Watching a team go undefeated through the first half of the season — only to follow it up with three straight losses heading into the final stretch — might make most coaches go crazy.
Not OSU men’s gymnastics coach Miles Avery — he could care less about wins or losses at this point in the season.
Avery has always preached the importance of preparing for the end of the season. That doesn’t mean the last few home meets or the last month of competition — it means the very end of the season.
“The last couple of years we’ve lost about four meets a year, but I’ve preached to these guys all year long, starting in the summer, that are goals are at the end of the year,” Avery said. “It’s not like football, where you’ve got to win them all. It’s more like basketball, where you need to win when the tournament begins.”
The Buckeyes will begin the “tournament” portion of their schedule in two weeks with the Big Ten championships, which will take place in Columbus.
Two weeks after that is the NCAA Championships, hosted by Temple University in Philadelphia, where the Buckeyes will look to improve on their second- place finish last season.
Although the coach is focused solely on those two events, his gymnasts know there is one more matter to take care of before the final competitions begin. OSU hosts Michigan this weekend, and though the rivalry between the two teams is not quite as intense as in some other sports, the Buckeyes want a win for a variety of reasons.
“This weekend is my last home meet, and then it will be my last Big Tens and NCAAs,” said senior Dick Huntwork. “My mentality is that it’s my time to shine. I’m in the gym every day, working hard because I want to do my best in the last few meets of my career here.”
The team would also like to get the sour taste of loss out of its mouth. Although Avery did not start several of his top gymnasts in the most recent loss to Minnesota, some Buckeyes were still upset at the thought of another defeat, especially to a struggling Golden Gopher program.
“Against a team like Minnesota, not to dog on their program, but for us that should be an easy win,” said senior Raj Bhavsar. “For us to come out of there with a loss, to me that’s horrible. It shouldn’t have ended that way.”
If Bhavsar’s comments reflect the thoughts of his teammates, Avery’s theory on the unimportance of winning regular season meets may be tougher for his players to swallow than it may be for most coaches.
“I’m not too happy. I know the other captains aren’t too happy, and I know a couple other guys aren’t too happy about it,” Bhavsar said of this weekend’s performances, when the team lost to Minnesota on Sunday and was outscored by Oklahoma Friday night. “Guys that might be satisfied with this past weekend may need a reality check.”
The chance to get back on the winning track will come soon enough. If the Buckeyes can perform up to their potential, they will be the heavy favorites against Michigan Saturday night at St. John Arena.
“We’re not really worried about the outcome. We have more of a personal attitude — we just want to do well this weekend,” Huntwork said. “It’s our last home meet, it’s senior night and we just want to do a good job for us. Of course, if we do a good job we’re going to win.”
