Alabama Athletics
Alabama Gymnastics Building Momentum Following LSU Win, Power of Pink Meet
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama gymnastics team borrowed a tradition from Nick Saban's football program, putting the logo of every opponent/event of a season on a block as part of a pyramid near the practice entrance.
Each represents a step as a team strives for the top, with everyone signing the block following a win.
It's hard to see the logos of the last two opponents, LSU and Missouri, as both are cover with ink.
"We have the skill and need to execute it and do the same thing we have been doing," junior Alonza Klopfer said about Alabama's winning streak.
The No. 6 Crimson Tide will attempt to capitalize on that momentum when it hosts No. 14 Arkansas on Friday night (5:45 p.m., SEC Network). Ironically, Alabama, which has the season-long theme of "Thorns and Transformation," will host the meet on Valentine's Day.
It'll also be Alumni Night, with more than 60 members of the Alabama gymnastics family expected to attend.
“It is an honor to compete for the legacy that Alabama gymnastics has,” senior Wynter Childers said. “We get to bring in the alumni to show them that we still have the legacy, and this is still a tradition of excellence."
Each former gymnast and manager will be introduced prior to the meet. The annual celebration includes a weekend of festivities, serving as the program's version of homecoming.
“We have a saying that [the alumni group' is the "Bamily," the Bama family," Crimson Tide coach Dana Duckworth said. "When you have generations coming back that will all be together this weekend, there is a bond that is indescribable.
"I remind the ladies to look at the legacies on the wall and that you are a part of tradition of excellence. When you came to the University of Alabama, that is what you sign up for. The alumni truly embrace the fact that they are the ones who started the base and we just tried to carry it on. It is a privilege to say you are Alabama Alumni.”
After opening the season with a loss at Auburn, and being outscored by No. 1 Oklahoma on consecutive weekends, during a home dual-meet and at the Metroplex Challenge in Texas, the Crimson Tide responded.
It notched the first win at LSU since 2013, and subsequently posted its best score since 2016 in the Power of Pink meet.
Alabama looks to take another step against the Razorbacks.
"We are competitive on certain events where we have to earn it and earn it each day and each week in here," Duckworth said. "I think the way we are training and the depth that we have allows us to create a competitiveness.”
