No pressure here... First year coach, career assistant. All we want you to do is win another national championship. And, if she doesn't win it all... Even if they come in second... Failure. Nah, no pressure here.
Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI, SFR Real Estate Broker PARKS 305 B Indian Lake Blvd Suite 220 Hendersonville TN 37075 Mobile: 615-972-4239 Office: 615-826-4040 Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: Shane Ford <goufgat...@bellsouth.net> > Date: April 15, 2016 at 7:39:44 AM CDT > To: GatorNews <gatorn...@googlegroups.com> > Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Dooley: First-year UF coach looks at four-peat > Reply-To: gatornews+own...@googlegroups.com > > Dooley: First-year UF coach looks at four-peat > > > First-year Florida coach Jenny Rowland looks to lead the Gators to their > fourth consecutive NCAA gymnastics championship. > Matt Stamey/The Gainesville Sun > By Pat Dooley > Gainesville Sun sports columnist > Published: Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 6:15 p.m. > Last Modified: Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 6:15 p.m. > The c’mon-back beeping sound from the big machinery and the deafening > crashing noises as parts of the O’Connell Center were being destroyed were > hardly a distraction for the Florida gymnastics team in its last home > practice Tuesday before the NCAA Championships. > > Those championships start Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, where the first > sessions begin, a din of noise as teams and fans scream for the gymnasts as > they try to focus on the task at hand. > > But, really, for a team that went through such a tumultuous postseason last > year, what’s a little white noise from a crowd or the incessant jackhammers > during practice as the gymnasts prepared for the trip? > > “It’s been an incredible journey,” said sophomore Alex McMurtry. “It’s worked > out better than we ever expected.” > > Think about it. A year ago, Florida was getting ready for a three-peat in > Fort Worth and Jenny Rowland, as an assistant coach, was getting Auburn ready > to compete in the same event. The Gators accomplished their goal in dramatic > fashion and then were floored by the news that coach Rhonda Faehn was leaving > the program. > > “I broke into tears,” McMurtry said. > > “I cried a lot,” said senior Bridgette Caquatto. > > Enter Rowland, whose first meeting with the team was by Facetime. Amazingly, > the first-year head coach overcame a little resistance and crazy expectations > to lead her team to a No. 2 seed in the national meet. > > “This has probably been the most rewarding year of my coaching career,” > Rowland said. > > Starting Friday, the mighty Gators will go for a four-peat. That they are in > position to defend (again) is a testimony to the talent of the gymnasts and > the coach who has brought them to this point. > > It was what Athletic Director Jeremy Foley hoped would happen when he hired > Rowland last May. > > “I went through the same thing when I hired Roland Thornqvist to replace Andy > Brandi (in women’s tennis),” Foley said. “You have a tremendous coach leave > the program and you have to get the right person in to keep it going. > > “You have to see it in the eyes of the next coach that it’s going to keep > rolling, that we can keep competing for a national title.” > > He saw that in Rowland and -- while gymnastics is a subjective sport where > anything can happen -- Florida is right there with a real shot at winning > again. > > It’s not that Florida wasn’t good enough to be in this situation, especially > with a bunch of All-Americans on the roster led by senior Bridget Sloan, one > of the greatest athletes to compete in a Florida uniform. > > But you never know how a coaching change, especially one so unexpected, will > affect a team. > > In many ways, the transition has been seamless. > > “It was an easy change,” Caquatto said, “and having a new coach should not be > easy.” > > There were some speed bumps. Sloan talked early in the year about being > stubborn in relation to the change before she realized that it “wasn’t all > about me.” > > Rowland brought a different style and different philosophies to the job. Her > athletes bought in quickly. > > “I don't feel like the new coach anymore,” Rowland said. “These gymnasts have > overcome a lot. The thing I wanted to do first and foremost was to build > relationships with the athletes, let them know that I was on their side.” > > It couldn’t have worked out much better. > > Of course -- as in the case of most sports -- a season is judged by how you > finish. Anything less than a fourth straight national championship will be > considered a disappointment. > > But when you think about where these ladies were a little less than a year > ago, feeling lost and uncertain, it’s already been a pretty amazing year. > > “I’m glad it was (Rowland) instead of anybody else,” Caquatto said. > > Friday and -- hopefully for the Gators -- Saturday in the finals, this > journey of a season will come to an end. Especially for an amazing senior > class. > > For Jenny Rowland, the “new coach,” it’s just the beginning. > > Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at pat.doo...@gvillesun.com. And follow > at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sent From Shane's iPhone > Go Gators! & Skål Vikes! > ALPCA #8756 > Europlate #1045 > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 > National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 > National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to gatornews+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gatortalk+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
