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Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclones Welcome Neighbors to the North
01.31.2008 | Gymnastics
AMES, Iowa ? Perhaps the strongest recruiting pipeline the Iowa State gymnastics team claims runs north ? a long way north.The Cyclone roster currently boasts four gymnasts from Canada.
Junior Ashley Kent was the first of the four to join the Cyclones, followed the next year by her teammate from the Calgary Gymnastics Center, Jody McKellar. Also that year, ISU signed Melanie Tham out of Gymnastics Mississauga, a team from outside Toronto.
Tham's signing led ISU head coach Jay Ronayne to freshman Alex Grant, a teammate of Tham.
“It was a logical thing to ask her who was on her team and who she would want on our team,” Ronayne said. “When you have a good experience like they have here at Iowa State, they want to have their friends come here as well.”
As demonstrated by the Cyclones, there is a wealth of talent in Canada that Ronayne said can't be overlooked.
“There is some quality gymnastics up there and the kids are ready to go to school. If we don't recruit them, then someone else is going to get them and they are going to beat me with those kids,” he said. “We can't afford not to recruit them.”
Kent started looking at colleges in the United States after a teammate from her club signed to compete in the NCAA.
“My teammate was the first girl I knew that went to college from my club,” Kent said. “It isn't very popular to come to the States, but I sent my tapes here and they looked at them and contacted me. They came and watched me work out and then I took a visit here and I loved it.”
The team atmosphere was a huge reason all four decided to become Cyclones.
“The whole team got along so well, I've never seen a team get along as well as they did,” McKellar said. “I really liked the campus as well, I thought it was beautiful.”
Kent was a staple on both bars and beam for the Cyclones as a freshman, posting a top score of 9.900 on beam and 9.850 on bars during her first season. Her sophomore season was cut short by a knee injury but she has returned to the beam for her junior year.
There aren't many differences between Canada and Iowa, Kent said, but she has noticed many Americans are lacking in their knowledge of their neighbors to the north.
“I've been asked a lot of questions,” she said. “Do I live in an igloo? Do I take a dogsled to school? Do I have moose in my backyard?”
Tham saw action on the beam and floor as a freshman, setting career highs of 9.800 in both. She has seen action on bars, beam and floor so far this season, leading the Cyclones on floor with a 9.700 against Nebraska.
McKellar was injured in the preseason and redshirted last season. She bars and beam, netting a high of 9.750 on bars.
Grant is being forced to sit out this season after suffering an ankle injury in preseason practice. She will be out for 5 to 6 months.
The four Canadian Cyclones have used their common background to help form a special bond. With travel being expensive, all four stayed in Ames during the Thanksgiving break and had the holiday meal together. They have also introduced their teammates to Canadian holidays and culture, something the rest of the team has embraced.
“Everyone knows about the Canadian holidays and they always wish us happy Thanksgiving on our national holidays,” Grant said. “Everyone knows about it and helps us celebrate.”
Having four gymnasts from Canada also helps expose the rest of the team to another country and culture.
“Because the girls are so close, they travel to each others' houses during breaks,” Ronayne said. “It's an opportunity they wouldn't get otherwise and it opens up a whole other world to them.”
Iowa State has lost its first three meets this year, but the team is confident success is just around the corner.
“It's been a little frustrating to know that we're almost there and that one extra thing is going to get us there,” Tham said. “I know what this team can do and that we're very good. Not to see the results yet is a little frustrating, but I know that good things take time as well.”
Frustration isn't something that a coach usually looks for, but Ronayne said he is encouraged by the way his team is channeling their frustration.
“Frustration can do one of two things; it can drive you into the ground or it can drive you to success,” he said. “It's all about how you use that frustration. It's injuring to your pride when you look at scores that you put up and you know your team is better then that. Those on the outside of the program don't care, they just see a score. They don't care how good you are going to be until you get the job done. I think this team is ready to use their frustration and injured pride to their benefit.”
Iowa State will have this weekend off before playing host to Stanford, Sunday, Feb. 10. The meet is scheduled for a 2 p.m., start time in Hilton Coliseum.
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