Just a Minute Is Alabama gymnastics an SEC contender
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00:00 Welcome into Bama Central's Just a Minute.
00:05 I am Blake Beiler joined by Katie Windham.
00:08 And today we're going to be talking a little bit about Alabama gymnastics.
00:12 Katie, Alabama has had a really strong start to the season.
00:15 They've started 5-0-1, started 2-0-1 in SEC play.
00:21 Obviously they beat Missouri at home, tied with Arkansas, and
00:25 then just recently went on the road and won their meet at Florida.
00:29 And obviously wins and losses aren't necessarily everything in gymnastics.
00:33 But from what you've seen from the Crimson Tide this season,
00:36 do you think they are legitimate contenders potentially for an SEC title
00:40 in a league that is obviously very loaded in the sport of gymnastics?
00:46 >> Yeah, I think Alabama definitely is.
00:48 Like you said, wins and losses are kind of a different thing in gymnastics,
00:51 because ultimately at the end of the day, what gets you your seating in the NCAA
00:55 tournament isn't based on wins and losses, but based on your RQS,
01:00 which is your qualifying score.
01:02 But this Alabama team said before the season started that going undefeated was
01:08 one of their goals for the season, and so far they've done that,
01:11 which this past Friday was a huge test at Florida.
01:14 I believe Alabama was the first team of any program to beat Florida in their
01:19 own arena since 2019.
01:21 It was the first time Alabama had won on the road there,
01:23 I believe, since the early 2000s.
01:25 And so that was a big test that they passed if they wanna win the regular
01:29 season title, which is based on win-loss record.
01:33 This Friday at home against Kentucky is a huge meet.
01:36 Really the quality of gymnastics all around the SEC has upped a lot.
01:39 A lot of people know about the famous, there's the ESPN documentary about
01:44 Suzanne and Sarah between Alabama and Georgia,
01:47 which really used to be the top two programs alongside LSU.
01:49 But now these other programs are stepping up.
01:51 Arkansas a couple weeks ago came into Coleman and
01:53 gave Alabama a tough meet.
01:55 Kentucky that's coming in this week, I believe, has ranked third, and
01:59 they had a huge meet this past Friday.
02:01 Really probably the regular season will come down to LSU, but
02:05 then the SEC championship meet is in New Orleans at the end of the regular season.
02:11 And I think Alabama does have a good shot.
02:13 This team has such a good mix, such a good balance of experience and
02:18 depth, cuz you have those super seniors like Luis Ciblanco and
02:21 Kari Dalgad and Nella Burgess.
02:23 And then you have Lily Hudson, who's an upperclassman but
02:28 not one of those super seniors that got the perfect ten at Florida.
02:31 And then you have some freshmen that have come out really strong in the early going.
02:35 So this is a team that has the right composition to do well.
02:39 And they're already scoring so high at the beginning of the regular season that
02:43 gymnastics is all about peaking at the end of the season.
02:46 And I think they still have a lot of scoring potential left.
02:49 But this is a team by the end of the year that will be scoring in the 198 range.
02:53 >> Yeah, this Friday, Alabama has a meet coming up at home
03:00 in Coleman Coliseum against Kentucky.
03:03 Katie will have our coverage for that and
03:07 all of our coverage for gymnastics as the season continues.
03:11 Definitely an exciting season after a really strong start for the Crimson Tide,
03:15 but that's going to do it for today.
03:17 This has been Bama Central's Just a Minute.
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03:23 Welcome in to Bama Central's Just a Minute.
03:26 I am Blake Beiler joined by Katie Windham.
03:29 And today we're going to be talking.
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