GymDawgs On The Right Track

After a year riddled with unfortunate injuries and some bad luck, UW Gymnastics is looking forward to a successful 2014-15 campaign.

“We feel like we’re back on this good track that we’ve been building up to the last few years,” head coach Joanne Bowers said. “We did have a bump in the road last year, due to the injuries, but appear to be back where we left off now.”

The GymDawgs came within .025 of a point of going to the NCAA National Championships two years ago and last year, even with the setbacks, went into their regional meet as the fifth seed and exceeded expectations, finishing third.

The GymDawgs regrouped and retooled this offseason, hoping to build off the strong end to the 2014 season. UW added six talented freshmen and have a healthy group of upperclassman.

“Keeping that young group together last year and finishing as strongly as we did at regionals proves that we were headed in the right direction,” Bowers said. “Our team had a good foundation of strong team chemistry and core values that enabled that to happen."

That returning group and the addition of a talented freshman class has given the Huskies reason to be hopeful heading into 2015, but Bowers and her team know that there is plenty of work to be done.

“Even though it was hard, it was really exciting to see everyone step up and perform last year,” senior captain McKenzie Fechter said. “This year is even more exciting. We have so much depth and everyone is working so hard.”

One of the keys to a successful season will be keeping people healthy through this rigorous preseason practice schedule. Bowers and her staff are working hard to make sure each of the gymnasts is managing her body well and resting if needed, to maintain the depth and overall health of her squad.

“We have a lot of quality routines on each event,” Bowers said. “Every team in the country has really good top three, the difference is who has the best four, five and six in each event. We are hopeful our depth this year could be the difference for us.”

As previously mentioned, the freshman class is contributing early with the help of the upperclassman leaders. Senior captains Fechter, Jackie McCartin, and Madison Podlucky have played a key role in helping the team develop.

Bowers also cites Allison Northey as one who leads by her example of hard work and positivity.

“Allie is one that helps everyone out, gets her work done and is trying to be very efficient in what she’s doing.” Bowers said. “She’s just doing a phenomenal job. She stays positive but she has a way of saying the things that need to be said with the team.”

That efficiency and work ethic were learned during her first two years with UW gymnastics and she is passing those lessons along.

“I went through some struggles and learned the hard way what it means to be efficient in the gym and work hard every day,” Northey said. “That experience really helped me grow and realize what it means to be a hard worker. I think that’s my role in the gym; to be a leader by example and help others.”

Reaching Nationals has always been the rarely spoken goal, but it is something that Bowers thinks her team is capable of this year after finishing in third place at Regionals in each of the last three years.

“We are on the verge of being one of the top programs,” Bowers said. “But we’ve been on the verge for the last few years. How long can we say that? We actually have to do it and are on the right track right now to get it done.”

With the progress this fall, the team shares the same sentiments.

“This year, it’s the most real that it has ever felt,” Northey said. “We can actually get there if we work hard every day. It’s a goal that’s attainable this year. We just have to take it day by day and see how it goes.”

Fechter added a similar statement.

“I’d do anything to get the team there,” Fechter said. “We just have to keep pushing, day-by-day, and doing the small things in order to reach our goals. We have to string together great practices and keep improving.”

Bowers continues to preach the themes of hard work and improving every day, then letting the goal of an appearance in the National Meet take care of itself as a natural consequence.

“We have a strong team and a lot of depth and we’re working hard,” Bowers said. “And if we keep working hard, we’re going to be where we want to be in January and good things are going to happen.”