Bruins will do flips to win upcoming SoCal contests

  Daily Bruin File Photo Sophomore Alyssa
Beckerman performs her routine on the balance beam in a
gymnastics competition.

By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff

After a long, weary road trip, the UCLA gymnastics team returns
home for a pair of Southern California competitions.

The first meet takes place Friday at Cal State Fullerton, where
the Bruins will take on the hosting Titans as well as the Boise
State Broncos.

UCLA’s home opener is on Sunday against Arizona State.
Last year, the Sun Devils were the only team to defeat the Bruins
during the regular season. But the Bruins are concerned with
recovering from a pair of defeats last week rather than focusing on
revenge.

“Competing at home will give us a bit of an energy
boost,” Bruin sophomore Christy Erickson said.
“It’ll make us feel a little better after last
weekend.”

Erickson was referring to the Bruins’ third place finish
in the Super Six Challenge as well as their loss to rival Georgia.
Both meets were high-energy and competitive. This weekend’s
contests should be a little more laid back.

“We’re going to try to compete as many athletes as
possible,” UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field said of the
meet at Fullerton.

The banged up Bruins are looking forward to spreading the labor
throughout their ranks. Starters Malia Jones and Christie Tedman
will most likely not compete on Friday. Jones is out with a sore
ankle, though she could be ready to go on Sunday. Tedman will
undergo surgery to repair four broken metatarsals, an injury
suffered during a beam dismount last weekend.

Their absence means athletes who do not usually compete will see
considerable time this weekend and possibly throughout the entire
year.

CSU Fullerton is looking for its first win of the season. The
Titans feature 1996 Australian Olympian Joanna Hughes as well as
2001 Big West all-around champion Kelly Mathiasen. Senior Jamie
Johns leads Boise State into action.

“It’s always fun to compete against
Fullerton,” Bruin junior co-captain Doni Thompson said.
“They’re a nice team, and we see them a lot each
year.”

Valerie Velasco, a senior who stepped in to compete all-around a
week ago, will do so again ““ this time in her hometown
against Fullerton. She is expected to compete on the floor and bars
if needed against ASU.

The Sun Devils come to town ranked 19th in the nation. Although
they beat the Bruins last year, they gave some inflammatory
statements to the Arizona press. The Bruins are looking beyond
revenge and retribution.

“We don’t really focus on that,” Thompson
said. “We just want to go out, compete, and let the cards
fall where they may.”

For the cards to fall the Bruins’ direction, they need to
stay injury-free. Kondos Field listed that atop the team’s
goals for the weekend.

Sophomore gymnast Alyssa Beckerman will sing the national
anthem, and the first 500 fans will receive a free UCLA mouse pad
to celebrate the first home meet of the season against ASU.