The Spartan Gymnastics Family
4/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
April 19, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Inconspicuous might not be the first word that one would choose to describe the women's gymnastics team as a whole. For those who cross paths with the Spartans as they travel throughout the country, it usually doesn't take long to realize that the pack of 16 smiling women are part of a close-knit group.
A group that is accustomed to the constant attention that they receive from those whom they meet on the road, accustomed to the questions, mostly about who they are and where they are headed, and often inquiries about the several athletes whose arms rest in slings or those who are making their way down an airport terminal on crutches.
And these inquiries tend to come in the form of an innocuous wisecrack, the originality of which almost always leaves something to be desired.
"Did you two beat each other up?" one man asked sophomore captain Sarah Alexander and junior Anna Hunsinger, who each had one arm in a sling, as they stepped onto an airplane. The man's grin stretched across his face, as though he could barely contain himself after the hilarity of this question.
"Your sister just left the plane," a flight attendant joked to Hunsinger as she exited the same aircraft after the flight. "You know, the one with her other arm in a sling." Same big grin.
Hilarious, right?
But in every case, the Spartans took the playful wisecracks in jest. They smiled politely as they explained the nature of their injuries, or sometimes just shrugged them off with a joking response of their own.
Ever good-natured, members of the MSU women's gymnastics team ceaselessly support one another and are always proud to represent the team. In fact, many Spartans explain that the attitude that they embrace toward their team makes them more like family than anything else.
"We are very united," said Alexander. "There is a lot of camaraderie between us."
And this attitude extends far beyond how they interact with one another in a general sense. It is an attitude that exists in its core at meets, in practice and even outside of the gym.
"We all get along really well," said junior Nicole Anderson "We are always having fun and even if we aren't at the gym, we are always hanging out."
"We are really close," said junior Kristin Merritt. "We depend on each other for a lot, for everything, really. Both inside the gym and out."
Unconditional support and positive attitudes have been essential to the high level of Spartan accomplishment this season and the road to success was not without obstacles.
"The biggest challenge that we conquered this season was just realizing that we had the talent to overcome the obstacles with which we were faced," said Alexander. "We believed that we could do it and that was a big part of our huge success."
"We had to deal with a lot of injuries and a lot of changes to the lineup as a result," said junior Jennifer Yarbrough. "People had to step up when the time came and that is just what they did."
MSU head coach Kathie Klages praises her team's flexibility and notes that it is something that the Spartans have worked on throughout the season.
"Whether you are a competing member of the team, someone who is injured on the sidelines or somebody who didn't make the lineup, each person has to do her job to the fullest of her abilities at all times," said Klages.
And some of the Spartans were thrown into roles that they did not expect, which presented unexpected challenges for the team as a whole.
"I got injured a week before the first meet," said senior Lindsey Voth, who initially expected to recover in time to compete this season. "They didn't think that my injury was as bad as it was. After I found out that I wasn't going to be able to compete, I became a supporter of the team, helping everybody out in the gym."
Dana Herr, also a senior, found herself in a supporting role throughout the season due to injury as well. Anna Hunsinger suffered a mid-season shoulder injury that prevented her from closing out the season in competition, amongst many other injured Spartans.
"When I got injured, I had to figure out how to support the team without contributing to the team score by competing," said Hunsinger. "It was a whole different role for me."
Still, the team persisted and success ensued.
"They did an awesome job with being flexible while still getting their jobs done," said Klages. "They handled that task better than any team that I have ever coached."
Actually, the 2003-04 Spartan squad was able to do a lot of things better than any team that Klages has ever coached, like breaking the all-time university team total score record. Twice. In less than two weeks. And boasting the best season record since 1998.
"We had an excellent season and we are very pleased with what we did," said Alexander.
As for next season, the Spartans are already beginning to prepare for continued accomplishment.
"I hope that we can go farther next year," said Anderson. "This team is very talented and this year was a building year for us. We are only gaining and moving forward from here."
"We expect to have a big freshman class coming in, so we should be able to do even more amazing things next season," said Alexander.
With the large freshman class in 2003-04 and the close-knit mentality of the entire group, athletes joining MSU gymnastics next season will have plenty of teammates available to them if they have questions or concerns about being new to the team.
"I was a little nervous about getting to know everyone at the beginning of the year because I am very shy," said freshman Jenna Rivers about her experience joining the team. "But I have gotten to know everyone so well because this team is so close. That closeness shows what a team mentality we have. We have so much spirit and I think that helps us to get excited and to have more fun."
And the Spartans have fun wherever they go. From cheering for each other in meets to joking with one another in practice and finding time to laugh, even when delayed in airports across the country.
"Our team made me so happy," said freshman Kristen Coleman of her team's fifth place finish at the Central Region Championships. "The performance was not our best-ever, but it was so great because it didn't matter what happened. We all still cheered, we screamed until we were hoarse."
"Our greatest strength is unity," said Yarbrough. "We are highly competitive, but we always have a lot of fun with it and our ability to have fun is a big part of our success."
"This team's unity is part of what makes Michigan State's program unique," said Rivers.
The uniqueness of Spartan gymnastics is a blend of unity, optimism and determination, qualities that are obvious to those who meet the team. So obvious, that people are drawn to State's gymnastics team wherever they go.
The Spartans enthusiastically sing the MSU fight song in restaurants, they adorn their hotel room doors with supportive nametags, and they are, undeniably, a forceful presence whether competing or not. Inconspicuous, they are not. Proud to be a part of the Spartan gymnastics team, they clearly are. And for good reason.
When asked what word she would pick to describe her team, Rivers smiled and scanned the room before answering, looking around at her teammates who were laughing and joking with one another, as usual.
"Like a family," Rivers said softly. "Always helping each other out, no matter what."
Players Mentioned
