Gymnastics head to EMU to start MAC packed weekend
The No. 19 Chippewas have their first away meet of 2014 after a five meet home stretch to open the season.
CMU is traveling to Ypsilanti to take on EMU Friday night at 7 p.m. Last week, the Chippewas teamed up with the Eagles for the Michigan-Illinois Challenge and the teams claimed a joint victory.
Both teams had season high scores.
“This week they are definitely our enemy, they’re our rival,” said head gymnastics coach Jerry Reighard. “They are notorious for the unexpected, they have other athletes come in and are very rowdy, and their equipment is not top notch.”
The Chippewas are not just going on the road for the first time, but they have two away meets within three days, the first against EMU and the second against Bowling Green.
“We’re traveling for the first time, we’re out of Olympic rotation for the first time, and we have to guard against thinking that we have to save something for two days from then at Bowling Green,” Reighard said.
Even though the No. 19 Chippewas scored their season best, traveling will really test their skills and mental toughness. The lineup will be very similar, but to save some energy for the meet two days after, Reighard has elected to eliminate the exhibition gymnasts.
“I am really excited we have worked so hard in the gym to get those 9.8’s and 9.9’s, we’re not expecting 9.7’s anymore,” said senior co-captain Brittany Petzold.
Central Michigan scored a fourth all-time best at McGuirk Arena last week.
“I think Eastern put on a good show last meet and they’re coming for us and we’re ready and prepared,” said senior co-captain Emily Heinz. “We want to let them know it is going to be tough to even come close to us.”
The preparation for CMU has changed drastically for this upcoming Mid-American Conference showdown. Everything the gymnasts are used to preparing for changes including altering training equipment to mock those of the Eagles.
“I actually tilted our uneven bars at an angle, I made them mount for mounts, usually we use plywood that gives us firmness, but we removed it, we moved the beam at a completely different angle than we normally practice,” Reighard said.
EMU’s assistant coach is one of Reighard's former gymnasts and is preparing her current team for her former team.
“I think for years she has been trying to form Eastern in similar ways, so it will be good,” Reighard said.
The Chippewas will start their first meet on Friday against EMU and end on Sunday at Bowling Green for a packed MAC weekend.
