10 1 TL ESD-11t, NON. 30, 2010
Men's gymnasts mentally aware during routines
By Dan Norton
FOR THE COLLEGIAN
John Brenkus, co-CEO of Base
Productions and host of the ESPN
show - Sport Science," knows
gymnastics is a sport unlike any
other
"In a lot of sports, you're doing
one thing and then resting, -
Brenkus said. In gymnastics,
you're fully engaged the entire
Gymnastics calls upon some of
the world's most in-shape athletes
to tap into reserves most people
don't know exist. By the end of a
routine. their legs are like jelly and
their vision is hazy, but they perse
ere because they must.
It is a sport requiring intense
precision and physicality. Penn
State
,gymnasts can relate to both
better than anyone. as they com
pete for one of the country's top
gymnast ics programs.
To be precise. they must be
mentally aware throughout their
entire routine. Even before it
starts, they tty to be as calm and
composed as possible so they can
minoete to the best of their ability
At this point. guys have devel
oped strategies. - coach Randy
.It.pson said. "It they haven't devel
/Tyr' thow lstrategiesi. they're
realk at a disadvantage because
he more , times you can rehearse
things mentally it's just like doing
them physically ..
Each *mnast. prepares for an
event differently. Senior captain
Matt Albrecht stresses self-confi-
.In our routines. we have skills
ihat obviously we can do. or else
limy wouldn't be in our routines.-
.Ilbreeht said. "I just to to clear
I:iy head and let myself know that
iv body knows what to d 0...
Lions ready to compete after completing fall training
By Steven Petrella
days, the NCAA men's volleyball
\‘ill be crowned at Penn State's
Goas i>er‘ es vs. Juniata last season
"Over the years, I've learned that if you fall,
you can't let it affect your performance."
Albrecht was sidelined with a
concussion for three weeks last
year after an accident on the high
bars during practice. He is healthy
this season, and isn't allowing the
risk of injury to weigh on his mind
during an event.
In fact. Albrecht makes sure his
teammates are just as ready as he
is before a big performance.
Junior Miguel Pineda jokes with
playful sarcasm that "team-cap
tain Albrecht" is always keeping
the mood light.
*As long as you're laughing or at
least somewhat enjoying what's
going on, then you're looser and
more likely to concentrate on what
you actually need to instead of the
nerves," Pineda said.
But once the routine begins, it's
all business.
Out of the gate, gymnasts rely
primarily on their power and
strength. During the Nittany
Lions' intersquad meet on Nov. 11,
their best passes in the floor exer
cise typically occurred in the first
few seconds.
Brenkus attributes the gym
nasts' endurance beyond their
first pass to the process of cyclic
loading, which is the cumulative
force that is endured throughout a
routine.
He also added that what makes
gymnastics so difficult is the com
bination of length and explosion.
Each pass requires 100 percent of
a *Tnnast's power as they lift off
the ground and fly through the air,
similar to the energy exerted by a
weight lifter in a power clean.
Although it's months away, junior co-cap
tain setter Edgardo Goas and his team
mates couldn't be more excited to start the
season and work toward
celebrating a title on May --------
In 2010, Penn State
upset Cal State
Northridge in the Final
Four before falling to Stanford in the title
game at Maples Pavilion. the Cardinal's
home court.
Seeing Stanford enjoy that national title
last year with their friends and family, it
would be a dream come true," Goas said
about winning at Rec Hall.
.All my good friends, Will Price, Max
Lipsitz, are jealous they never got to play
for a national title on our home court."
After capping off fall training the week
before Thanksgiving break with an unoffi
cial scrimmage against Ohio State, the
Nittany Lions are getting ready to travel to
Honolulu, Hawaii on Jan. 14 to take on
UCLA, the University of Hawaii and Ball
State.
NCAA rules permit teams to practice
only two hours a week in the gym from now
until after winter break.
Coach Mark Pavlik said he likes where
his team is at several weeks before the trip
to Honolulu and the three matches will help
his team gauge its place at the national
level.
"IThe trip] shows us where we're at
against some pretty good teams," Pavlik
said.
"It gives us a good benchmark to see
where we need to be in May"
Goas said although the team is young,
they continue to improve and work hard.
"I feel like [fall training] was really pro
ductive," Goas said.
- I feel excited about the season coming
up and I think we're only going to get bet
ter"
Goas said winning a national title on his
home court would be a dream come true
and something he never expected to hap
pen prior to his arrival on the Penn State
campus.
Pavlik said he is focusing on one match at
a time and is just concerned about being 1-
C,Aeg ar
SPORTS
Matt Albrecht
senior captain
However, there can be as many as
six passes in a 90-second routine.
Gymnasts are usually running on
empty before they finish.
While good gymnasts can rely
on their strength for awhile, the
best gymnasts can earn points
with technique when their power
is gone.
The more technique diffused
through a performance, the less
power is needed, sophomore
Mackenzie Dow said.
The majority of technical gym
nastics occurs in midair. Through
years of practice, gymnasts attain
a refined sense of proprioception,
Brenkus said, which is their
awareness of their body's position
in space.
- Your body has all kinds of
mechanisms built in to tell when it
is perfectly balanced," he said.
"When you're in a sport like gym
nastics where you're intentionally
[unbalanced] because your head
is going against your feet, you
have to have a keen sense as to
how you will be balanced when
you come out [of a pass]."
But not even a gymnast's pro
prioception is perfect all the time,
and when it fails, they fall.
Brenkus says the key to landing
instead of falling is to distribute
the force throughout the whole
body.
That is easier said than done for
the Penn State men's gymnastics
team. Falling may not be the most
graceful process, but recovering
from a fall is an art. The Nittany
Lions know it is going to happen
0 after the Lions' first match in Januar\
He said he is looking for his players to
prepare to improve each day and play sim
ple and fundamental volleyball.
"We need to strive to be better at the
pass, set and hit game," Pavlik said.
"We've got to have ball control. We're
never going to stop working on any one of
those."
Goas said the loss of hitters such as Price
and Lipsitz to graduation has slightly
changed the team's style of play for this
season.
We're not a physical team, we don't have
Matt Albrecht performs on the floor exercise vs. Ilhnios last season
eventually. so they are taught to personal best, but any score at all
have amnesia
"Over the years. I've learned
that if you fall. you can't let it affect
your performance. - Albrecht said.
"You have to get back up clear
your mind, clean slate -- because
every 10th lof a point! counts...
Finishing a routine is essential.
even if it has been tainted by a fall.
The individual score will not be a he said
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all the bit; hitters. - Goas said
'We have to make sure we're on the
same page and effective with serving and
passing. We have to play as a team. -
Although he's taking the season day by
day. Pavlik said he wants his team to take
care of the EIVA first so the Lions are able
to qualify for the NCAA Final Four on their
home court.
"I know the kids want to 'win the titlel in
front of their friends and family" Pavlik
said.
-- But we want to make sure we're using
our locker room and not somebody else.-
Tech The
Halls
f ..' ( i d ~..~ - a~ a
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Anorev, Dunhelmer, Colleg,an
is better for the team than a dis-
qualification.
Pineda was one of the few
Nittany Lions who finished his
floor exercise strong at the
intrasquad meet.
"I was just trying to remember
that two minutes after the floor
routine. Fm going to feel just fine,"
/ViOC«