Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/623950
121 A er a third-place finish at the Cancun Classic to open the 2016 season, the University of Iowa women's gymnastics team is ready to focus on the biggest part of its sport — the opponent. "We have read several different books about mentality in sport," said UI head coach Larissa Libby. "e main thing we are trying to focus on is acknowledging your opponents' contribution to your success. We are looking at what we learned from our opponents. "e main part of any sport is the opponent, regardless of whether you want to acknowledge that they are there or not. You learn something from them every time, in loss and in success. We need to figure out what we learned from our opponents this time out. at we didn't do or that they did that made them better or made us worse." With 15 different opponents over the course of the season, the GymHawks have the opportunity to learn something new each week. "I am interested to see how this task plays out throughout the year because it is something we have not done before," said Libby. "You try to not put a lot of emphasis on your opponents. It doesn't matter who is in the arena. You need to focus and do your job. But there is something to be learned from a great competitor. "If it is only what they make you feel about yourself, that is still something learned. I am interested to see what is learned because it is an exercise we are going to bring throughout the season. Hopefully this will make them better, stronger and more worthy opponents for those who believe otherwise." While there is a lot to learn from their competitors, the GymHawks haven't ignored the lessons they learned themselves during their first time out. "It was definitely difficult," said Libby. "I didn't anticipate having six falls because they were well prepared. You beat yourself up thinking about all the things that went wrong. We fell and that is something we have to fix. I think they are in a good place. I'm glad to have that one under our belt and to be able to get out and compete early. It is much easier to figure out what stresses the team when you are away." e Cancun Classic helped Iowa focus on the areas that need more attention. "ey didn't hold to their details," said Libby. "Details are the things we practice day in and day out. Once they made a mistake, all those things fell by the wayside. Mistakes are going to happen, but how you deal with those mistakes is what decides your success and it was ultimately the reason we were not successful." With goals set and areas of weakness identified, the GymHawks take their first steps down the road to success. "It is not where you start," said Libby. "It is where you finish." JANUARY SCHEDULE Jan. 9 Northern Illinois Jan. 15 at Michigan State Jan. 18 Denver Jan. 23 Ohio State Jan. 31 at Maryland