Wherever Sarah Cain goes, a bag of licorice goes with her. As she walks on the beam or sits on the vault, she is always seen munching on candy.
And again after practice, like a little kid, Cain prances around the floor, all smiles, Twizzlers in hand.
Yes, she is 18. Yes, she is a freshman. But no, she is not a child in gymnastics by any means.
Although the Central Regional meet Saturday was not her sweetest meet of the year, Cain still managed to win two events: the uneven bars and the floor exercise.
Cain's hopes for winning an all-around title were dashed when she took two hard falls on the balance beam, scoring a season-low 8.85 on the apparatus.
"I was really disappointed in myself for falling, but I am glad the team did well," Cain said.
The Wolverines, ranked second in the nation going into Saturday's meet, won the Central Regional title, their first in 10 years.
As a freshman, Cain has experienced a great season, especially in the Big Ten championships, where she won the all-around title.
Cain also snatched the conference's two highest honors: Big Ten freshman of the year and gymnast of the year.
Only one other Wolverine, Beth Wymer, has ever received both awards, and Wymer won three NCAA championships.
Not only did the meet earn Cain the awards, but on the bus ride home, her teammates presented her with the most coveted award of all - Cherry Twizzler Pull 'N Peels.
Twizzlers are her favorite food, and it makes one wonder how an accomplished athlete can stomach candy before an aerobic workout.
"It's her favorite," teammate Beth Amelkovich said. "I don't know why. She just loves it."
The kid in her loves candy, but unlike a little tyke, Cain is not selfish with the treat.
"She brings them to practice and shares them with all of us," teammate Lauren LaBranche said.
Along with eating candy, Cain practices for nearly three hours each day, which has helped her accomplish all that she has.
The awards she won at the Big Ten championships came as a shock to Cain.
"I was so surprised when I found out I won," Cain said. "I didn't even know that freshmen could win both awards."
Although she was a shoo-in for the freshman of the year award, the gymnast of the year award came as more of a surprise.
"It was really neat," Cain said. "It could have gone any way because the scores were so close."
But Cain's scores weren't anything close to her fellow freshmen competitors.
"Statistically she was a landslide ahead," Coach Beverly Plocki said. "She deserved it personality-wise also."
But personality aside, her scores are what show her talent.
For instance, in a victory against Ohio State on February 14, Cain posted a perfect 10 on the vault and on the floor exercise, which tied three school records.
With those two perfect scores, she tied the record for the most 10s in one meet, had the most consecutive 10s on the floor exercise, and had the most consecutive meets with at least two 10s.
"It just happened in a home meet," Cain said. "To get a couple of tens, that's neat."
Cain has scored a perfect 10 in three events this year: the vault, the balance beam and the floor exercise - her favorite.
"I like the floor because you get a variety," Cain said. "The floor shows more of your personality."
Along with the creativity that the floor contains, it also has been the place of some of Cain's highest scores this year.
With more difficult routines being added, and her competition increasingly more fierce, Cain does not have any trouble keeping up with the pressure.
And like her stellar performances at meets, Sarah is a superb student as well.
Although undecided in her major, Cain takes some of the University's most difficult classes, like chemistry.
Balancing academics and a strong athletic performance is not easy.
"I go to practice for three or four hours, and then after that I have to get my work done," Cain said. "There isn't much time for free time."
In fact, Cain came to Michigan because she felt it has a great balance between academics and athletics.
"I fit in best with the University of Michigan," Cain said. "I clicked better here, and I knew that when I came here I'd have a better time."
"It is most important to like the team because you spend four years with these people."
And there are three other freshmen on the squad as well, which helped Cain adjust to college.
However rough adjusting to college has been, Cain has had no trouble in acclimating to collegiate competition.
"I was not scared to compete in college-level competition," Cain said. "It's not a step down from what I was doing, but there is less pressure."
Before coming to Michigan, Cain was competing with Olympic hopefuls, although she grimaces at the mention of the word.
"I was used to elite level gymnastics, but I never wanted to go to the Olympics," Cain said.
Right now, the level to which Cain wants to ascend is that of qualifying for the national meet.
But nationals aside, Cain already has quite a season under her belt, especially with the accomplishment of winning the two awards.
On Cain, Plocki is undoubtedly impressed with what this freshman has brought to the team.
"She really turned out to be a pleasure to have on the team as well as a phenomenal competitor," Coach Plocki said.
"She is conscientious, hardworking, and has a commitment to training and the team."
Now that the regional meet is over, Cain has her eyes set on the biggest treat of the season, the NCAA championships.
"For the national meet we are going to do the same thing as we did for regionals: train hard and work our routines," Cain said.
"This is the most important meet of the year."
Seeded No. 1 for the NCAAs, expectations are high for the Wolverines, but Cain is not worried about that yet.
"I am just so happy about last night, I can't think about nationals yet," Cain said.
And with Cain, the Wolverines don't have to worry.
For the Wolverines, having her on this most successful squad is like having another inch on a 12-foot licorice rope.
Sweet.
| Why the women's gymnasts are ... DA BOMB -- Because they won the Central Regional title and are going to NCAAs in two weeks -- Don't have any annoying NCAA investigations or allegations of impropriety -- Unlike football team, beat Alabama in the postseason -- Because, like it says on the cover of their media guide, they're "hot, hot, hot" -- Did not have to settle for NIT championship of gymnastics -- Feature Sara Cain, Big Ten freshman and gymnast of the year -- Aren't tempted to leave early for a lucrative professional career - like some male athletes might very, very soon |