Beware of the Bears: Ursinus Gymnastics on a Mission

The Ursinus gymnastics team is headed full speed into the 2008 Division III ECAC Championships with top competitor Bree Morrissey, determined to receive a spot to nationals. On March 15, the bears will be aiming for a top 3 finish from these championships at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

The girls have high hopes for what’s next. Kira Oldham-Curtis, a sophomore on the team, says “We’re a crazy group of girls, but we work hard.”

This season has been hectic for the bears as the regular season meets are coming to a close, and the crucial ECAC Championships approach that will include all Division III gymnastics teams on the East Coast; Ursinus, Springfield, Brockport, Wilson, MIT, Ithaca, Cortland, and Rhode Island College.

The highlight of their season so far came at the University of Pennsylvania on February 9. The bears scored their highest for the season, a 187.95, as well as took first place of four teams. A score like this one would secure a place to nationals at the ECAC’s championships.

The Ursinus Gymnastics team has had four of their teammates named ECAC Gymnast of the Week so far this season already. Kira Oldham-Curtis, Olivia Oller, freshman Erin Slaunwhite, and the most recently named was Briana Morrissey, a senior who is highly talented and an asset to the team.

Described by her teammate Olivia Oller, “Bree’s an amazing gymnast who through thick and thin can do whatever she puts her mind to.” Always putting up high scores and impressing the crowd, she’s the Kerri Strug of the team; nothing’s going to stop her and she’ll always pull through rough times. Kerri Strug secured Olympic Gold for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team in 1996 after injuring her ankle on her first vault and miraculously sticking her second one cold. Briana was the National Champion on floor exercise last year, competing with a broken hand. It’ll be exciting to see what Bree can do this season at ECAC’s and the NCGA Championships to finish out her collegiate gymnastics career.

Last year, the team took a disappointing second place finish to the University of Wisconsin oshkosh at the NCGA Championships. They had a great day of competition and new they were close to a win. They fell short just by a tenth of a point and proudly took second. Hoping for a different outcome this year, the bears are working hard to reach a goal.

The Ursinus Gymnastics team has potential to do something great this year and must show it at the ECAC Championships. Only three teams, as well as individual high scorers, will get to travel to Nationals. When asked the potential of the team for the end of the season, Gianna Paone, a sophomore member of the team says, “we were only a tenth out of first place last year and we plan on doing whatever it takes to claim it this year. I think we have a definite shot at it.”

Wearing their team t-shirts, with their phrase of the year on the back stating “every .01 counts,” the bears will strive for their spot to Nationals on March 15.