Jennifer Yarborough: Raising The Bar
3/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 25, 2005
East Lansing, Mich. - The crowd inside Jenison Field House is quiet as the music begins, starting with a drum roll that leads into the Michigan State Fight Song. Jennifer Yarborough (Williamston, Mich.) is on the floor about to begin her electrifying routine to the montage of MSU cheers that was designed for her. The crowd claps along as she tumbles and twists across the floor, pumping up both athletes and spectators.
"Floor is so much fun to do here, especially since I got my new floor music. It pumps me up, it pumps everyone up, so that's just fun to do," Yarborough said.
Performing at Jenison has become an old hat for Yarborough, who has not only performed there as an athlete for MSU, but even before her college career began. Yarborough won the Level 9 gymnastics national competition held at Jenison when she was a freshman in high school, and became national champion right in her backyard. Having her parents there to witness her victory made it all that much sweeter.
"That was one of the greatest memories - winning in my home town, basically," Yarborough said. "As far as high school goes, I don't have any great memories besides the people I grew up with, but the level 9 championship will stay with me forever."
After that year, she only made it to nationals on the Junior Olympics level as part of a team, but that prepared her for what was to come during her college career. Prep gymnastics is mostly an individual sport, and it is hard for most freshmen coming into a gymnastics program at any college to adjust to being part of a team. Yarborough had experience being part of a team before coming to Michigan State, which put her a little ahead of the other freshmen in her class.
"It was a good experience to get the team atmosphere instead of just being an individual competitor," remarked Yarborough. "It was a good transition to figure out that it's not all about you. Even if you don't perform spectacularly, if you only go pretty well, the entire team still has a chance."
Her experience helped make the transition as a freshman in college, on a different gymnastics team with different expectations, with much more ease than most freshmen.
She knew without a doubt that she would be coming to MSU at the beginning of her high school career, but didn't know if she was going to try out for the gymnastics team until she got on campus. She finally decided to give it a try, despite doubting her ability to crack the rotation.
During this season, Yarborough is especially glad she made that decision. Although she has been a contributor to the gymnastics program at MSU for the four years she's been a student, it wasn't until this year that she received the chance to step up and shine.
With several good gymnasts out of the rotation due to injuries, other gymnasts have had to step up their performances to fill the void left by their teammates' absences. It's frustrating to Yarborough and her teammates to have to fill a rotation with six healthy people instead of the six best gymnasts Michigan State has to offer in each event.
"Coming from a year like last year when we did such a good job and didn't lose anyone to graduation, you think everything is rock solid," said Yarborough. "It's frustrating when we start off the year with one of our best freshmen going down right away. Then two of our seniors (Nicole June and Anna Hunsinger) and junior Sarah Alexander, who have been big strong leaders the past couple years, go down with shoulder injuries."
As any coach will tell you, the upperclassmen always lead best when they lead by example in competition. Unfortunately for the gymnastics team, the majority of their strong leaders are out with injuries. It shakes the foundation of what seemed to be a solid team, changing the dynamic and forcing the team to function differently than when the girls were getting ready for their season. Waiting to see who is going to make it through a week of practice to be healthy enough to compete is all the team can do at this point.
"You don't know who's going to be in lineup, not because someone's going to push you out because they're better, but because someone may be injured," Yarborough asserts. "It's rough when you have to throw out six people who are healthy, not the six best people. It's just one more reason why you have to be ready."
Yarborough has stepped up her performance in competition to match the need on her team, but the leading she does outside Jenison for the younger members of the team is just as important to her, especially remembering her own experiences as a freshman.
Admittedly, it was hard not to enjoy the admiration she got from the underclassmen, but Yarborough realized that, if they were going to be a team, they all had to be seen as equals.
"You have to try and not be that intimidating; have them come hang out with us, because we're fun. We're just like they were. We've been through what they're going through right now. We understand what it's like."
Yarborough admits, however, that it is hard to maintain the line between fun and meaning business. There has to be a respect for the team above all else, and to get that, the upperclassmen have to show that gymnastics isn't all fun and games without making the freshmen feel intimidated or singled out.
"Being an upperclassman, you need to step up and show them the way," remarked Yarborough. "It's a big transition for some of them to go from it all being about them to it all being about the team. Whether you like it or not, when you slack off on conditioning, its not just hurting yourself, it's hurting the entire team. You have to find a way to tell them that without them thinking you're screaming at them, and that's the hardest way because we're friends inside and out, and you don't want to ruin that."
Yarborough's hard work and determination are two of the reasons she was in the position to step up when her team needed her, along with a mindset to be ready for anything. If a gymnast is determined, Yarborough insists, they will work hard to achieve new skills and perfect older skills, which will help them stay consistent in an inconsistent season like this season has turned out to be. Gymnastics is not a sport in which you can give up on one skill and try another because there are so many skills intertwined in so many exercises.
"It doesn't matter if lineup's changing all around you, you can still hit, and it doesn't matter who's in front of you," Yarborough said. "You have to do the same thing and you have to be ready for anything to happen.
Her flexibility has helped with unexpected events, like this season's injuries, and has helped her step up to the challenge of becoming a clear-cut leader on the team. Although her senior season may not have lived up to the pre-season hype because of all the injuries, Yarborough admits she wouldn't trade a minute of it.
"Because of what has happened this year, you can't expect things to go perfect," said Yarborough. "You just have to be ready. I would never trade this in for anything. I will always love it."
That is just how Yarborough will always remember her gymnastics experiences at Michigan State.
By Stephani Cramer MSU Sports Information
Players Mentioned
