Corvallis Gazette-Times

Jami Lanz has no idea what it’s like to miss out on the NCAA Championships.

The Pacific-10 Conference’s co-freshman of the year last year, along with Oregon State gymnastics teammate Tasha Smith, was able to compete in the event in her first year with the Beavers.

So were several other first-year Beavers. They had seven freshmen, and all but two are back this season. The Beavers went through the early sessions and then watched as the top teams went after the title in the Super Six.

The lessons were there for the learning.

“I think it really helps,” Lanz said. “We know what it’s like to be there. Just knowing what it’s like to make it, we don’t want to see the other side. We want to make it again and we know what to expect now.”

The Beavers enter the 2007 season without graduated seniors Chrissy Lamun and Angela Morales, though Lamun has joined the coaching staff.

That means Smith, an all-American on vault and the Pac-10 champion on floor and vault, is back along with Lanz.

Also returning are Claire Pierce, Kera Bolen, Courtney Dennison and Yuki Lamb. Freshmen Laura-Ann Chong, Mandi Rodriguez and Whitney Watson are expected to have a big impact.

“I think (the NCAA meet is) going to help us a lot knowing what it was like and having it here was a great way to go into it because it was home and so now it’s going to prepare us for going away,” Smith said. “So it’s easier when you have it at home first and the majority of us did it last year.

“We’ve got four freshmen, but I’m pretty sure most of them were there at nationals, so they had a chance to see it, too, and we’ve already started telling them stories about what to expect and how fast it comes.”

Coach Tanya Chaplin said the Beavers saw first-hand what it takes to make the Super Six and win a national title. They have worked hard during the offseason to implement the attitude and work ethic they saw in the Super Six teams.

“At the NCAA national championship, they really sat and watched warm-ups and the Super Six competition so they could see what are those things that each of these teams bring to the table,” Chaplin said. “How do they warm up? How do they compete, what’s their attitude like from start to finish?

“They really watched all of that. I think that you can gain a lot of experience just from watching some of the other teams.”

The Beavers are starting the season healthy, which is always good for any team. Last year there were an assortment of bumps and bruises.

Lamb missed part of the season and Smith missed some time with an ankle injury that hobbled her for weeks.

Then there was Brooke Barclay, who was lost for the season with a knee injury.

“Like any year, we have to stay healthy and they have to take care of themselves,” Chaplin said. “They’ve had to deal with a lot of adversity over last year and a few of them over the years before, so they know how important that is and what they need to do to take care of themselves.”

The Beavers start the season on Friday with a tough test at Florida. The Gators are among the nation’s elite programs, and competing against a Southeastern Conference team on its home turf should be a good launching pad.

“We’re expecting to be consistent and we’re expecting to be what we’re capable of as a team,” Lanz said. “We’ve done intrasquad after intrasquad in the gym, but once we really go out there and compete in a pressure situation, I think that’s when we’re going to know what we have to do when we come back home.

“So I think that’s a good starting point for us to go down there and compete in a different conference and compete against a really strong team. I think it will really boost us up.”