University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Gymnasts Begin 2010 in Washington D.C.
January 13, 2010 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 13, 2010
The University of North Carolina gymnastics team begins its 2010 campaign on Sunday when it looks to bring back its eighth straight GW Invitational title to Chapel Hill. In addition to East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) opponent and host George Washington, the six-team field includes the University of Pennsylvania and ECAC members Cornell, William & Mary, and Temple.
The Tar Heels will begin the 1 p.m. meet on uneven bars. In Krista Jasper, Christine Nguyen and Kara Wright the Tar Heels have three experienced gymnasts on bars.
"In training since we've been back from the holiday, we've gotten progressively more consistent on bars. We've got a good bar lineup," said coach Derek Galvin. "The important thing is that whether everyone hits their routine or not, we want to have strong routines."
The Tar Heels narrowly edged George Washington to capture last year's title, winning by .025 points. Led by a determined group of seniors, this year's squad hopes the GW Invitational will bring them together and set the tone for the 2010 season.
"We have a good group of experienced people, a very experienced senior class and both of our juniors are seasoned competitors," Galvin said. "If the freshmen follow the lead of the juniors and seniors in terms of composure and focus then they'll be led well.
"We want to have well executed routines and we want them to carry themselves like champions. We want them to expect the best of themselves. One of the things we hope that it will do is bring the team together in terms of confidence in each other. This meet gives us the opportunity to step into an atmosphere where there are a lot of potential distractions. We have to keep the energy focused on our team, almost as if we are competing and no one else is there."
This weekend marks the start of Galvin's 29th season with the Tar Heels. As always, he is eager for the season to get underway.
"We're excited," Galvin said. "We've been training since early September and the team has worked very hard. The seniors set some very high expectations for the team and they have worked very hard to put themselves in a good position to achieve those goals."
Players Mentioned
