The season in review: Stanford

Three weeks into the NCAA season, gymnastics bloggers tipped the Cardinal as the school most likely to surprise in 2011. 

 

It did, but not in the was bloggers expected. Although the men recaptured the NCAA title they lost to Michigan in 2010, the women's non-qualification to the NCAA Championships was the shock of the season.

 

Fortunately, all is not lost at Stanford. The school's combination of all-star academics as well as athletics makes it easier to interest recruits, and recently inked two international stars -- 2009 World beam bronze medalist Ivana Hong and 2008 British Olympian Becky Wing -- to join the team in 2012.

 

Hong and Wing join already-signed U.S. star Samantha Shapiro and former Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup competitor Pauline Hanset. It's just possible that this young, strong power quartet may do for Stanford what Alabama's freshman infusion did for the the Crimson Tide this season.

 

Unfortunately, as coach Kristen Smyth learned this season, bringing in international elite stars does not guarentee that a team will qualify for the NCAA Championships, much less the Super Six. Stanford had a packed lineup this season also -- there was Nicole Pechanec, fresh from the 2010 World Championships, where she represented the Czech Republic, reigning Canadian champion Kristina Vaculik and 2008 Australian Olympian Shona Morgan. 

 

What went wrong is illustrative of the difference between college and elite gymnastics. The recipe for success in the NCAA is to do simpler routines -- even if the gymnast is capable of harder skills -- and stick landings. Like Florida, Stanford has refused to adhere to this formula. A few team members, like Vaculik, still hold elite hopes and may be more focused on doing more difficult elements extremely well rather than easier moves perfectly. 

 

Hard skills are why teams like Stanford and Florida have gained many new fans during the past two years. It's too bad that their extra work is not rewarded by the NCAA code of points. 

 

Fortunately for Stanford, there's always next year. At that time, the team will have the chance to do what no NCAA school has ever done: place in the top three at the NCAA Championships without having qualified a single athlete to the meet in the previous year.

 

Your take: Should the NCAA scoring be changed to an open-ended system, like the elite scoring system?

 

Photo gallery: Gymnastics photographer Greg Long had the opportunity to shoot Stanford on two occassions this year when the team traveled to Michigan for a tri-meet, as well as the NCAA Championships. To see a gallery of Stanford gymnasts from those two meets, please click on the photo of Kristina Vaculik above and to the left, or here.