South we go. If tradition and the form of the first meet holds true, it promises to be another successful season for the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team. After their best-ever opening night, the Falcons (0-1) hit the road to northern California for their first road tests in a pair of back-to-back dual meets. Seattle Pacific visits Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponents UC Davis (1-0) Thursday night (Jan. 22) and a rematch with Sacramento State (2-4) Friday (Jan. 23). SPU returns to Brougham Pavilion for a two-meet homestand, beginning Jan. 30 against San Jose State.

Record opener. Coach Laurel Tindall, now in her 29th year and coming off a national USAG coach of the year award, has her gang flying high after posting a score of 190.850 against Sacramento State. Although the score was not enough to defeat the visiting Hornets (192.650), it obliterated (by 0.525) SPU’s previous opening night record, established in 2002 (190.325). It was also more than three full points better than the ‘03 debut of 187.350. Head to head, Seattle Pacific finished behind the Hornets on the first three events but won floor exercise easily, 48.200 to 47.300. The Falcons have finished among the top four Division II teams each of the last 20 years.

Heckuva debut. In the offseason, Tindall recruited several athletes that could potentially compete all-around and her work paid immediate dividends. Debra Huss (Fr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista) made quite a splash in her collegiate debut, winning floor exercise with a performance good enough to land her on the school’s top ten performance list. Her all-around score nearly made the record books as well. Huss’ 9.900 floor performance was good enough to tie for third on the school’s all-time charts and her 38.625 was just a quarter-point away from tenth best. Huss also finished in a three-way tie with Sac State’s Binta Coleman and Trista Condren for third on beam (9.725). Incidentally, the 9.900 floor exercise mark tied Huss with two-time All-America all-arounder Corrie McDaniel (Jr., Lawrence, Ks./Lawrence), who has flirted with the school record on floor on several occasions. McDaniel had an uncharacteristically rough opener, but managed to finish second in the all-around competition with 36.650, despite several falls.

Strong starts. The Falcons were well represented on the awards podium in the Sac State dual. All-America vaulter Kari Kelly (Jr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) launched a 9.675 second place performance during the opening rotation and proved she was a force to be reckoned with on the floor mats as well, dancing her way to a third-place 9.775. Teammate Melissa Stanton (Sr., Rapid City, SD/Central-Hamline) swung a second-place tie on the uneven bars with the Hornets’ Meloney Greer with 9.775.

Deep lineups. Tindall described the Falcons’ floor and beam lineups at season’s outset as very deep and although the team’s beam performance was littered with individual falls, Seattle Pacific took four of the top six spots on floor. Kristin Bryant (Fr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) flipped her way to fourth place on the floor mats with 9.700. Senior co-captain Annastasia Ahr (Sr., San Antonio, Tx.) was sixth with 9.600. Ahr negotiated beam for a seventh-place 9.625 and Stanton earned sixth with 9.675 to round out the Falcons’ top performances on a shaky rotation.

Gym shorts. Debbie Halle Jackson, the program’s first national champion and a seven-time All-America, will be inducted into the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame Friday. Halle Jackson was teammate of Tindall’s (then Anderson) when SPU took fifth at the AIAW (all division) national meet in 1974. Upon graduating in 1977, Halle Jackson owned all five major school records in individual events. Presenting her will be former teammate Jill Johnson Welker. Also being inducted are Ken Covell (soccer, 1971-74), Roy Duncan (track & field, 1955-58), Bob Thompson (tennis, 1966-69) and basketball coaching great and athletic director Les Habegger (1957-77)...A couple of gymnasts will be competing near their home towns on the road trip. Huss hails from Orangevale, a Sacramento suburb, and Cindy Reed (So., Antioch, Ca./Deer Valley) from Deer Valley, about 40 miles south, near Stockton. Reed and Huss should also attract a following Feb. 13-14, when SPU goes to the Bay Area...Chelsea Cox (Fr., Valencia, Ca./Saugus), another California native, will return home when SPU visits Cal State Fullerton Feb. 27...Jaynie Reynolds (So., White Rock, B.C./South Delta) tied with McDaniel for fifth on vault with 9.6 and negotiated the six-inch wide beam for 9.175...Elisabeth Kingsley (Jr., Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) posted a 9.225 floor routine...Bryant vaulted 9.450...Haley Krommenhoek (Fr., Seattle, Wa./Mount Rainier) swung 8.9 on the uneven bars...The floor exercise school record is 9.950 and was set in ‘00 by Callie Field. McDaniel owns the No. 2 mark of 9.925.

Tickets, Please. General admission tickets for all SPU home gymnastics meets are priced $5 with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by call (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. Coach Laurel Tindall is a veteran of the sport and is synonymous with the university. Originally, she competed for the Falcons, then replaced her mentor, George Lewis, immediately following graduation. Subsequently, she has served in her position for 28 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 15 titles. Three times Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year. Kathy Siwek returns for her fourth season as an assistant coach. Siwek was a two-time All-America and a memberof the 1997 national championship team. Kristen Strid joins the staff after having completed her career in 2003 as a three-time All-America and national champion on bars.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation web site at www.mpsports.org, or the Collegiate Gymnastics Information Center at www.troester.com/gym. .