Tis' the season for college gymnastics!

College gymnastics season is right around the corner folks! With a little over a month before the start of competition, I've been relying on intrasquad videos to keep me entertained and up to date with some of my favorite teams. (Thanks to all the coaches who take the time to upload these videos!)

Intrasquads are a great opportunity for teams to get adjusted to competing on a competition surface, in front of local fans and judges. While it may not be as nerve racking as competing in a big arena, the added eyes certainly put on a little more pressure than an average practice would! Here's a look at the highlights from some of the most recent intrasquads 

University of Michigan (November 25, 2013)
Michigan is looking very strong on beam and floor this year. National floor champion Joanna Sampson is training a full twisting double layout (so exciting!) and sophomore Briley Casanova has added her fabulous double layout back in! (which I'm also super excited about because she did it so well as a level 10/elite)

Austin Sheppard: Bars
Austin only competed on vault last season, but she's really stepping it up as an all around gymnast this year. (Seriously, watch her on every event- she's amazing!) The piked tkatchev is a fairly new skill for her.

Shelby Gies: Beam 
Shelby brings in big scores on bars and beam for the Wolverines. She has beautiful lines (and impeccable toe point!) and has been really consistent on these two events both in practice and in previous competitions.



Michigan is holding a free intrasquad at Crisler Arena on December 8th (vs. Central Michigan) 

University of Alabama (October 31, 2013) 
This is a highlight video from the Ghosts and Goblins intrasquad last month. The Alabama Gymnastics YouTube account also uploads weekly training videos! (I think the Alabama squad wins the award for loudest cheers!)



University of Florida (November 15, 2013)

Vault & Bars Highlights
As always, the University of Florida looks better than any other team on these 2 events. It should be another phenomenal season for the Gators! (The video is restricted on certain sites so you will have to click "watch on YouTube" to view the video. This channel has also uploaded beam and floor highlights!)




LSU (November 4, 2013) 
This is a recap (with interviews) from LSU's first intrasquad of the season! I think this is going to be a very strong season for this team and I'm really excited to see what they do. This is the type of team that improves every single year and I don't think we should underestimate them. You can expect big things from junior Rheagan Courville and senior Sarie Morrison! (Also, I can't wait to see Mincy's new floor routine!)




University of Georgia (November 15, 2013) 
Here we have another recap video from Georgia's latest intrasquad. They're looking particularly strong on bars and beam. Can't wait to see what they bring this season!

 

Auburn University (November 24, 2013)
Although Auburn isn't as strong as some of the top NCAA teams, they are certainly on the rise! Watch for sophomore Caitlin Atkinson (who was tremendous last year in the all around, scoring almost 9.9's and above every week) and Megan Walker (who is a fabulous bar and beam worker!) It's also important to note that Auburn only has 1 senior gymnast (who didn't compete last year) and 7 freshmen for this season. Should be interesting to see how the leadership role works out.




University of Oklahoma (November 14, 2013)
Another team that I'm SO excited to see this year! Oklahoma does such beautiful gymnastics and I think they're definitely fired up and ready to dominate this season. They're looking great on bars and beam!

Kara Lovan: Bars


Taylor Spears: Beam


University of Utah (November 22, 2013)
Utah did some really cool "Head 2 Head" challenges at their most recent intrasquad where they pit 2 gymnasts against each other. Props to them for coming up with such an interesting idea (so much more fun than doing a regular intrasquad, don't you think?!)

Kailah Delaney vs.Tori Wilson: Vault 

   

Tori Wilson vs. Georgia Dabritz: Floor



What teams are you most excited to see this year? I'm cheering for Michigan (obviously), LSU, and UCLA! I feel like this is going to be one of the strongest years in NCAA gymnastics.