Southern Utah University’s 2023-24 gymnastics team will perform for the first time at their annual Red and White Preview on Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.
This free event allows spectators to get a taste of what this year’s gymnasts have to offer. They will show off their routines for each event, prepare for the upcoming season and get fans excited for what’s to come. At the end of the preview, fans will have the opportunity to have the athletes sign posters.
A large part of the evening will focus on the floor routines. The gymnasts will teach fans where crowd interaction fits into each routine, which is a critical part of home meets. As each event is showcased, the coaches will explain what makes a good routine and how the scoring system works.
Last year, SUU gymnastics was No. 22 overall in the NCAA. They were also in the NCAA’s top 25 for each of the individual events.
Since then, 10 gymnasts have graduated and the team has gained 12 freshmen, making the Flippin’ Birds a much younger team as they move into the season. However, the team will have 11 returning gymnasts, including Ellie Cacciola, Aubri Schwartze and Kayla Pardue, who each earned All-Conference First-Team honors.
This year will also be the Flippin’ Birds’ first year in a new conference, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which means a whole slew of new teams as competition.
The season will officially begin on Jan. 6, 2024, with the Super-16 Meet in Las Vegas.
Author: Audrey Gee
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
