March 6, 2005

LOGAN, Utah - Dear Aggie Fans-

An old adage says, "Forget regret, or life is yours to miss." That has been our motto for the past month. A lot of factors have contributed to our recent success, but the biggest factor is our strengthened belief in each other and ourselves. Along with the normal banter usually heard during competition and practice, you will now hear us say, "No regrets." Every gymnast knows the feeling of doing a good routine, getting off the equipment and still feeling dissatisfied. Holding back will never show what kind of team we are. We are Utah State Gymnastics and we are a force to be reckoned with.

Being on the road a lot recently has brought our team closer together. Whether it be Kelly Patterson tripping me in the hallway making me fly five feet, Liesel sleeping on airport floors, Jackie getting everyone addicted to The O.C. or late night girl talks, these memories seem trivial now, but I know I will look back on them with great fondness. Competing on the road is always a challenge. You are in an unfamiliar arena with unfamiliar equipment and an unfamiliar, sometimes raucous, crowd. The ability to disregard all these factors and get the job done is what makes a good team a great team. We have proved our legitimacy by getting our highest team score thus far not in front of our home crowd, but on the road.

When I saw the Old Main "A" light up blue for the first time after beating Denver I felt like I had never won anything in my life. Truthfully, I never had. Individual success is great, but it will never be as gratifying to me as after experiencing winning as a team. Our coaches tell us, "Don't leave each other alone up on the equipment" or "Be up in their stuff!" as Alex Martin translated it. We have taken that to heart. It is no coincidence that our most successful meets are the meets we stay together as a team.

I want to thank all the fans and boosters for continually supporting Aggie Gymnastics, but most of all I want to thank Ray Corn, Jeff Graba, and Ernie Russell for taking a chance on me. In club gymnastics I was insecure and plagued by injuries. They recognized my love for the sport and determination to better myself as a gymnast and a person. For that, I am eternally grateful. To all the young athletes out there, never give up; your dreams can come true.

Come out and cheer us on March 7th and March 14th at the Spectrum. We love to see you there! Go Aggies!

Sincerely,

Katie Omann