Feb. 16, 2007
Get behind the scenes of Illinois Gymnastics with Illini Ink - the weekly women's gymnastics journal. This week, sophomore Marijka Botterman talks about the team's trip to Michigan.
Hey Illini Fans!
Yet another week of traveling and competition has come and gone. We're almost half way through season but it feels like we just started. How time goes by so quickly!
This past weekend was a bit of a bummer. Before we left for Michigan, we found out that our brand-new leotards could not be worn because the fabric turned funny on the first washing. Luckily, we noticed the problem and were able to pack our leos from last year. Then came the six-hour bus trip. We watched the movie Hitch, caught up on some homework, and stopped at Ruby Tuesday's for a delicious meal. After finally making it to the hotel, we all realized that we missed our favorite TV show Grey's Anatomy. Not to worry, some of us brought along our handy dandy lap tops and crowded around them to watch the episode online.
Then it was MEET DAY! Breakfast, some shopping (by the way, I got a new pair of pants from one of my favorite stores, Hollister), and then time to get ready!!! We did each other's hair and makeup and blasted music in the rooms to pump us up.
Once we got to the meet, we did all our pre-meet rituals. Including putting on the Block I tattoo on our faces which the freshman always look forward to. Then it was time to compete. Unfortunately, the meet did not go as well as expected. However, there were some highlights that we were able to take from the night. Nicole, in particular, had an excellent meet, setting a career high on vault with a 9.875. Julie Crall, also had a phenomenal vault setting a career high of 9.85. After the meet, we went to dinner with our families. It is such a blessing to be with the people who support us so much. Even Lori's parents and sisters came all the way from Canada to root us on!
When we got home we went to the Women's Basketball game which was really exciting because we were practically in the front row! At halftime our team was asked to walk out on the court to be recognized. It was really fun.
We have worked hard at practice this week in preparation for our trip to Michigan State today. In the gym, my sister Danye is looking amazing! She has been slowly coming back from ankle surgery when, within a blink of an eye, she looks as good as new and ready to compete for the Fighting Illini. Lori is also doing incredibly well after coming back from injury. In a few weeks, she'll be ready to go too!
GO ILLINI!
Maj
