It has been 21 days since my team changed history. My last blog was written just hours before the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawk Gymnastics team won it's first ever National Championship. I have waited three weeks to write this entry... in part because the celebration only ended yesterday... but also, because I have been so overwhelmed with pride, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find the words to do it justice.
In 2008, we qualified for Nationals by placing 2nd at our Regional meet. A significant dent in the wall was established. This was the highest Whitewater had ever placed at the Regional meet, and the first time to ever qualify to the national championship. It was a huge deal for us!
In 2009, we dug a little deeper into that wall qualifying for the second year in a row. Only this time, we made a huge statement. Whitewater came away with a third place trophy that year, as well as the National Coach of the year. Everyone knew it... we were well on our way.
2010, brought a monumental accomplishment. The Warhawks won their first ever conference and regional championship. The wall was coming down around us. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment on that day. Again, we placed third at Nationals.
We took another step forward in 2011, as we captured another conference championship. This time, inching closer to the ultimate goal. We placed second at the National Championship. This was my first year in a new role. I had always been a gymnast, a teammate and a friend. Now, I was a coach. It was a strange sense of pride... one I had not felt before, but incredibly satisfying. The little team that could... was proving in fact, that they would.
This year things went a little different. For the first time in 5 years, we weren't sure if we had what it took to go all the way. We struggled a lot during the season, with injuries and illness. So much so, that we were unable to capture our third regional title. We fell to second at that meet, and an unspoken disappointment was clearly evident among the team and the coaches. Though the coaches were incredibly proud of what the team had accomplished... it was a small let down after the previous two victories.
The next three weeks were spent completely reinventing the way we coach, and the way we ran practice. It was obvious there was some concern about what we were doing, and to be completely honest, I had my own reservations. Not for long, though. After the first few days I started to see the changes in the girls. Their attitudes were different, the way they practiced was different. It was as if every turn they were taking, they were imagining competing on the national stage. BINGO. That is exactly what we were hoping for. I never doubted these girls for a second, but I was completely baffled by what some of them were capable of. In one entire week of practice, two of the girls only fell of the beam once.
Going to nationals, I felt an incredible calm. As I stood listening to the national anthem, praying for guidance, support and confidence for my girls, I could feel the magic that was about to happen. I was right. From the very first routine, they proved that NO WALL was too high for UW-Whitewater. No one was going to put limits on what they were able to do. One after another, they continued to soar through their routines, adding to the electricity that could be felt throughout the entire arena. Sure, there were mistakes, but it was the way they rallied each time... never letting down, never placing blame, only encouragement in its purest form. There was no way we couldn't win.
By the time we made it to our final rotation it was a matter of 0.15 that separated first and second place. We had to be as perfect as possible on vault... and that had not even come close to happening for us this year. It was like someone said to them... Fly... just fly. Because that's exactly what they did. Each girl got up and did THE BEST they had done all year. Have you ever heard of peaking at the right time?? Meet the UW-Whitewater vaulters. The crowd was on fire... literally. Our fans were "starting the fire" before each vaulter started her sprint down the runway. Everyone else in the arena knew just how close it was... and every person was sitting on the edge of their seats, watching, waiting.
As soon as the last vaulter landed, the crowd went nuts. The team was so fired up, they probably could have competed all over again. After we finished our post-vault huddle I stepped out into the hallway and burst into tears. Happy tears. Tears that had been waiting 7 years to fall. I felt so incredibly blessed in that moment... and I had no idea we had won. In my heart... I knew that no matter what, I could not have been more proud to be a part of this program. In my head... I was trying to calculate whether on not we pulled it off. 
We did. We actually tied. And that felt just as good. Watching the girls hear their names called for first place is something I will never forget. EVER. We returned to Whitewater with a Team National Championship, an individual National Championship, 11 All- Americans and 3 Academic All- Americans. Whitewater was proud, and we were proud to be a part of an athletic department that is full of champions. This year, we brought home the 5th National title to UWW, joining Football, Men's Basketball and Men's and Women's Wheelchair basketball. Yesterday, the Whitewater Fire Department took our team for a memorable ride through town on top of the town fire truck. Sirens blazing, the whole town stopped to wave at the newest national champions. It was amazing. A few years back I fell in love with a song that I felt defined the journey ahead of us. Three weeks ago, the sound of it brought me to tears. It is so true to any athlete working year after year towards a goal. Perseverance and dedication trumps all... regardless of the outcome, because, "in the end, the journey is the destination."
Taylor Swift, "Change"
And it's a sad picture, the final blow hits you
Somebody else gets what you wanted again
You know it's all the same, another time and place
Repeating history and you're getting sick of it
But I believe in whatever you do
And I'll do anything to see it through
Because these things will change, can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win
We'll sing hallelujah!
We'll sing hallelujah! Oh
So we've been outnumbered, raided and now cornered
It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair
We're getting stronger now from things they never found
They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared
You can walk away and say we don't need this
But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this
'Cause these things will change, can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win
We'll sing hallelujah!
We'll sing hallelujah! Oh
Tonight we standed on our knees
To fight for what we worked for all these years
And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives
Will we stand up champions tonight?
It was the night things changed, can you see it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down
It's a revolution, throw your hands up, 'cause we never gave in
We'll sing hallelujah!
We sang hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Love True,
Allison
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