Temple University Athletics
Temple Men's Gymnastics Team Hosts Annual Pre-Season Intra-Squad
12.3.07 | Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 3, 2007
PHILADELPHIA- After a stellar 2007 season, last years ECAC championship Temple Owls men's gymnastics team looks to once again make a run for the conference title. The 26 man squad hosted their intra-squad on the evening of December 1st, and showed 32nd year head coach Fred Turoff and second year assistant coach Theo Maes their readiness for the upcoming season. While there is still some work to be done, the team looks to be on track to peak at just the right team in the upcoming season.
The following is a re-cap of the evening's highlights from the annual intra-squad competition.
Floor Exercise:
Nicholas Iles (junior) - Tucked Thomas salto; back 212; 112; punch front -full; double-full dismount.
John Jeffries (senior) - Punch front-full immediate rudi; back 2 1/2 -barani; triple-full; punch front double-full dismount.
Jason Russo (junior) - Layout Arabian 134; 212; dismount.
Luke Vexler (senior) - Layout Thomas; whip-tucked Thomas; 212; dismount.
Scott Bloomfield (sophomore) - Front double-full, punch front-full; stuck punch double front; clean 212; dismount.
Tyler Croteau (sophomore) - Stuck Arabian double front; front layout-front double-full; 212; dismount.
Alex Gorski (senior) - Stuck piked Arabian double front; tucked Thomas; whip- 2 ½; tucked double Arabian dismount (landed short and had to sit down). Very difficult routine.
Pommel Horse:
Jeffries- Full-Kehre
John Vogtman (junior) - Very clean set throughout, but appeared a little gassed by the end.
Andy Corp (senior) - Excellent swing with a high level of difficulty. Arm buckled a bit on dismount.
Russo - Suffered one fall, but really pushed through to the end. Nice difficulty as well.
Vexler - Lots of nice combinations, one fall.
Still Rings:
Sterling Kramer (senior) - Iron-cross; piked Yamawaki-tucked Yamawaki-whippet-cross; stuck full-twisting double tuck.
Russo - Maltese; uprise-planche; piked and tucked Yamawaki; full-twisting double tuck (one step).
Vexler - Kip-maltese; planche; cross; piked Yamawaki; 112; twisting double tuck (came up short and sat down).
Jeff Zack (freshman) - Layout Yamawaki; cross; piked and tucked Yamawaki; double pike dismount.
Vault:
Chris Bizub (sophomore) - Kasamatsu-full.
Bloomfield - Gigantic Kas 112;. Croteau - Picture-perfect full-twisting Yurchenko.
Kramer - Kas-full.
Dan Pizzuta (freshman) - Stuck Kas 12.
Parallel Bars:
Corp - Nice Healy-Healy to layaway; came up a bit short on his new double pike dismount.
Logan Fiery (freshman) - Dynamic and precise swing. Back toss-Diamadov- Stutz combo; stuck double tuck.
Jesse Kitzen-Abelson (sophomore) - Very clean Diamadov-Stutz combination.
Patrick McLaughlin (sophomore) - Tippelt; Stutz with a 14; turn to one bar.
Greg Monaco (senior) - Nice Diamadov-Stutz combo; clean double tuck dismount.
Russo - Stutz with 14; turn to one bar; Morisue.
Vogtman - Stuck double pike dismount.
High Bar:
Bloomfield - Winkler; piked Jaeger; layout double-double dismount.
Kramer - Kolmann; Kovacs; struggled a bit after a Rybalko; full-twisting double layout.
Russo - Kovacs (fall); Def; stalder-Rybalko (little bit off); full-twisting double layout.
Gorski - G2 (just barely missed).
Vexler - Kovacs; Tkatchev; excellent pirouetting work; layout double-double.
All in all, it was a fairly successful day for the Owls gymnastics team. There seems to be a good amount of depth on each event, and coach Turoff should be able to play around with his line-ups a bit throughout the season. The Owls 2008 campaign kicks off January 18, 2008 when the Owls battle conference rival Army at the West Point Open. After one more competition on the road against 2007 NCAA National Champion Penn State, the Owls will host Ohio State and Navy for their first home competition of the season.
The Ohio State-Navy matchup is scheduled for 7:00 pm on Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 at Temple's McGonigle Hall.
