THE PENN GYMNASTS: Team Camaraderie

The word "special" has been used so often to describe an athletic team that the mere appearance of this modifier smacks of anything but uniqueness. Despite the indiscriminate and often inappropriate use of this moniker, there occasionally appears a team to fit this description. Penn's gymnastics squad represents such an anomaly. The team doesn't deserve such praise because it is loaded with talent, however. The Quakers haven't earned this title because of their deep-rooted team unity. They shouldn't be looked upon as unique because of their consummate professionalism in competition or their love for their sport. And they certainly don't stand out for their academic achievements. No, the Penn gymnastics team has so thoroughly earned the right to be called special because, as a group, they exemplify all of the above characteristics better than just about anyone else. As defending Ivy League champs, their athletic talent ranks second to none. In the classroom, their achievements have been strong enough to earn them the highest team GPA of any intercollegiate team in the state. What sets this unit apart is its purely unabashed love for the sport in which it competes and each individual's desire to advance the greater good of the team. When Jerome Allen drains a three, a sold out Palestra embraces his triumph. When Monique Burton, the gymnastics team's co-captain, completes one of her gravity-defying floor routines, the applause she hears emanates from the tired palms of her teammates, who may have just competed in three events themselves. Senior Amy Casey captured her the team's sentiment: "It means so much to me to see everyone do as well as they can," she said. Women's gymnastics represents the norm in collegiate athletics, unable to attract much of the public attention higher profile sports do. Nonetheless, this relative obscurity doesn't diminish the athletic gifts of such a sport's participants. For Penn's gymnasts, the love of their sport helps make up for their absence from the public eye. "Because we compete in the Ivy League, people are not out here just to keep their scholarship, or to satisfy the coach. We all compete because, deep down, we love gymnastics," Burton said. Of course there is a great deal to love about this sport. It combines strength, artistry, speed and flexibility in a manner no other can. "I think everyone [on the team] worked hard at gymnastics their whole lives. It really helps to distinguish yourself," freshman Beth Manley said. It's this competitive spirit that drives Manley and her teammates to excel. Coaches sometimes find it hard to motivate their troops on a regular basis. Not so with this Penn squad. "It's easy to get this team to compete," assistant coach Sue Ryan said. No matter the result, Penn gymnasts have the ability to go full-throttle in each meet because team members work so hard to get into the lineup. "I just naturally get a high from competing," senior co-captain Nicole LeBrasseur said. When the Quakers aren't training or competing during the week, odds are they are studying. A number of Penn's gymnasts spurned athletic scholarships for the privilege of calling themselves Ivy Leaguers. Indeed, when he recruited the gymnasts that make up this year's team, coach Tom Kovic stressed how interested he was in their academic as well as athletic talent. But for all these positive qualities, the ethos of the team is the catalyst ultimately responsible for their well-rounded success. No matter how well the coach recruits, or how strongly he emphasizes the importance of teamwork, as Kovic said, "we can't force camaraderie." Indeed, no coaching staff can do this. But with this team, the coaches do not need to. In meets, their unity is most evident. "In competition, they support each other as much as possible," Ryan said. Certainly, it is this support that has keyed their success so far this season and may help the Quakers capture yet another Ivy League crown. While there seems to be a mad rush to label every moderately successful, over-publicized sports team "special" these days, perhaps those who so freely dispense this title should look to those squads that might never ask for their attention. Squads such as the Penn gymnastics team.