Women on Fire Get to Shine One Last Time
Each season with every new team, Alabama gymnastics picks a theme or mantra for that team before the season begins.
In 2020, the theme was "thorns and tranformation" and little did that team know what thorns were coming their way when a pandemic would shutdown the season before the postseason even began.
This year's seniors chose "women on fire" for the 2021 team, and according to SEC gymnast of the year Luisa Blanco, it could not be a better description for this team.
"The seniors just hit it right on the dot," Blanco said. "We are women on fire, and we bring everything we have to every meet. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of something so special.”
One of those seniors, Lexi Graber, said the individuals on this team team inspired the mantra.
"When we were coming up with that little mantra, we just saw that this team is just such strong and powerful individuals, and we wanted to show that to the world," Graber said. "We wanted a way to light the fire and the team and give us that much more of a purpose."
The fire was lit back on Jan. 8 in Alabama's first meet and first subsequently first win against Kentucky. The Tide then reeled off four straight wins before losing a meet on the road to Georgia, but posted their first 197 score in the loss.
Since the Georgia meet, Alabama has not posted a score below 197 including a huge blaze that erupted at the Power of Pink meet against LSU. The team posted a 197.725, its highest score at the time since 2017.
Alabama coach Dana Duckworth said she's seen the mantra played out through the resiliency and confidence of her gymnasts.
"Top to bottom confidence, that is the word that I will describe with women on fire," Duckworth said. "They have been resilient, they have been accountable to one another, and they aren't afraid to truly hold each other to another level."
The biggest blaze so far was at the SEC Championship in Huntsville. The Tide upset top ranked Florida and LSU, and scored a 197.875 on the way to Alabama's 10th SEC Championship.
For Graber, the fire starts in practice and then translates to the competition floor.
"I've seen these girls light the fire in every practice and every competition," Graber said. "So I couldn't be more proud, and I think it's just very fitting for this group of women."
The way this team is able to build off each other is what makes them so special according to Blanco.
"Women on fire just means that we go out there, and we give it everything we have," Blanco said. "And we just fuel off of each other and that energy that we create, it’s something so special."
With one weekend of competition left, the biggest competition of the year at the NCAA Championships, these women have the chance to shine one last time on the biggest and brightest stage. Duckworth wants to see her team turn a little spark into a massive flame all the way to the championship.
"I just hope we spark it at the beginning, and it turns into a huge bonfire all the way to Saturday night.”
