10 Questions With Chrystal
Jan 06 | Women's Gymnastics
With the 2010 Rutgers gymnastics season opening this Saturday against New Hampshire at 1:00 p.m. at the Livingston Recreation Center, head coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton sat down to talk about the upcoming campaign in “10 Questions With Chrystal” highlighted below:
What are your general thoughts as you begin the season this weekend?
“We are excited the season is upon us. We have a strong influx of freshmen that we brought in that will make our team young but very talented. It will be a learning process for the freshmen. We are happy to be starting the season at home in our gym as many of the newcomers have already performed in this gym during their club competitions prior to joining our program and are experienced on the regional and national level.
“We also hope for the improving health of our team as we open a new season.”
How do you separate this year’s team from last year’s?
“At the end of last season, we met with each of the gymnasts and each one had the same aspirations. They all wanted to help bring the program to the next level and make the appropriate adjustments to reach new heights of success. They are all motivated and want to be pushed this season to be more successful.”
What are your goals for this year’s team?
“Victories are the biggest way of gauging success in any sport and our goal is to have more wins. We want to have constant improvement in all aspects of our program. USA Nationals is something we will always strive for.”
What will be some key meets for the Scarlet Knights?
“Every meet is equally important as we need to be consistent and challenge ourselves to compete at a high level each time we perform.”
What were some key injuries as you head into the season?
“We have been very fortunate to have had a considerably healthy preseason as we train for the start of competition.”
What gymnasts coming off injuries last season do you expect to have an impact this season?
“We had a lot of injuries to our top gymnasts last season and we have them all back and ready to compete in 2010. Some will be limited but their contributions in any way will help us during competition. Laura [Sevarino], Leigh [Heinbaugh], Prishani [Seebadri], Danae [Johnson] and Sunny [Erica Gerlach] are all coming off injuries and we will look for them to help us this season.”
What newcomers will have an instant impact on the banks?
“We have a strong class of newcomers who we expect to contribute immediately. They come from excellent backgrounds and, while young, can lead us by example. Emma-Rose [Trentacosti], Jenna [Zito], Nicole [Romano] and Jayne [Jeffreys] will be a big part of our meets.”
With many talented gymnasts coming back, who will you look to stand out in the all-around?
Laura [Sevarino] and Nicole [Schwartz] coming back along with Jenna [Zito], Nicole [Romano] will all compete in the all-around for us. Laura did a great job before her injury and Nicole Schwartz did well last year. We will look for everyone to compete at a high level this year.”
What have you seen about this year’s team that stands out as you enter your 24th season as the Scarlet Knights’ mentor?
“Everyone is team-oriented. They all get along so well. The talent level has never been better. We have a full time staff in place which is new for us and it is paying dividends in everything we do.”
What will fans notice new this year when attending a meet?
“We have a brand new scoreboard in place which will enhance the viewing experience for everyone at the meet. It will be better for everyone to follow along with the meet as it goes and cheer on their favorite gymnasts.”
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