March 16, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State gymnastics team will host the State of Illinois Meet Saturday in Redbird Arena at 7 p.m. Joining ISU in this meet will be Illinois, Northern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago. ISU has faced and fallen to Illinois and Illinois-Chicago, but has not yet shown its talent to Northern Illinois.
Typically competing in Horton Field House, this is the gymnastics team's first competition of the year in Redbird Arena, which does not worry head coach Bob Conkling.
"We won't have to travel so that will give us another day to practice a little," said Conkling. "Illinois and Illinois-Chicago have both beaten us, but if we do the best we can, I am confident everything will fall into place. We have competed in front of large crowds before, like at Illinois and Kentucky. The girls will have some time to practice in the arena, and I think they'll do great because they've competed all over in different kinds of facilities and done very well."
Each team will begin on a different event and rotate through the four team events. ISU will begin on vault, rotate to the uneven bars, then balance beam and finish with the floor exercise. This is the Redbirds' normal rotation for home events, which coincidently was determined by a blind draw.
Timed warm-ups begin at 5:45 p.m. with a 15-minute rotation on each event. The four teams will march in at 6:55 p.m. and are allowed a three minute touch (warm-up) before they compete on each event.
Redbird Arena hosts ISU men's and women's basketball games and volleyball matches as well as several IHSA events. Conkling is honored to compete at this venue.
"It's so great to be able to participate in this meet at home," said Conkling. "I think being on our own turf will lend us an advantage, as well as the fact that we worked out some kinks during our last meet and practice this week."
