November 15, 2009

Hey Stanford fans!

This week, SWG put an even bigger emphasis on getting stronger with a hard conditioning week and a light gymnastics week. As we worked our bodies to fatigue during this week's conditioning "circuit of life" (originally called the circuit of death, but renamed for a more positive connotation ha), Kristen encouraged us by asking, "Who works harder?" With confidence and sweat dripping down our faces, we could respond that no other team works harder than us. SWG can relate to our Stanford football team and their motto - "We Work". The motto has certainly served them well this week after beating USC 55 to 21! Huge progress was made on the gymnastics side of things, as well. Alyssa performed solid beam sets all week, Allie's new dance choreography looked hot, and the freshmen's improvements have been really inspiring to watch. Yeaa girls!

Fun things happened outside the gym, as well. On Saturday, some of us volunteered for Second Mile, a project in which the community helped renovate Willow Oaks School in Menlo Park. We did painting, landscaping, and a makeover of the administrative and common areas. It was kind of like a local "extreme-home-makeover" in that we turned the school around in just two days! Our team genuinely enjoys going the extra mile to help the community since we've been so blessed to be at a school like Stanford. Sunday was the highlight of the week - we had an intrasquad meet where alumni, friends, and fans in the community came to watch us compete full routines. Special thanks to all of you who could make it! It was such a high-energy experience with loud cheering and hit routines left and right. We started off the intrasquad with this quote in mind,

"Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, the practices, the coaches who pushed you, the injuries, the meets, the long time dedication and the friendships you've made, there is a little girl who fell in love with the sport and never looked back…perform for her." SWG did just that. We didn't simply do gymnastics for our fans - we took the extra step and performed gymnastics for them. Some major highlights were Tenaya West's double layout and Shelley Alexander's full-in on floor. Freshmen Nicole Dayton did a huge vault complete with a stuck landing, and Nicole Pechanec's quality of dance on floor and beam was beautiful to watch…but that's just to name a few, as there were many more! The video will be posted soon so that you can check it out via facebook, youtube, and Mike's podcast.

We outwork others. We outperform others. And I truly believe we have more fun than anyone else. SWG always goes the extra mile : )

Thanks, and please check back next week!

Jenny Peter