March 7, 2007

Get behind the scenes of Illinois Gymnastics with Illini Ink - the weekly women's gymnastics journal. This week, junior Michelle McGrady talks about the team's home meets, her birthday, and the upcoming competitions.

Dear Illini Fans,

Wow! I cannot believe we are already approaching our ninth meet on Friday against Auburn. The season is going by so quickly and championships are right around the corner! Our team is more excited than ever because we have made improvements each weekend and know our best is yet to come. Also, everyone was happy that Mel got good news from the doctor this week and that she is able to start doing stuff again!

At our home meet against Iowa State and Northern Illinois, we scored a season high of 195.925. This meet was especially exciting because we recorded six career-highs and tied the school's vaulting record of 49.1. Not only did we have a great meet, but also several of the girls were able to catch up with old teammates. Lori and I have best friends on the Iowa State team so we were able to visit with them at their hotel.

Coming off a great weekend, we were even more motivated to get back into the gym and focus on the little things for the Illinois State meet. The team showed vast improvements on floor at Illinois State. Our leaps were bigger and we had more solid landings. In addition, Krystal and I made our season debuts in the vault and beam lineups, respectively. Julie Crall, Nicole Cowart, Cara Pomeroy and Sarah Schmidt all captured individual event titles. One thing the team took away from this meet is the importance of stuck landings. We are working harder than ever on making every dismount in practice and competition count.

Back into the gym on Tuesday and we only have two days of practice before our exciting double meet weekend. We are really looking to put everything together this weekend and hit 24 for 24. So all you Illini fans should come to our home meet on Friday against Auburn. It is going to be a great show and it is my 21st birthday! Then on Saturday, we leave for Denver and compete on Sunday. Hopefully, the weather will be nice and we will make it back in time for 10am exams on Monday! Upon arrival back into Champaign, we will have only one week left before spring break. Classes will be stressful, but after the week is over, we will be able to relax our brains and prepare ourselves for championships! Thanks for reading and hope to see everyone at the final two home meets!

GO ILLINI!
Michelle