There are four events in gymnastics, four separate disciplines that require different strengths and skill sets. Young gymnasts in club gymnastics train and compete all four events, but are generally recruited for college with expectations of only competing their best events.
University of Michigan head coach Bev Plocki doesn’t pick gymnasts to compete in the all-around. To compete on all of the events, a gymnast needs to make the lineup for all four disciplines. On Jan. 19, two U of M gymnasts competed in the all-around: Katie Zurales and Joanna Sampson. Between the two of them, they won three out of four events, and took first and second place all-around.
U of M competed against the University of Illinois, and won with a final score of 197.350, to the Fighting Illini’s score of 195.100. This is not only the biggest score of the season for U of M, but also ranks the Wolverines as the number one team in the NCAA.
Until last year, Katie Zurales had only competed vault, bars, and beam for the U of M. But during the 2012 season, a season without seniors and plagued with injuries, Zurales had to step up in the floor lineup.
“This is a kid that probably never thought she’d compete the all-around again,” said Plocki, who explained that Zurales struggled with injuries in high school and for her first few years at Michigan. “To see her come back and not only do the all-around but do it at this level is pretty fantastic.”
Zurales came in second on vault and beam, and won uneven bars and all-around. “Tonight we really focused on staying together as a team, and taking it one event, one routine at a time. I think that really helped us to be successful,” Zurales said.
Shelby Gies won beam with a score of 9.875, and placed fourth on bars with a 9.850. Looking forwards to the rest of the season, Gies said, “The energy is so high, and everyone hitting routine after routine… to be in our home crowd is amazing.”
Watch highlights from the competition and hear Katie Zurales, Bev Plocki, and Shelby Gies give their thoughts on the meet.
Jan 19 U of M gym from The Communicator on Vimeo.
