by David F.P.
2-27-10 [Photo Gallery]

TOLLAND, CT- When the University of Connecticut club team started competing, Boston University hosted them in their first competitive meet, and when Sacred Heart’s club team was reactivated after a lull, UConn served to host their return to action. Tri-Town Gymnastics was the scene as a group of parents and spectators gathered around each apparatus as the teams competed for the lone judge in attendance. It was a cozy event, where each team cheered for the other as they competed. UConn began the meet with the customary “UConnnnn Huskies!” chant. The Huskies were clad in blue to match the schools color, and the Pioneers from SHU wore black with red, the color of their school as well. Each team representing schools that have risen to prominence from opposite parts of the state.

The skills varied, the execution varied, but the gymnasts all made their salutes and competed, doing their best and if appearances are any indication having fun in the process. When a landing was stuck the crowd gave an appreciative clap. Each team moved through the events wrapping up on the floor, where a variety of well chosen music selections accompanied each competitor as they flipped and danced along, the floor itself ringed by the spectators.

The problem with saying that these gymnasts do it just for the love of the sport can imply that scholarship athletes at the varsity level have other motives, and who am I to judge? But turning it around, if we assume that all gymnasts do it for the love of the sport, then it is still worthy of note that these gymnasts did not only join their teams, they created them. There may not be the army of fans as one might find at Gampel or the Pitt Center any given night, but there is the appreciation of their teammates and those who made a trip into Tolland on a Saturday afternoon to watch some gymnasts do what they do.