Catching Up with Men’s Gymnastics – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 30, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coach Avery, congratulations on last year’s outstanding second-place finish at the NCAA Championship. Your team exceeded a lot of people’s expectations. What do you feel people expect out of Ohio State’s gymnastics team this year? More importantly, what do the coaching staff and athletes expect?
“Thank you. Last year’s second-place finish in the NCAA was quite a surprise to me as well. The team overcame a great deal of obstacles throughout the entire season and did not put it together until the NCAA tournament. The guys really got hot at the right time.
“I sense that people do not know what to expect of us this year. We did lose four very talented seniors in Mike Canales, Tim Elsner, Peter Landry and Doug Stibel. For a gymnastics team, this seems to be a lot to lose and still be successful. However, people do respect that this is The Ohio State University and we have a lot of pride and winning tradition when we go out onto the competition floor. As always, myself, the rest of the coaching staff and the team members expect to win.”
As the 2000 gymnastics season approaches, how are the Buckeyes looking? Last year’s preseason was plagued by injuries, is the team healthier this year?
“So far this year the preseason edition of the Buckeyes looks great. Yes, last year’s team was plagued with injuries and that was just one of the things the squad had to overcome to be successful. Sometimes you don’t know what life will bring you and you must be stronger than your adversity to move forward. This year is no different in that we don’t know what lies before us but we do know that we will work hard to be successful, no matter what. I’ve learned that hard work will compensate for a lot of things.”
What will it take to replace last year’s senior class which helped bring home the 1996 NCAA Championship. Are you confident that this year’s young team can uphold Ohio State’s rich gymnastics tradition? Who do you feel will “take the reigns” for the team?
“It will take much more than just great talent to replace those seniors. The thing that class had was an overabundance of leadership. The gymnastics ability will be a little easier to replace than the leadership ability those team members had. I know the team we have now will rise to the challenge of upholding the tradition of OSU gymnastics. What I do not know is who will emerge as the leaders of this team. A great team needs leaders from within, not just the coaches telling the guys what to do. If anything, this young team lacking leadership from within is my one concern for this year’s squad.”
It seems like every year the men’s gymnastics team’s season goals include placing first at the Big Ten Conference Championship and winning the NCAA Championship – is this year any different?
“We are truly blessed here at Ohio State because we have the talent, the work ethic, the heart and the administrative support to realistically have goals such as winning the Big Ten and NCAA titles almost every year. We are one of the teams other squads know they will have to deal with if they are to achieve these same goals. The goals of winning the Big Ten and a NCAA Championship remain our main goals for this season as well.”
After having to sit out last season with a career-threatening wrist injury, what do you expect from All-American Michael Morgan as he returns for his fifth year with the Buckeyes? Do you feel he has new-found motivation after sitting out last year? Will he be able to perform up to his All-American status of two years ago?
“We certainly welcome back Michael from two years ago. Any time that a program loses an All-American, that is a tough hole to fill. So getting back an all-American in our lineup is an awesome plus for the Buckeyes. I feel Michael’s motivation is that he wants to show everyone he can come back from his injury and perform as well as he was able to two seasons ago. I do feel that on some events Michael will be able to perform up to his All-American status of two years ago.”
Ohio State is renowned for its strong coaching staff – how has the addition of Peter Landry, a two-time All-American, helped the Buckeye gymnastics program?
“With Peter added to the staff of Arnold Kvetenadze and myself I feel we again have one of the top coaching staffs in the country. Peter brings his recent history as a Buckeye with him. With his youthful exuberance and tireless work ethic, we are sure to get the job done with Peter helping. One of Peter’s main focuses is recruiting and so far he is doing a great job.”
Year after year Ohio State recruits and signs some of the top prospects in the country, how do you do that year-in and year-out? Will this strong freshmen class be able to deal with the pressures and rise to the occasion?
“Again we are very blessed to be here at Ohio State because the program is set up for success. The top recruits in the country look at this program as one of the elite programs. The top prospects know they can achieve all of their personal goals at OSU. Their goals may be to become a doctor or to become an Olympian or both and at Ohio State they have the chance to be successful at both.
“Many experts regard this particular freshman class as the best in the country. The class includes two-time junior national champion and 1999 Pan American team member Raj Bhavsar from Houston, as well as the No. 2 and No. 7-ranked junior gymnasts in the country in Michael Evans of Houston and Dick Huntwork from Pickerington, Ohio, respectively. Because these gymnasts are champions of the junior ranks and international competitors, I do expect that they will be ready for the rigors of the NCAA season.”
–GO BUCKS!!–
