How Alabama Gymnasts Work Through Pressure
Coleman Coliseum was packed to the brim during Alabama gymnastics competition against Florida.
Throughout all the cheering, people, and applause, there can be pressure built up on these athletes, but they do not let it affect their performance.
"The crowd fires us up," said sophomore Lilly Hudson. "Pressure is a privilege, and we love it."
Although pressure can be a good thing at times, it can be scary when it's happening in the moment. At the competition, Alabama had two falls on bars. Both Hudson and freshman Gabby Gladieux agreed that although the falls happened, they knew that they would have each other's backs.
The support continued throughout the night as they moved to beam and floor. The team seemed to not let the falls or pressure get to them.
"For me, it's just staying in the moment trusting my training and just knowing that I have 18 best friends that have my back," Gladieux said. "And also it helps with the crowd. The energy, you feel that. And I think that helped carry me tonight."
Ashley Johnston, new head coach, said that while it is hard to have back-to-back falls, it was a learning opportunity for the gymnasts. It taught them how to keep the energy despite the mistakes.
"Growth is a philosophy for our team," Johnston said.
There was a lot of growth throughout the competition, and Hudson believes that they handled the pressure well by realizing that they are human and not perfect. Even though they lost against Florida, they won so many other things.
To overcome pressure, Johnston added that they have been equipped with tools to be their best. That is accomplished when the gymnasts can move past bumps in the road and look at the bigger picture instead because "it's a marathon, not a sprint."
This was shown by the fact that their beam and floor scores were the highest they've been this season. Hudson said she is happy to have her teammates by her side when the pressure is on.
"I'm so proud of this team," Hudson said after the meet.
Along with Hudson, it seemed the crowd was proud of the team too. There was so much energy in the stands. In fact, the student section was at capacity. All of the cheering and support meant a lot to Johnston and the team.
When it comes to terms of overcoming pressure, there are also so physical techniques, rather than mental, that can help prepare the gymnasts for stuck landings; Every college gymnast strives to have a solid landing, and there is always lots of pressure to have a solid landing.
Johnston said that having air awareness and spotting landings is key to having a good finish. It's also vital for the gymnastics to keep their confidence even if they have a rocky warm up.
"I think this meet will help us be better," Johnston said.
The team strives for resilience, and this competition raised the bar for them moving forward due to their comeback after the two falls on bars.
While others have high expectations of the gymnasts and can make them feel pressured, they are able to power through by staying in the moment and always supporting each other.
See also:
Alabama Gymnastics Rebounds from Rough Start for Highest Event Score of Season
Recap: No. 11 Alabama Gymnastics vs. No. 2 Florida
Nate Oats: Alabama G Nimari Burnett Could Return as Soon as Next Week
