The Florida gymnastics team has no shortage of skill.
From players to coaches, each member contributes in practice or during meets.
What makes this group special, though, is its sense of camaraderie. It’s a tightly knit bunch, supporting each other and pushing each other to improve on a daily basis.
"I always tell our team we’re only as good as our weakest link," coach Jenny Rowland said. "And I think that everybody has embraced that challenge and everybody is pushing to get a little bit better every day."
That chemistry enables their talent to exceed the sum of its parts. It’s what makes them elite.
It’s also responsible for some hardware.
Last week, UF coaches and gymnasts brought home 20 individual accolades, split between 14 NACGC Regular-Season All-America selections, four All-Southeastern Conference Team picks, an All-SEC Freshman Team selection and an Co-SEC Coach of the Year award.
Divided among six gymnasts, the former 19 are as much a byproduct of teamwork as they are a testament to skill. And nobody embodies that truth quite like senior Bridget Sloan.
The only collegiate gymnast to be named an All-American in each of the five event classifications, the 2016 AAI Award finalist sets the standard on the practice mat, training for her teammates as much as she trains for herself.
"Her work ethic is second to none," Rowland said. "Her determination, her mentality … she’ll do everything that she can possibly inside the gym and outside of the gym to help her be successful, and she’s made it a point that she does not want to look back at the end of this season and go ‘Gosh, what if? I should’ve, I could’ve, if I would’ve done this...’ She’s on point and on top of all of her daily routines inside and outside the gym."
It’s a standard that permeates the rest of the roster — fueled by a sense of accountability — and is directly correlated to game-day results.
However, it isn’t unique to the athletes.
Named Co-SEC Coach of the Year on Thursday, Rowland recognized the support network that buoyed her in her inaugural season at the helm of the Florida gymnastics program.
"I can’t say that I won this award alone without the support of my staff," Rowland said Monday. "Without the support of the support staff, without the support of the team we would not have gotten (to) where we are today.
"I’m very truly thankful and honored for everybody that I work with, and also very honored that the coaches in the SEC thought that I was deserving of this award as well."
It’s this team-first mentality that’s pushed Florida to the cusp of another national title.
And, should the team secure its fourth title in as many years come April 15, it’ll know exactly what’s responsible.
"As a whole, as a team, it’s their goal to be the best that they can, and they show that in the gym," Rowland said.
"They show that outside of the gym to the coaching staff, to each other, to themselves, and really have just embraced this year to do the best that they can do."
Contact Alejandro Lopez at alopez@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ajlb95.
Bridget Sloan performs her floor routine during Florida's loss to LSU on Feb. 26, 2016, in the O'Connell Center.
