CYber CYd with Jay Ronayne

Head coach Jay Ronayne is back for this week's CYber CYd for the gymnastics team. Ronayne has a message to the fans after the roaring success Beauty and the Beast proved to be this past Friday. Ronayne also talks about this Friday's home meet against Oklahoma and much more. Check back next week when sophomore Jacquelyn Holmes writes for CYber CYd.

CYber CYd with Jay Ronayne

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Cyclone fans out there for making our last home event a huge success. For those of you who weren't there, this is what you missed.

Beauty and the Beast was a simultaneous gymnastics and wrestling meet featuring ISU vs. Minnesota at Hilton Coliseum. There was some serious Hilton Magic in the air that helped spur the wrestlers and gymnasts on to their respective wins. There was something there for every sports fan. We had high-level Division I gymnastics and wrestling at its best. The competition was fierce and the atmosphere was electric.

It was quite an awesome sight to have over 7,200 Cyclone sports fans in Hilton cheering their beloved teams on to victory. The big, enthusiastic crowd played a major role in helping my team recover from a couple of mistakes on balance beam and sealing the win with some solid floor routines. I don't think we could have done so well without you. Thank you Cyclone fans, you are the best.

If you saw the Beauty and the Beast meet, I hope you were impressed and would like to get some more gymnastics in your life. We have an important conference matchup this week. This Friday night is the perfect opportunity for you to come back to Hilton Coliseum and see the No. 22 Cyclone gymnasts take on the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners.

This is an important meet for us as we prepare for the Big 12 Championship. Iowa State will host the Big 12 Championship this year at Hilton Coliseum on March 21 at 2 p.m. (yes, this is a shameless plug...so order your tickets today). Last year Iowa State was the runner-up to Oklahoma at the Big 12 Championship by a mere tenth of a point. In a sport that can be won or lost by tenths or hundredths of a point, it can get pretty exciting.

If you haven't been to a gymnastics meet in a few years you may be pleased to know that Hilton's video scoreboards have allowed us the opportunity to follow individual's scores as well as the team's scores in real time. As soon as the judges' scores are entered into the scoring system, the scores are posted on the video boards. Gone are the days of waiting 20 minutes after the gymnastics meet to find out the score. It is much, much more fan friendly than you may remember. So pack up the kids, get them in the car and take them out to see a very entertaining sports event this Friday. I'll be listening for your loud cheers for your favorite team.

GO CYCLONES!