WASHINGTON, D.C. - Don't be surprised if Terrapin gymnastics coach Bob Nelligan chooses to begin practice today with a brief lesson in Latin.
The veteran coach has a message for his team - carpe diem, or "seize the day."
"We just haven't been able to seize the opportunity when it's available to us," Nelligan said. "Instead of being able to seize the moment, we lose focus for a second and it's by us before we've even seen it coming."
This weekend the Terps had an opportunity to continue their late push toward the postseason, but instead of stepping up, the team took a step back, placing third in Sunday's tri-meet at George Washington.
The Terps had been building momentum following the team's two strongest performances of the season, but Sunday's score of 192.500 does nothing to improve their chances of qualifying for the postseason.
"192.6 [sic] is kind of like an also ran," Nelligan said. "It does nothing for us."
At this point in the year, every meet is critical for the Terps, who had recently begun to dig themselves out of an early season hole. If they hope to reach the postseason, the Terps cannot afford to slip up in any remaining meets.
This season, the team has often had trouble translating the improvement seen in practice into success in competitions.
The frustration among the team members is evident, as it seems the Terps are perpetually straddling the line that separates the playoff-worthy programs from everyone else.
"I just don't understand why we have to fight so hard for it to happen, for the life of me," Nelligan said. "We're not doing less than anybody else. We just seem to not be able to create our own winning environment."
Despite the letdown of yesterday's meet and the frustration built up in the aftermath, the Terps are once again pointing to the positives as a sign of strength and motivation.
Sophomore Brandi George earned a 9.850 on the balance beam, earning her first place in the meet. Sophomore Talia Tossone placed second in the event with a score of 9.775.
The Terps' performance on the uneven bars was their best of the year. Sophomore Allison Dama scored a 9.875 on the bars, and her season-high was good enough for second place in the meet.
Freshmen Abigail Adams, Lisa Reifschneider and Kaitlin Joseph all set season-high scores on bars, as well.
These performances proved that although the result was not ideal, Sunday's meet was far from a disaster for the Terps.
"I don't think it's as disappointing as it might look on paper," senior Lindsey Bonomo said. "I mean, we had Brandi, who had a huge beam routine;we had people step in and be able to do things. I think we got to keep looking at the positives."
But the Terps need more than just moral victories if they are to make any noise beyond their conference tournament. Nelligan said today's meet demonstrated a lack of maturity for this young team. He lauded the Terps for fighting back after a slow start to the meet but said the team can no longer afford to come out with anything less than complete focus.
"After two events we've dug ourselves a hole, and we come back out like crazy on bars. That's a sign that they are understanding more and more that it's in their hands, they've got to do it," Nelligan said. "You can't get upset if you break, if you have falls. There's nothing you can say … It was in our hands - we easily could have gone 193 or better today, and we just didn't seize the moment."
mkatzdbk@gmail.com
Be the first to comment on this article!