Liberty gymnasts soar through air

Flipping, flopping and flying through the air, Liberty’s co-ed gymnastics club team is gearing up to win. Consisting of nine competing gymnasts and led by Coach Mariah Dailey, the team started only three years ago.

Since the very beginning, the team has been to Nationals every year. The first year they traveled, the team came back with one all-around finalist. The very next year, they came back with one all-around finalist and three vault finalists. Senior Rachel Steele, who aided in starting the team, spoke about how much they have grown since the startup year.

“When we started the first year, we had a pretty small team. We took five members to Nationals in Texas. Since then, we’ve gotten a new coach and acquired a few new teammates,” Steele said.

David Tighe, a senior from Boise, Idaho, talked about the big changes within the last couple of years, from facilities and team down to skill improvement.

“Since the 2010-11 season, we’ve seen our team go from practicing in a local gymnastics club to having its own facility. New members have joined from our own backyard (Liberty’s student population) from new freshmen all the way to transfer students. Our skill level continues to increase as the team establishes itself,” Tighe said.

Tighe has been involved in competitive gymnastics for 17 years. He currently holds the title of team captain for this season. He recalls his favorite event to compete in between the six men’s events (Pommel Horse, Floor Exercise, Parallel Bars, High-bar and Vault) as either High-bar or the Floor exercise.

“High-bar is nothing but fun. It’s like being on a roller coaster, except if you let go of the rail, there’s nothing to hold you in, and it’s all up to you. It’s also probably the closest you can get to the feeling of controlled flight,” Tighe said.

On Feb. 11, the team traveled up to James Madison University to compete against big-name schools such as William and Mary, JMU, Miami of Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and UVA. The women’s team placed 2nd overall.

Training takes place 3-4 days a week, with a few members training up to five times a week. Each training session usually includes strength training, basic movement-handstands, flips, tight body drills and routines.

Most of the competition for the Liberty team comes from the other club teams at schools such as Penn State, Texas and MIT.

When asked why they chose gymnastics, both seniors Steele and Tighe mentioned how the importance of teamwork and discipline play a role in everyday life. Tighe also talked about how the book of Ecclesiastes relates to reaping the benefits of hard work.

“God has used the sport to teach me how to find ‘satisfaction in my toil’ and that’s one great gift. Not only how to get back up after I fail, but to enjoy getting back up, figure out what I did wrong, do it again, and see the improvement,” he said.

“Someone told me that sports can be seen as another metaphor for life, and life is a metaphor for heaven. For me, gymnastics has done, and continues to do, just that.”

The Liberty gymnastics team will head to Nationals this year in Salt Lake City April 19 to 21.