Gymnasts Seek to Build on EAGL Title

There were a few extra steps and a few wobbles at the gymnastics preseason scrimmage Friday, but for the most part solid routines, loud cheering and bright smiles were the order of the day for the defending East Atlantic Gymnastics League champions.

This display of enthusiasm betrayed an eagerness to begin formal competition this season, but it also revealed the Tar Heels' greatest strength: team spirit. Whether moving mats into place or shouting words of encouragement to each other, each member possesses a team-first attitude that will be crucial in what might seem to be an individual sport.

"It's the way our team is made up," said senior Fritzie Cathcart. "We're so close, and we cheer for each other, and we hang out together."

Said senior Natalie Halbach, "There's always an internal focus for the team so you're never just thinking about yourself but what you can do to help the next person who's up."

Cathcart and Halbach, two of the team's four seniors, lead a confident group into what will be a challenging schedule, which begins Thursday at the George Washington Invitational.

"We've got a lot of big meets with high-level competition, and that's where this team needs to be," said UNC coach Derek Galvin. "They need to be up against tough teams in front of large crowds because we've got that kind of talent and kind of difficulty in our routines."

The Tar Heels are a formidable unit in all four major areas of competition. In vault, which could be the team's strongest event, twelve athletes have the capability to take spots in the lineup. Sophomore Amy Williams holds the school vault record, and sophomore Olivia Trusty earned all-conference honors in 2002.

Floor exercise will also be an area of strength for UNC. Juniors Anna Wilson and Maddy Curley were all-conference last season, and both have added new challenging elements to their routines.

"Anna Wilson and Maddy Curley are two of the most intense competitors I've ever coached," Galvin said. "You put them in front of spectators and they kick it up to another level."

Galvin expects much of the team's scoring to come from the floor and the vault, but UNC has improved in other areas as well. Halbach added a unique dismount to her all-conference balance beam routine and Curley, Wilson and sophomore Elisabeth Alsop have the ability to contribute in that event.

On the uneven bars, increased depth has led to a stronger rotation. Cathcart and Trusty return as point-scorers, and Curley and Alsop added new levels of difficulty to already strong routines.

At Friday's scrimmage, several team members struggled with new technical elements in their routines -- elements that, if mastered, would create a higher point potential in all four areas of competition.

"We've got a little more difficulty in the routines this year than we did last year, so it's going to take a little bit longer to gain consistency and get our execution on those skills at the level we want," Galvin said.

With a stronger and deeper lineup than the team that won the EAGL championship last season, the returning team members have set an even higher goal for themselves: a berth in the NCAA national tournament.

"We can definitely make that happen," Halbach said. "We know that it's there, and we can grab it, and we're ready to go get it."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu