Tide prepared for regional championships

Gymnastics head coach Sarah Patterson heard a sports analyst talk about the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and the pressure Memphis felt to make free throws. The analyst said the only reason people feel pressure is that they are not prepared.

"I just thought it's so easy, but, yet, it's so hard," Patterson said. "I just feel like that we are prepared going into this event, so I don't think there should be a pressure, but they should feel a confidence in themselves."

Alabama continues its postseason journey this weekend in Oklahoma at the South Central Regional Championships with the prize of an invitation to the NCAA Championships on the line. They will also be vying for their 23rd regional championship in 26 years.

The Tide gymnasts finished with a season-high score at the SEC Championships, claiming second place, and have been back in the gym for two weeks preparing for the regional tournament.

Competition will begin Saturday as top-seeded Alabama will take on Oklahoma, Boise State, Arizona State, Illinois and Southeast Missouri State. The top two teams will advance to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., April 24 to 26.

For the last two weeks, Patterson implemented a program that allowed the gymnasts to rest their legs and focus on their artistry much of last week, but they have since built them back up with intrasquads and pressure situations.

"We were at a high for the SEC Championships, so we allowed them some time to work on their physical conditioning and tried not to pound their legs," she said. "So, for a quarter of the time, we worked on just details, and then we built them back up and practiced the setting that we would be in at regionals."

Junior Ashley O'Neal said the team is really clicking right now and hopes its performance in Oklahoma will help them not only win a regional championship but also place them in a top seed for nationals.

"At [the SEC Championships], I think we've found whatever it is that makes us click," she said. "We just believe in each other and know we will do what we have to do to win."

Sophomore SEC champion Casey Overton agreed and said the SEC Championships really made the team realize they are all working for the same goal.

"I think we're proving how we've come together," Overton said. "[The SEC Championship] was almost like a turning point because it was the first time I felt that amount of excitement that we had. It was just amazing how much fun we were having."

Patterson said the team was faring well right now in terms of injury status among the athletes, which is a huge advantage at this point in the season. All the gymnasts seem to be as good as they can be.

"I think we've used our time wisely," Patterson said. "We've allowed them to regroup and reenergize, and now I think we're ready to go."