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Tumblers topple Minutewomen

Every afternoon at the Sports Coliseum, the women's gymnastics team spends hours practicing routines and perfecting their flips, twists and splits.

In the sport of gymnastics, practice makes perfect and perfection is what is going to win meets. In recent weeks, Michigan has learned that competing as a team is just as important as executing a flawless routine.

In preparation for the Wolverines' meet with Massachusetts this past weekend, coach Bev Plocki made sure that her gymnasts were practicing just as hard on being a team as they were on the beam.

The Wolverines' hard work paid off as Michigan beat the Minutewomen, 193.400 to 191.475, behind an all-around team effort.

"We talked about what team is about, that it is total commitment," Plocki said. "It is critical that every single person put in 110 percent."

Plocki must have had her gymnasts' undivided attention. They combined to exceed their coach's expectations in turning in a team effort.

"There was no individual out there, because, if there was, then we wouldn't have won the meet," senior Wendy Marshall said.

That team effort was well reflected in the scoring results. Seven gymnasts who were not sidelined by injuries stepped up and all made vital contributions.

"We have really gone to the bottom of the depth chart," Plocki said. "One hundred ninety-three points shows how far our talent extends."

The depth of the talent extends right down to the inexperienced freshmen.

Those who possess such outstanding talent are freshmen Beth Amelkovich and Kathy Burke. Both of them had impressive all-around debuts with Amelkovich placing second with 38.500 points and Burke placing seventh with 38.075 points.

Amelkovich's all-around performance was highlighted with first-place finishes on the bars (9.850) and the floor (9.800). Burke had the most success on the floor. Her score of 9.750 placed her third.

Plocki, who expressed much pride and pleasure with the performance of her freshmen, was pleased with her more experienced gymnasts as well.

Junior Andrea McDonald probably had the most impressive day of any of her teammates. On her way to placing first in the all-around (39.025), McDonald finished first on the beam (9.925) and second on the bars (9.800).

Marshall, who tied Amelkovich for second in the all-around, was a model of perfection on the vault, as she received the fifth perfect 10 of her career.

For those who did not compete in the all-around, their contributions in individual events were just as valuable. Senior Tina Miranda, who hasn't seen as much competition as some of the other veterans, tied for second on the uneven bars. Her score of 9.800 helped Michigan to its fourth highest team score on the event. Sophomore Lauren LaBranche also turned in a second-place performance on the balance beam.

The fact that Michigan can depend on each gymnast to get the job done is no surprise.

"We had so much depth going into our meets, we knew we would be fine," Amelkovich said.