Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Gymnasts enjoy renovated facility, get set for first meet
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
A strong nucleus of returning women's athletes and a few freshmen recruits on the men's side has Liberty University gymnastics Head Coach Rachel Steele optimistic about the upcoming season.
The Lady Flames are led by senior captain Alyssa Frost and sophomore captain Jessie Hogue, who competed at last spring's National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) National Championships.
"All of our returning athletes have experience at (nationals)," Steele said, noting Frost reached the finals in the balance beam. "A couple may specialize in floor or vault, but most of our athletes compete in the All-Around."
She said sophomore Sara Escobar and freshman Kayla Corriveau have made rapid strides in raising their skill levels in the preseason.
Jonathan Baldwin, a second-year graduate student, is the captain of the men's team, complemented by newcomers Austin Minuto, from Texas, and Cameron Streeter and Rufus Chapelle, who, like Baldwin, have Junior Olympic experience in Michigan.
"Really, all of the guys are incredible this year, so we're excited about that," Steele said, noting the men will be able to score as a team with more than the minimum of three competitors.
Streeter, who was once on a club team coached by Baldwin, competed at the Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships in Jackson, Miss., last May.
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| Jonathan Baldwin, a graduate student and one of four men's gymnasts, practices his parallel bars dismount. |
The quality of men's gymnastics in the NAIGC has improved in recent seasons due to fewer programs being funded at the NCAA Division I level.
"There are only 15 Division I programs left in the country, so it's really competitive," Steele said. "All those other guys are having to compete at the club level."
She will be interested to see how her gymnasts execute their routines at their season-opening meet hosted by Virginia Tech on Nov. 8.
"Virginia Tech is normally one of the most competitive meets we go to throughout the year, assuming all of the surrounding schools will be there — James Madison, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech," Steele said. "I can't wait to see how things go at the first competition and continue to work on improving our skill level going into the next semester."
Preseason practices have posed logistical challenges for Steele, working out of the Flames still-unfinished facility at The Plaza in Lynchburg.
The gym underwent structural changes to its layout over the summer and all new equipment was brought in, but Liberty's athletes haven't been able to use much of it until the renovations are complete.
The eight Lady Flames and four Flames gymnasts have practiced four times per week at The Plaza location — where the women can use the vault and balance beam and men can perform on the vault, pommel horse, and parallel bars — and once per week at Elite Athletics in nearby Forest, where they can practice on the rest of the apparatus.
On Monday, the high bars, uneven bars, and rings were put in place. The foam landing pit was removed and a support beam will soon be taken out to open up space for a regulation-sized 40-foot by 40-foot floor exercise mat. That will allow the gym to host collegiate competitions in February or March in preparation for the April 8-11 NAIGC Championships in Philadelphia.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
