1977 | 1978 | 1991 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 21

PrevIew

jonath

an ho

rton jon

athan

hort

on

PrevIewOuTLOOk

2008 OkLAHOMA MeN’S GYMNASTICS GuIDeSOONerSPOrTS.COM

The goals for the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team remain unchanged from year to year: conference championship, NCAA championship. Since Mark Williams took over as head coach in 2000, more often than not those lofty aspirations have been realized. The 2007 squad claimed the program’s eighth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship and came within 0.8 points of a three-peat for the national title. For most programs that would constitute a year to remember. But for a pro-gram that owns four national titles since 2000, the Sooners were left wanting more.

With a talented lineup headlined by the past two NCAA all-around champions in senior co-captains Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons and Jonathan Horton, this year’s Sooner squad is determined to reclaim its position as the preeminent team in collegiate gymnastics.

The OU lineup will be fortified by the return of All-Americans Reed Pitts and Jacob Messina from injuries that derailed their 2007 seasons, while the addi-tion of ultra-talented freshman Steven Legendre should provide added depth to an already formidable roster. Oklahoma returns six gymnasts with 30 career All-America honors between them (including 11 last season) and eight returnees who accounted for an amazing 40 individual event titles in 2007.

uNfINISHeDbuSINeSSAfter narrowly missing a third straight national title, the 2008 Sooners are hungry . . . and good.

22

It will once again be an ambitious schedule for OU in 2008 with only three home meets on the slate. Williams’ team will face its toughest opponents on the road with visits to defending national champion and preseason GymInfo No. 2 Penn State and another fierce rival, No. 4 Ohio State. Oklahoma will also once again match up with several of the nation’s top 10 teams at the Pacific Coast Classic, the nation’s premier collegiate invitational. The race for the MPSF Championship will be intense, as the conference boasts four teams (Stanford, OU, Cal and Nebraska) in the coaches’ pre-season poll. The entire schedule will build towards the championship season in April. Williams will try to develop consistent depth throughout the year while making sure his superstars are rested and primed for the stretch run. With both Horton and Abdullah-Simmons entertaining Olympic aspirations for ‘08, health and fresh legs will be of paramount importance for reaching both team and individual goals. As two of the most accomplished gymnasts in OU’s storied history, the senior co-captains will have the added motivation of wanting to go out on top with a third NCAA team title during their time in Norman. Only twice in program history has a senior class been a part of three national championship teams (2005 and 2006).

fLOOr exerCISe Final 2007 Event Rank: 1Average Score: 37.870

Top Returning Scores: 9.800 Horton 9.650 Brooks, Czeschin

1977 | 1978 | 1991 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

OU boasts four gymnast with All-America credentials on floor in Russell Cz-eschin, Reed Pitts, Jacob Messina and two-time defending NCAA champion Jonathan Horton. Freshman Steven Legendre, perhaps the team’s most explosive athlete on floor, will have an big impact. Walk-on Bobby Shortle could also add depth on the event.

POMMeL HOrSe Final 2007 Event Rank: 6Average Score: 33.700

Top Returning Scores: 9.000 Laughton 8.800 Horton

The Sooners will look for senior leadership on pommel horse from Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons who are both capable of consistent scores. Jason Laughton, the team’s top scorer in 2007, returns, and Williams will look for contributions from sophomores Corey English and Ian Jackson. Messina’s return from injury could be a potentially huge boost for the horse lineup.

STILL rINGS Final 2007 Event Rank: 6Average Score: 37.350

Top Returning Scores: 9.850 Horton 9.700 Abdullah-Simmons

Horton and Abdullah-Simmons are among the best in the nation on the still rings and will be counted upon heavily on the event this season. The Sooners boast a number of gymnasts capable of big scores on rings includ-ing Jackson, Laughton, Messina and Kyle McNamara. Oklahoma has had multiple gymnasts earn All-America honors on rings every year since 2000. Horton was the 2006 NCAA champion on the event and came just 0.075 points from claiming consecutive titles in 2007.

vAuLT Final 2007 Event Rank: 1Average Score: 35.740

Top Returning Scores: 9.300 Horton 9.200 Czeschin

Abdullah-Simmons and Horton will also anchor the OU vault lineup as both earned All-America distinction on the event last season. Czeschin will be counted on as a consistent presence, while Jackson and Chris Brooks will also be valuable assets. Legendre and Garrett Carr have the ability to per-form explosive vaults and could put up some big scores in 2008.

PArALLeL bArS Final 2007 Event Rank: 5Average Score: 36.210

Top Returning Scores: 9.650 Horton 9.600 Abdullah-Simmons

A consistently solid event for the Sooners, the leadership of Horton and Abdullah-Simmons will once again be paramount on p-bars, one of the strongest events for both gymnasts. Williams will look for a lineup that best complements his senior co-captains. Carr, McNamara, Brooks, Laughton, Jackson and English could all see action on the event. Legendre might also crack the p-bars lineup late in the season as the team builds towards the championship stretch.

OU has the reigning national champion (Horton), as well as 2007 high bar All-Americans Abdullah-Simmons and Brooks. Williams has a number of options on how to fill the h-bar lineup, including Laughton, Carr, McNamara, Jackson, Legendre and Messina. With several gymnasts capable of high value skills, the event could be key to help separate the Sooners from their competition throughout the season.

HIGH bAr Final 2007 Event Rank: 1Average Score: 37.870

Top Returning Scores: 9.800 Horton 9.500 Brooks, McNamara, Abdullah-Simmons

eveNT breAkDOwNPrevIew

23

uNfINISHeDbuSINeSS

bY eveNT

Name Yr. Ht. Hometown(HighSchool)(Club) PronunciationTaqiy Abdullah-Simmons Sr. 5-7 Philadelphia, Pa. (Home Schooled) (Houston Gymnastics Academy) TAH-key ab-DOOL-uhChris Brooks Jr. 5-8 Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS) (Houston North Gymnastics) Garrett Carr Jr. 5-11 Mandeville, La. (Fountainbleau HS) (Aces) Russell Czeschin Jr. 6-3 Independence, Mo. (Fort Osage HS) (Great American Gymnastics Express) shuh-SHEEN Corey English So. 5-7 Covington, La. (St. Paul’s HS) (Mandeville Sports Complex) C.J. Grimes Fr. 5-5 Ulysses, Kan. (Ulysses HS) (Littlestar Gymnastics) Jonathan Horton Sr. 5-1 Houston, Texas (Cy-Fair HS) (Cypress Academy) Ian Jackson So. 5-6 Harrisburg, Pa. (Central Dauphin HS) (Artistic Sports Academy Plus) Jason Laughton Jr. 5-6 Northridge, Calif. (Sunland Christian School) (SCATS Gymnastics) lawtonSteven Legendre Fr. 5-6 Port Jefferson, N.Y. (Spring Creek Academy) (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) la-ZHAHN-druh Kyle McNamara Jr. 5-7 Littleton, Colo. (Heritage HS) (5280 Gymnastics) MAC-nuh-mare-uhJacob Messina Jr. 5-6 Matthews, N.C. (East Mecklenburg HS) (G&J Speedway) Reed Pitts So. 5-9 Allen, Texas (Allen HS) (Eagle’s Wings Athletics) Bobby Shortle Fr. 5-2 Brunswick, Ohio (Brunswick HS) (Gym World) SHORT-uhlJoseph Weaver Sr. 5-6 Garland, Texas (William J. Palmer HS) (Colorado Training Center) HeadCoach Mark Williams Ninth Season Nebraska, 1980 AssistantCoach Daniel Furney Third Season Oklahoma, 2004 AssistantCoach Rustam Sharipov Third Season Kharkov State, 1997 roos-TOM SHARE-ee-pahv

ALPHAbeTICAL rOSTer AND PrONuNCIATIONS

bY CLASS bY STATe

FloorExerciseRussell CzeschinReed PittsBobby ShortleJoseph Weaver

PommelHorse Garrett Carr Corey English Jason Laughton

StillRings C.J. Grimes Jason Laughton Kyle McNamara Joseph Weaver

Texas(4)Chris BrooksJonathan HortonReed PittsJoseph WeaverLouisiana(2) Garrett CarrCorey EnglishPennsylvania(2)Taqiy Abdullah-SimmonsIan Jackson

California(1)Jason Laughton

Colorado(1)Kyle McNamaraKansas(1)C.J. GrimesMissouri(1)Russell Czeschin

Ohio(1)Bobby ShortleNorthCarolina(1)Jacob Messina NewYork(1)Steven Legendre

SeniorsAbdullah-SimmonsHorton Weaver

Juniors Brooks Carr Czeschin Laughton McNamara Messina (RS)

SophomoresEnglish Jackson Pitts (RS)FreshmenGrimes (RS) Legendre Shortle

PrevIewrOSTer

2008 OkLAHOMA MeN’S GYMNASTICS GuIDeSOONerSPOrTS.COM24

Vault Garrett Carr Russell Czeschin Kyle McNamara Reed Pitts

ParallelBars Garrett Carr Corey English Jason Laughton Kyle McNamara

HighBar Garrett Carr Jason Laughton Kyle McNamara

All-AroundTaqiy Abdulah-Simmons Chris Brooks Jonathan Horton Ian Jackson Steven Legendre Jacob Messina

Day Date Opponent Site StartTimeSaturday Jan. 12 Rocky Mountain Open Colorado Springs, Colo. 8 p.m. Sunday Jan. 20 Nebraska & Air Force Lincoln, Neb. 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 26 MICHIGAN NORMAN 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 1 NEBRASKA* NORMAN 7 p.m. Thursday Feb. 7 Winter Cup Las Vegas, Nev. 9 p.m. Saturday Feb. 9 Winter Cup Finals Las Vegas, Nev. 9 p.m. Saturday Feb. 16 Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 Pacific Coast Classic Oakland, Calif. 9 p.m. Saturday March 8 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 6 p.m. Saturday March 15 MINNESOTA NORMAN 7 p.m. Saturday March 22 Penn State State College, Pa. 6 p.m. Saturday April 5 MPSF Championship Lincoln, Neb. 7 p.m. Thursday April 17 NCAA Team Qualifier Stanford, Calif, 3 p.m./10 p.m.Friday April 18 NCAA Team Championships Stanford, Calif. 5 p.m. Saturday April 19 NCAA Event Finals Stanford, Calif. 5 p.m.

All times are Central and subject to change. Home meets are indicated by ALL CAPS and held at the Howard McCasland Field House unless otherwise noted. * Double dual at Lloyd Noble Center

1977 | 1978 | 1991 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

SCHeDuLePrevIew 6TheSoonerstraveltorivalOhioStateanddefendingNCAAchampionPennStatein2008.

SCHeDuLe breAkDOwN

25

Wins for OU at the Pacific Coast Classic in two appearances. The PCC is regarded as one of the country’s top invitational events, drawing a field that includes several of the nation’s top 10 teams. The meet is televised by Fox Sports in the Bay Area.

Teams on OU’s 2008 schedule that advanced to the team finals at the 2007 NCAA Championships (OU was the sixth). The Sooners will face defending national champion Penn State in State College, Pa., and will host Michigan and Minnesota. OU will also face Stanford and Illinois at the Pacific Coast Classic.

3Home meets for the Sooners in 2008. Oklahoma hosts Michigan, one of only two teams to beat OU in the regular season last year, on Jan. 26. OU will also participate in a double dual with the women’s team against Nebraska on Feb. 1 at the Lloyd Noble Center, and hosts 2007 NCAA qualifier Minnesota on March 15.

8MPSF titles in the past nine seasons for OU. Oklahoma has ruled the conference under head coach Mark Williams, winning consecutive crowns from 2000-2003 and 2005-2007. Only the 2004 Sooners did not claim the conference title, finishing in second place.

25

2008 SCHeDuLe

26

PrevIewSPeCTATOr’S GuIDe TO GYMNASTICS

2008 OkLAHOMA MeN’S GYMNASTICS GuIDeSOONerSPOrTS.COM

The old way of judging Men’s Gymnastics was based on the 10.0 system. Every routine that you saw had the highest possible score of a 10.0 if it was performed without any deductions and had the highest possible difficulty allowed. Men’s collegiate gymnastics has recently adopted the FIG (Federation of International Gymnastics) Scoring System of an open-ended Code of Points. Now, when watching USA and college gymnastics, you will see scores like 15.3, 14.8, 13.9 and so on.

Men’s college gymnastics is judged using three components:

First, the gymnast performs his 10 best or hardest skills. These 10 skills each have value parts ranging from A,B,C,D,E,& F. “A” value corresponds to 0.1 points, “B” to 0.2 points, and so on to an “F” that is worth 0.6 points. The gymnast is free to have as much difficulty as he can do in those 10 skills.

Second, of those 10 skills, the gymnast performs five that must be used to fulfill the five special requirements on each event. Every time a requirement is fulfilled the gymnast is awarded 0.5 points. The gymnast receives a maximum of 2.5 points for all five require-ments on each event.

Third, every gymnast is given 10 points for the execution of the event. If the gymnast falls down or breaks form, the judge takes away points from this total. After the routine is finished the judges go through the following process: First, they add up the difficulty of the 10 highest skills (max unlimited). Next, they add up the special requirements (max 2.5). Then they add 10 points for execution and make any neces-sary deductions. This gives them a final score. In the old scoring system, if the gymnast performed a perfect routine it would look like this: 3.5 for difficulty + 2.5 for special requirements + 4.0 for execution with no deductions = 10.0

With the new scoring system this now looks like: 3.5 difficulty + 2.5 for special requirements + 10.0 for execution with no deductions = 16.0 (The difficulty of 3.5 can be more or less depending on the gymnast’s capability).

SpecialNote: Not all events are necessarily equal now. You will tend to see higher scores on vault and rings and lower scores on pommel horse and parallel bars.

Examples: • A good pommel horse score ranges from 14.5-15.3• A good rings score ranges from 15.5-16.3.• A good vault score ranges from 15.8-16.4.

OvervIew Of MeN’S GYMNASTICS juDGING SYSTeM

POMMeL HOrSe

STILL rINGS

vAuLT

PArALLeL bArS

HIGH bAr

fLOOr exerCISe

3GarrettCarr

The floor exercise is an event where the gymnast performs multiple tumbling skills in a row and flips forward, backwards and sideways to achieve three of the special require-ments. The fourth requirement is a non-acrobatic skill like a press handstand or circles on the floor. The fifth requirement is the gymnast’s dismount. Look for double flipping and double twisting skills that grab your attention.

Pommel horse is one of the hardest events in gymnastics, requiring strength, balance and flexibility. The gymnast continuously does circles, flairs or scissors while performing requirements and finishes with a dismount.

Pound per pound, rings is one of the hardest events in any sport. The gymnast performs strength moves like the “Iron Cross” which requires him to hold up to nine times his own body weight. The requirements on rings include holding strength moves, swinging to strength moves, swing skills, kip skills and a dismount.

Vault is the most explosive event in gymnastics. The gymnast has a choice of three styles of vaults that include a handspring, roundoff or roundoff onto the board. Like diving, vaults are given ratings based on their difficulty. The harder the vault, the higher the rating the vault receives.

Parallel bars is one of the most versatile events in gymnastics. The gymnast must perform skills in support, upper arm support, skills from hanging, basket skills where the gymnast loops around the p-bars and must finish with a dismount. Look for unique twists and flips where the gymnasts earn their difficulty points.

High bar is the most exciting event to watch in gymnastics. It requires the gymnast to swing on the bar, then let go of it and catch again. Other requirements include straddle skills, El-grip skills, long hang skills and a dismount. Watch for high flying release moves that remind you of an X-Games style competition.