Exiting to watch! Seems like a packed house. Standing ovations for floor exercises.
Go UTES!
ADDENDUM: I will say though, I always admired the Utah Red Rocks crowd for celebrating and clapping the opposing team after outstanding performances. I was really delighted to see that, both in person and many, many times on TV. Truly, a remarkable, consistent exhibition of real sportsmanship and class.
Tonight, for the first time (I have ever noticed) a bunch of front row Ute spectators pretended to be reading a newspaper while the UCLA team performed. Really?!!!
If only people today actual read newspapers⌠Not only colossal poor taste, but a twofold example of a waste of time: 1. pretending to read a newspaper when your not⌠and meanwhile, 2. missing out on a world-class athlete- right in front if you, in the performance of their life that you paid to see.
Very disappointed with this ignorant and insensitive stunt performance of fans. Someone spent a lot of money to be in those seats. Next time, maybe watch all the performances and celebrate truly elite, world class D-1 athletes; regardless of what team they are on.
The photo shot you worked hard to create makes zero sense and reflects poorly on everyone who loves Utah sports. Next time, maybe read that paper at home.
Glad we missed the idiots part. One of the things we loved watching last night was the respect the athletes on both teams were showing for each other. It was classy. The world could use more of that.
Obviously youâve just recently discovered that Utah has a gymnastics team. So let me provide some context.
1)That section youâre referring to is the MUSS. And there is history behind what theyâre doing.
Now for the history. UCLAâs fans actually started the newspaper thing years ago, while also calling our gymnasts profane names and calling them fat.
The MUSS started reading the newspapers in response.
Utah UCLA is the biggest rivalry Utah has in gymnastics.
Anyone whoâs associated with gymnastics laughed. Itâs part of the rivalry history.
I would also add, if this was any other sport you would likely have never made such comments about the MUSS. Far worse is done in other sports. (One of the things gymnasts love about college is the atmosphere and that itâs not just sterile)
Iâve given it time, and respect the fact you are a long time, and well respected poster.
I donât mind college studentsâ engagement in college sophmoric antics so much, but, if the whole justification is because âsomeoneâ - long past, displayed poor sportsmanship and maligned one of our athletes - quite a long time ago⌠before todayâs MUSS students were actually students? For that particular reason? Then, I still donât see any reason why as a fan base, we wouldnât participate and watch in the competition in front of us. Without the theater antics.
Cheer everyone; regardless of team, for their exemplary performance, while disengaging from malicious and unnecessary tribalism.
Treating guest teams or fans with diregard or disrespect, simply because they are on the âother teamâ is confusing to me:(Especially in gymnastics) .
After all, anyone of âthemâ might have been recruited as Red Rocks, and visa versaâŚUnlike some other Utah sports, we are in rareified air in gymnastics. Perhaps we should act like we own it. The Huntsman is our space, and we beat them in a well deserved match of equals. Brava to all!
Perhaps Iâm out of place. However, Iâve been involved with the U for over 20+ years. We might reflect on what that image conveys to people with far less appreciation of our history or intent of the stunt. Because in the long run, the athletes decide the matches. They are the heroes we should celebrate and appreciate.
I guess it seems like outrage, but I earnestly feel itâs more of an appeal to reason. The point is: to observe gifted athletes perform to the best of their abilities. I couldnât care less for obdurate sycophants to whatever allegiance they may behold. Itâs not âOKâ to support idolized loyalty for Utah athletics by pretending to not care - while in fact, one may care maybe too much. A fan is physically âthereâ but pretending not to be âthereâ to make an obscure and years old point?
They love Utah athletics so much, they are willing to make theyâre behavior - as a fan - more important than the actual event?. While witnessing athleticism - which virtually none of the fans in the arena are actually capable of performing?
I really donât give a â â â â if the person who poisoned the trees at Auburn felt justification for theyâre perverse devotion to Bama.
I couldnât care less for either team, but I acknowledge - every year - they both recruit and develop arguably better teams than Utah. Still, as a double alumna and admiring of UTE fan culture, I support our athletes and institution.
Max Hall is forever enshrined as a peroneal pariah (or hero, depending on who one roots for)
I regard him as a struggling young man who came to regret his remarks. He played with passion at a level most people would not ever achieve and was a legit nemesis to our seasons progress. I hope he is in a better place and doing well. Leave it.
Leave the newspapers at home and celebrate the beauty of the sport without the invective or need to make a point on media platforms. The athletes donât need it and deserve better support.
This is true. My son took a lot of crap from student sections as an outfielder in baseball. East Carolina brings those big cheerleader megaphones, hang over the fence and yell almost nonstop. At Auburn, I remember they had research not only on him, but on my wife, his sisters, everything. If he made a good play heâd point to the rowdiest fans and really get them worked up. Maybe look at a dude and say âyour girlfriend has been eyeballing me. She wants it. Wink at the girl.â
The back and forth can be fun, although can turn crude depending on level of drunkiness.
Banter with student sections are some of his favorite memories though.
Donât know this newspaper tradition vs UCLA of which you speak, but, sounds innocent enough. I doubt the gymnasts get too worked up about it.
OK,
Sounds like I need to get off my soap box and stand down.
I thought I was being chivalrous, but these women donât
need help and can probably kick my â â â .
Utah ended up fourth of four in the final yesterday afternoon. When McCallum has a fall on beam and you have a not great final rotation on vault, not much else you can say. They were ahead of Missouri all night until that last rotation. It also sucks that UCLA finished ahead of them, as they whupped that team earlier in the year.
Anyway, though a disappointing night, this year marked the fifth year in a row making the final four (no other team has). This program is consistently (more than most) among the best every year. Oklahoma has a nice run going, but where will they be when they lose their coach? Where is Georgia, Florida, those schools have fallen off as they changed coaches. Utah just keeps going on finishing at the top of the finals, over several coaches now, but just having trouble getting over the hump and winning.
And even beat them on Thu in the Natâl semifinal. Kind of surprising that Utah and UCLA beat LSU (who had beat OU during the year). Comes down to a fall, a wobble, a couple steps/hops. Kind of amazing how âonâ they have to be in every time they compete. And to be champs, you have to have almost all 9.9s and get 198 pts (or more!).
Itâs been 30 years since the last gymnastics championship. Yet 49 straight years to Nationals. Losing some good seniors, but Neff and others along with 4 new recruits will keep them strong. A lot of teams are losing their clutch seniors as well (Bowers for OU, Chiles for UCLA, etc.). LSU underperformed, UF (3 seed) underperformed. But a lot of covid and 5th year seniors were done last year or are done this year, so itâs kind of a swing on who can coach up some younger gymnasts.
I think the Utah culture is improved for the better and there is really high talent - it might come down to who shows consistency day in day out and injuries. There is almost too much talent to get routines - they might have to choose which 2-3 get All-Around and there might be 2-3 others that do 3 events then a few specialists.
I only follow the Utesâ path. Say more. I know LSU beat OU (legit when they hit) during the season, so those were shared judges. But in other meets, were the scores somewhat inflated? I mean, getting #1 and #3 seeds means they had high scores throughout the season, but I could see how regional judges overlook some mistakes and those scores are higher than what they are actually capable of achieving when the best judges are scoring all teams at the same meet (e.g. Nationals).
Rankings take into account only about 1/2 of your meets.
NQS needs your 6 highest scores with 3 needing to be âawayâ meets.
The highest of those 6 is tossed and the other 5 are averaged.
But scoring is not consistent around the country.
While schools donât pick their judges, they tend to be the same judges for a geographical region over and over.
Look at LSUâs schedule and youâll see they never competed outside of the SEC (The sprouts farmers market meet was at OU, and their only non conference meets were both at LSU.
Florida had a very similar season, with one meet at West Virginia.
Florida narrowly beat Utah there, but Utah was also without Avery Neff.
For a good comparison, LSU had the highest NQS, yet was almost .2 behind Oklahoma in average score.
Judging issues are still the biggest problem in gymnastics.
