Jami Lanz has become a star by sticking to her routine

By Kevin Hampton
Gazette-Times reporter

Jami Lanz really didn’t want to go in for surgery on her left ankle last summer.

Sure, the chronic problems she experienced with the ankle were aggravating, but so was spending so much time rehabing and so little actually practicing.

Lanz, a sophomore on the Oregon State gymnastics team, hated the thought of not getting her full offseason work load done.

She is a self-described perfectionist and loves a challenge. Her work ethic has resulted in a big season.

Lanz was named the Pacific-10 Gymnast of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday after scoring a 39.625 against Cal State Fullerton. She scored a 9.925 on beam and floor, a 9.900 on vault and a 9.875 on bars.

She is the No. 10 all-arounder in the national rankings with a 39.400 average and is ranked first in the Pac-10.

“A big part of who Jami is and why she has so much success is just how driven she is and the determination she has,” OSU coach Tanya Chaplin said. “When she sets a goal, she puts everything into it and she goes after that goal. It’s not a surprise to me knowing her work ethic and her determination and her perseverance that she’s having the success that she’s having.”

Lanz has made her mark by being consistent. While other all-arounders might rely on one or two strong events, Lanz stays steady through all four.

She prefers having the same routine with little or no deviations. The only time she goes off track is to deal with an area she feels needs extra work.

“Each week we come in Mondays and we have our set routine for workouts,” she said. “I’m a person that doesn’t like to deal with change, so when there’s a change in our week or a change in our routine of practice, I don’t really like that. I try to keep every day for me as close to a normal routine as possible so when I get to the meets I know exactly what I have to do every meet.”

The season probably wouldn’t have worked out so well if Lanz hadn’t gone in for surgery that day.

Working on getting the ankle back in shape wasn’t her favorite way to spend a day, but she made it through and was ready for the season.

“Now I’m really glad,” Lanz said. “The process that I went through has made me be able to compete every meet this season. If I didn’t have surgery, I don’t think I would be able to be walking right now.”

It allowed Lanz to compete as an all-arounder at the start of the season while teammate Tasha Smith was out with an injury.

Lanz held down the fort along with freshman Mandi Rodriguez and when Smith came back, it gave the Beavers three strong all-arounders in the lineup.

“We know have three all-arounders that push each other constantly and it makes each one of them that much better,” Chaplin said. “All three all-arounders last week scored above a 39.450 and we would have been happy a few years ago with one all-arounder scoring a 39.450.”

Lanz said Smith and Rodriguez are great competitors and they work together to become better.

“I think with us three, our little triangle, we keep competing against each other and that’s what makes every one of us better,” Lanz said. “Without their individual scores, we wouldn’t be here. They are amazing gymnasts.”

The daily competition with Smith and Rodriguez combined with Lanz’s own talent and drive has made her into a top all-arounder.

But don’t mention rankings to her. Lanz only pays attention to how the Beavers are faring each week. Individual rankings only make her nervous.

“I don’t want any emotions, I just want to come in and do my job and get it done,” she said.