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Monday, January 28 |
With the latest release of the GymInfo Top 25, Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 for the second-straight week with an average team score of 196.938. The Sooners' high average comes despite being the only team in the Top 10 to compete on the road in three meets this season. OU and Florida are the only two teams in the country to have two team scores above 197.000 in 2013, with the Gators holding a slight edge over the Sooners with a 197.025 team average.
Oklahoma retains its No. 1 ranking nationally on beam with a 49.288 average, almost a full tenth above second place Michigan's average of 49.194. The Sooners's score of 49.350 on the event against No. 11 Denver is still the highest score any team in the country has totaled on beam.
OU also ranks No. 4 on floor with a 49.281 average, No. 5 on bars with a 49.206 average and No. 9 on vault with a 49.163 average. The Sooners' 49.450 on bars on Saturday at the Metroplex Challenge is tied for the third-highest score of any team in the country this year.
OU gymnasts continue to stand out in the individual rankings. Junior Taylor Spears is ranked No. 7 with an all-around average of 39.413, but is No. 2 among gymnasts with at least four all-around scores posted this season. Sophomore Erica Brewer is ranked No. 10 with a 39.383 average.
In addition, Brewer is also ranked No. 13 on bars with a 9.867 average and is tied with Spears and Southern Utah's Alyssa Click at No. 8 on beam with an average of 9.875.
Capitalizing off a stellar 9.975 score on beam in Fort Worth, Lauren Alexander is now ranked No. 12 on the event with a 9.869 average, with her 9.975 the highest score on beam of any gymnast in the country this year.
Freshman Haley Scaman moved up in the floor rankings to a tie for No. 5 with a 9.9 average while senior Brie Olson joins her on the list at No. 22 with an average score of 9.869.
Thank you, fans, for all your support and helping the Sooners continue to be the best in the nation! OU next travels to compete at West Virginia this Friday, Feb. 1, in its first Big 12 meet of the season. Live video and results will be available. Boomer Sooner!
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Wednesday, January 23 |
Today's Sooner highlight is senior Kayla Nowak!
What is your favorite TV show?
The Voice
Who is your favorite singer?
Currently...Carrie Underwood.
What is the most beautiful place you've seen?
Lake Tahoe
What is your favorite cereal?
Golden Grahams
What picture do you have as the desktop on your computer?
Picture of me and Hayden Ward
What is your Twitter handle and why?
@kayla_nowak -- It's my name!
What is something you've always wanted to try?
Hot Yoga
What movie can you quote word for word?
Movie? Mean Girls probably, but the TV show Friends all day, every day
What foreign countries have you visited?
England & Mexico
What is your favorite board game?
Clue
What quote or phrase do you try to live by?
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
What is your favorite event and why?
Floor--I LOVE to perform :)
What is the best thing about gymnastics?
It prepares you for the rest of your life. Gymnastics will teach you every life lesson you need to know and more.
What is the hardest thing about gymnastics?
The mental part of it. It is not easy to get up early and work your butt off when you're absolutely exhausted or to go for a skill you are terrified of. Once you can learn to cope or get over it, you will be successful.
What is your favorite sport other than gymnastics?
Hmm, I'm not good at anything, but I like to watch football!
What is your favorite moment as a member of the team?
Getting second at NCAAs my freshman year. It was just so awesome.
Where is your favorite place to compete (other than the Noble Center)?
Probably Arkansas, they have great equipment.
What is your favorite place on campus?
The courtyard by Price Hall is gorgeous!
Who is your funniest teammate?
Maile. She is crazy and hilarious.
Who is a teammate you look up to?
Teammate...well she was my teammate for most of my years and she is my roommate, Megan Ferguson. She is THE most disciplined and ambitious person I know. I look up to her for that, even now that she is done.
What is your favorite Coach Kindler saying?
"Why does it look like you are holding apples in your hands?"
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Thursday, January 10 |
Beginning today, the OU women's gymnastics blog will periodically highlight a Sooner gymnast. Today's Sooner highlight is sophomore Rebecca Clark!
What is your favorite TV show?
Pretty Little Liars
Who is your favorite singer?
Too hard to pick...Brantley Gilbert, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley
What is the most beautiful place you've ever seen?
When I visit my family back home you have to drive through the country and farms and it is one of my favorite things to look at
What is your favorite cereal?
Special K
What is your computer's desktop wallpaper?
My family put a picture of them there the last time I was home, but usually it's my dog
What is your Twitter handle and why?
becca93sue...That was the easiest one to remember that wasn't already taken
What is something you've always wanted to try?
I have really been wanting to go on a mission trip lately
What movie can you quote word for word?
The Notebook
What foreign countries have you visited?
Italy
What is your favorite joke?
Joke I don't know, but I am always good for a sarcastic comment
What is your favorite board game?
Monopoly
What quote or phrase do you try to live by?
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. - John 16:33 (NIV)
Gymnastics
What is your favorite event and why?
Beam...When I was little I was always very young and very small for my level, so I couldn't get over the vault or jump to the high bar, but size never mattered on beam
What is the best thing about gymnastics?
It never gets boring; the sport is always evolving
What is the hardest thing about gymnastics?
You are always striving to reach perfection. You know what you need to do to reach it, but the hard part is being able to do it
What is your favorite sport other than gymnastics?
Baseball and football
What is your favorite moment as a member of the team?
Marching out for the first meet of my freshman year last year and realizing this isn't about me anymore, it's about my team
Where is your favorite place to compete (other than the Noble Center)?
Anywhere warm!
What is your favorite place on campus?
The South Oval. I love in the fall and spring when all the flowers are in full bloom.
Who is your funniest teammate?
Maile
Who is a teammate you look up to?
Lauren Smith because she came here from a club team and has worked so hard to get to where she is in her gymnastics today
What is your favorite Coach Kindler saying?
Does her random dancing count?
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Monday, December 10 |
Last Saturday the Sooners held their annual intrasquad meet at the Viersen Center. We had a great crowd and want to thank everyone for coming! If you didn't have a chance to make it, don't worry...we have the complete recap all right here:
Visit our Instagram and Twitter pages for photos of the meet.
Visit OU's YouTube page to watch a selection of the routines from Saturday.
Read the complete recap to see what Coach K.J. Kindler had to say and read about the night's best scores.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for additional photos, videos, interviews and stories all about the Sooners and their journey through the 2013 season!
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Friday, October 5 |
Last night, the Sooners took a trip to the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in Oklahoma City to meet fans and sign autographs. It was awesome to meet so many fans! Check out some photos of the event:
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Wednesday, September 19 |
Last Saturday, the team went down to Shevaun Williams' studio in Norman for the annual photo shoot in preparation for the upcoming season. The girls had a blast! Check out some of the behind-the-scenes photos from this year's shoot and check back to the blog for some of the new photos that will be in featured in this year's media guide and team poster!
Photo Gallery
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Wednesday, August 8 |
Kayla Nowak has finished up her trip cheer on the Sooners and other Olympians in London. Here are some of her last pictures and thoughts before returning to the U.S. to get ready for another season of OU women's gymnastics!
"Floor finals! Go Jake!!"
"We walked to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. It was super crowded but we got up against the fence. The new guards march in, do a ceremony, replace the old guards, and then the old guards come out. It's taken very seriously."
"The Tower of London from the Tower Bridge. This is where the queens and kings used to live."
"Next on our journey was St. Paul's Cathedral. Really cool history behind it. We also climbed 521 stairs to the very top to see a 360-degree view of London. Very cool!"
"From the top! Very cold!"
"Shakespeare's Globe! It goes against London's laws and is built completely out of wood. Uses natural lights and puts on plays daily."
"Olympic rings from a boat tour we took on our final day yesterday in London. London was such an amazing experience. I am so thankful and blessed for Jake to have made it to give me this opportunity. All of the events were such an inspiration. Can't wait for our season to kick off in January! Preseason starts in about a week!! BOOMER SOONER!!"
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Friday, August 3 |
Kayla (@Kayla_Nowak) tweeted out some fun photos from her time in London, check them out below!
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Thursday, August 2 |
Kayla sent along more photos from her time at the London Olympics. See what she's up to on Twitter at @Kayla_Nowak or @OUGymnastics!
"Got to witness the all-around finals. Really cool to see King Kohei (Japan's Kohei Uchimura) get his Olympic medal. Also, American Danell Leyva brought home the first US men's gymnastics medal this year, taking home the bronze."
"Raising of the flags."
"The guys got to spend some time with their families yesterday night. It was a great time. Here they are boarding the tube back to the Olympic Village."
"Yesterday we went to the US OC where they have a HUGE store full of all the Olympic apparel for purchase. After picking up a few goodies there, we walked down the street to Harrod's! It's is basically a five-store department store. Not like a bunch of stores but one giant store. It was insane! It is the 3rd most visited tourist attraction in London! It's the building all the way at the end of the road!"
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Monday, July 30 |
OU gymnast Kayla Nowak is at the London Olympics cheering on current and former Sooners and Team USA. The first-team All-American shared some pictures of her arrival and first few days in England and will continue to update Oklahoma fans on her exciting trip over the course of the next few days!
"The 8-hour plane ride actually went by pretty fast because it was during the night and I could sleep pretty much the whole way. I got excited when we finally hit land after seeing water underneath us for hours! But coming into London I caught this! The big white blog in the middle is the O2 arena where all of the gymnastics events are being held!"
"Arriving!"
"On Sunday we did some sight seeing on the men's day off. Here is the London Eye. We did go up inside of it & you really can see many landmarks around the entire city - 360 degrees! Really cool! Even spotted a beach volleyball game going on at Horse Guards Parade!"
Big Ben!
"Team finals, the final result & medal ceremony. The USA Men had some mistakes and China, Great Britain & Ukraine were perfect! Amazing to experience GB making history here in London. The crowd was insane and the controversy with Japan made it even more of an experience!"
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Friday, July 28 |
Oklahoma gymnast Kayla Nowak is in London to cheer on current OU & USA gymnast Jake Dalton and the rest of Team USA this Olympics. Kayla will be sharing her experiences throughout her time at the Olympics here on the blog, so be sure to check back for updates.
Also, you can follow Kayla in London at @kayla_nowak or get updates on how all the Olympic Sooners are doing by following @SoonerSportscom. Use #SoonerOlympics to join in the conversation on Twitter.
Here are some pictures Kayla tweeted from her first few days in London!
