Tumble Talk with Hollie Vise

July 23, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. -- As the OU women's gymnastics squad trains for the 2008 season, Sooner sophomore Hollie Vise will check in periodically with SoonerSports.com to shed light on how the team spends their offseason.

Vise, the 2003 World Champion on bars, leads a hungry OU squad that is eager to build on last season's record-setting performance as the Sooners posted the best finish in school history.

In this installment, Vise takes fans back to OU's eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and what the Sooners have been doing since the spring.

Coach Kindler came to me with the idea to start this column because we feel like it's a good idea to keep our friends, family, and fans informed about what's going on with the OU gymnastics team in and out of the gym. So keep visiting SoonerSports.com as I will be writing a blog to keep everyone up to date on what's going on with the team.

My first year as a college student and athlete was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was everything I had hoped for and more.

Last season the OU women's gymnastics team had its best finish in history, placing eighth at NCAA's. This was an exciting moment for the team and we can thank our new coaching staff -- KJ Kindler, Lou Ball, and Tom Haley -- for much of our success last season. I also give credit to our entire team for their continuous hard work and dedication throughout the year. Having such a great season only motivates us to do even better this year.

After NCAA's, we took about a week off and since then have been in the gym for voluntary workouts. Everyone has been working hard this summer to upgrade and clean up routines for next season. Most of the team stayed in Norman for the majority of the summer to take classes and train, with the exception of a few who went home.

Starting with the seniors, Stephanie LoPiccolo traveled back to Australia for the summer as it's the only time during the year that she is able to see her family. She is staying busy in the gym playing with some new bar skills that we look forward to seeing when she returns.

Jessica Kinder has been training hard in Missouri where she is spending the summer with her family, while Connecticut native Caitlin Hinkis has been in Norman the majority of the summer taking classes and working out.

Finally, Kiara Redmond, better known as Kiwi, has been all over the place this summer. She was in Norman for June training and taking summer school before traveling back home to California in July where she enjoys the beach and surfing. Kiwi is also staying busy planning her wedding. She recently got hair extensions, so if you see her she may look a little different than you may have remembered. Her hair is now very long and blonde. Wow, there is always a lot to say about that girl!

As for the juniors, Haley DeProspero has been training very hard all summer and is also enrolled in classes. She has a new release in the works for bars and will hopefully debut it this season. She also just celebrated her two year anniversary with OU men's gymnast Jonathan Horton.

Ashley Jackson has been on campus focusing on a couple of difficult classes and still managing to find time to train. Gina Lesko also stayed in Norman the whole summer training and taking classes with the exception of a few quick trips home to Texas to see the fam.

The sophomores all recently moved out of the dorms which was a very exciting process for all of us and we are enjoying our new homes. Jackie Flanery is taking classes and training but still manages to make it back home to Kansas City, Mo., frequently, as well as enjoying many trips to the lake. She has a whole new bar routine in store for this year so watch out!

Mary Mantle has spent some of her summer here in Norman taking classes but also found time to travel back home to Colorado where she really enjoys wakeboarding.

Kristin Smith is looking great in the gym and still managing to do very well in school as well. Her bars have improved a lot over the summer. Smith also bought a new puppy recently named Bella.

As for me, I have been in Norman the whole summer training and taking classes. I have a few new skills that I have added to my beam routine and bars are coming along great as well. I'm excited for the season and think it's going to be even better than last year!

At the start of June, our first freshman, Natalie Ratcliff, arrived on campus where she immediately looked really good in the gym. She headed home for the month of July but we look forward to her coming back at the beginning of August. Just as Natalie was leaving, fellow freshman Melanie Root made it to campus. She has only been here for a few weeks but she looks great in the gym.

The other two freshmen, Taylor Zondervan and Candace Cindell will be here in August. We all look forward to their arrival.

As you can see, so far the summer has been fun and exciting. Our team is very motivated and has been training hard even though workouts are voluntary. I think this shows our team's dedication for bigger and better things in 2008! I also want to thank our coaches for their hard work and dedication to do anything and everything they can for us to make Sooner gymnastics as great as it can be!

Keep on Flippin',

Hollie Vise

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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