Finishing Up in Columbus
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2009
Senior Kent Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) keeps the men's gymnastics team player blogs rolling as he takes some time to discuss last week's tough meet against Illinois (March 14), as well as the Maize and Blue's upcoming competition against arch-rival Ohio State. Caldwell competes on floor exercise, vault and high bar and has performed these events at the NCAA Team Championship, as well as many other competitions throughout his career. He was the bronze medalist on floor at the 2007 Big Ten Championship, and he was also the first gymnast in the world to complete with a quadruple twisting back flip.
We just got back in the gym after an undeniably disappointing Senior Night. While it was great to walk out with my class and all of our parents; to be recognized for four years of commitment as a student-athlete; and to look back on four years that flew by far too quickly, losing by such a close margin with such obvious errors as a team left the night feeling unresolved.
We dropped a close decision to Illinois (a mere one point difference), but really, we shot ourselves in the foot on pommel horse and high bar. There were, of course, a few standout performances. The seniors performed exceptionally -- Scott Bregman showed off a very clean floor set, Joe Catrambone posted a season high on rings (complete with his trademark 'sonic boom body wave' after his stuck dismount), Phillip Goldberg hit yet another rock solid rings set, Ryan McCarthy wowed the crowd with his incredibly difficult releases on high bar, Ralph Rosso landed his double front on vault, and John Sawicki displayed yet again his unwavering ability to hit well under pressure as our leadoff man on p-bars. Our underclassmen fought hard for us, too. Most notably, sophomore Chris Cameron picked up another all-around win, and junior Mel Santander won the meet on high bar with a career best 14.900, using a routine that included several upgrades.
Teams always say that you have to learn from your losses, take from them what you can, remain positive and move on. In fact, it might become a little clich to hear the "pick yourself up taller" speech in the sports world. But, as we huddled up after the meet to share our disappointment together, I had never, in all my four years as a Wolverine, seen a team as motivated and inspired to become the champions that we seek to become. The fire in our captains' voices, the emerging leadership from the underclassmen, and the overall unity and strength we each felt from the rest of us as we layered all 24 hands on top of one another for one final "let's go, Blue!" at Cliff Keen Arena are sure signs of things to come.
This may have been the last time us seniors competed at Cliff Keen, but it is fortunately not the last time we will get to compete in front of a home crowd. The Big Ten Championships are on campus at Crisler Arena this year, and we are working tirelessly to peak in the postseason. Between now and the Big Ten Championship, though, lies one more hurdle -- taking on Ohio State in Columbus. It's a challenge I know we're ready for.
Until next time - Go, Blue!
Players Mentioned
