By Anfisa Pitchkhadze – Spear Reporter | Devyn Valuch before a routine on Feb. 4 in a meet with Air Force. (Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear)
San Jose State gymnastics hosted an Intrasquad meet on Sunday afternoon at the Spartan Complex.
The meet featured the gymnasts divided up into blue and yellow teams where they showcased their talents and flipped through the air for audiences.
SJSU head coach Joanne Bowers said that the meet was a chance for newcomers to get used to how gymnastics is like in college.
“We have a lot of young ones that are trying to learn how to compete when they’re nervous and when the team needs them and that’s why today was a big step,” Bowers said.
She was overall proud of the gymnasts putting on a show, especially with the freshmen.
“It was really nice to see the freshman class step up today,” Bowers said. “Then I saw some sophomores and juniors too that were adding events and starting to be more consistent under pressure.”
Sophomore and all-around competitor Devyn Valuch said that the meet felt like it was a regular practice for her and a way to feel less nervous performing for a crowd.
Valuch thinks it was also about building up confidence going forward and helping her reach her goals.
“This upcoming season would be to compete all around and stay consistent and just kind of do my own thing, like know what I need to do and just be there for myself,” Valuch said.
She overall believes that the meet set the team in the right direction to gear up for competition and is hoping for a fantastic season entering her second year.
Freshman Ava Johnson, who competes at all-round, is excited for the team aspect in college, viewing it as way to hold on to each other and depend on each other.
Johnson is thrilled to be part of the team and appreciates the support she has received from her teammates.
While being one of the youngest gymnasts on the team, Johnson said she is planning to utilize opportunities from her teammates to watch and learn how to become a better leader.
She strives to use her first year to learn from others to help her grow as a stronger gymnast.
Fifth year gymnast Jaudai Lopes who competes at the all-around event, is hoping to enjoy every second of her last season at SJSU to the fullest.
“It’s my last year with my best friends, so I just want to go out and have fun and just do the best that I can, and I worked hard all summer for this,” Lopes said.
Lopes has achieved several accomplishments with the Spartans including being named MW Specialist of the Year, earning honors on First Team on Vault & All-Around and Second Team on Floor.
During her time at San Jose, Lopes says she’s seen not only an improvement on her gymnastics but also a boost of confidence from when she first started.
With a mix of veterans and newcomers, the team and staff believe there is loads of talent on the roster and are hungry to compete at a high level.
“We need to try to keep them healthy, because obviously, when you lose people to injuries and especially if you lose key people to injuries,” Bowers said. “It can hurt your team in terms of when the season starts, like the depth that you have in and then the quality of the routines.”
The Spartans have a long wait until the season opener against Sacramento State at 2 p.m. on Jan. 12 in Sacramento.
