Home, sweet Brougham. After opening the season with a solid team total in a narrow road loss, the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team hopes to make use of a home floor advantage and earn its first victory of the season in its home opener at Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons (0-1) host defending Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion San Jose State (1-0) in a dual meet Friday night (Jan. 21), the first of four home contests. Four of the first five meets are on the road, including next week’s quadrangular with Arizona and Minnesota across town at Washington.

Will momentum carry over? The Falcons saved some of their best performances for the pavilion last season, averaging 192.200 points in winning their final three home meets, including victories over San Jose State, UC Davis and Washington. Over the last two years, SPU has won six of the last seven at home, but it is seeking its first victory in a home opener since 2002 and second since 1998. The Spartans spoiled home openers in ‘01 and ‘03.

Coach Tindall said at season’s outset that the team’s strength was in its all-arounders and while competing against Sacramento State, near her home town and in front of family and friends, Debra Huss proved the coach’s comments to be true.

Solid marks for opening night. Coach Laurel Tindall saw her squad post several solid marks en route to a 189.500 team total in the first meet of the season at Sacramento State. Although the score was insufficient to defeat the host Hornets (191.600), it was well within the ballpark of last year’s record-breaking opening night score of 190.850, and it was particularly respectable given the more difficult judging in collegiate gymnastics this season. Competition-wise, Seattle Pacific kept it very close with Sac State over three rotations and went into the final event down by just 0.475. However, SPU counted several falls on balance beam, totaling just 46.050 as a team, and the Hornets sealed the verdict with 47.675 on floor.

Huss debuts AA gold. Tindall said at season’s outset that the team’s strength was in its all-arounders and while competing near her home town and in front of family and friends, Debra Huss (So., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista) proved the coach’s comments to be true. Huss took the meet all-around title for the Falcons’ only podium gold. She totaled 38.250 over four events to finish just ahead of the Hornets’ Carrie Kinghorn (37.750) and Jessica Hoffman (37.575). Seattle Pacific’s Sarah Sullivan (So., Salem, Or./Sprague) was fourth with 37.150. Huss danced her way to second place on floor exercise (9.850), finishing just .50 behind Sacramento’s Stefanie Aeder. Huss had scored three floor routines of 9.900 in ‘04. Those tie for No. 3 all-time. The school record on floor is Callie Field’s 9.950, set in 2000.

Strong starts. Although Seattle Pacific did not land another first-place finish, it was well represented on the awards podium. Jaynie Reynolds (Jr., White Rock, B.C./Marriot), rode a solid dismount to a 9.750 second-place finish to Alex Tsurumoto (9.850) on the uneven bars, and later negotiated the balance beam to a 9.575, the top finish for a Falcon in the rotation. Kari Kelly (Sr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) tied with Sullivan on vault, finishing in fourth with a 9.600 as Seattle Pacific capped a 47.450 team score during the second rotation. The Hornets’ Hoffman won vault with a 9.725. Reynolds, Kelly, Sullivan and Huss are all returning All-Americans, and Kelly currently owns the school record on vault (9.875).

Swingin’ on the bars. Of the four events, Tindall touted her uneven bar lineup as potentially one of the shakiest because of injuries. In Sacramento, however, it was the bar lineup that managed to swing the Falcons’ highest event total of the meet (48.150). Reynolds’ silver finish was complemented by a 9.650 sixth-place finish from Kelly and a 9.600 debut from rookie Christie Chinaka (Fr., Honolulu, Hi.). Sullivan tied with Chinaka at 9.600 and Huss notched the fifth and final scoring slot in the rotation at 9.550. Ashley Domres (Fr., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) swung a 8.950 in her first meet.

Gym shorts. Corrie McDaniel (Sr., Lawrence, Ks./Lawrence) danced a 9.575 on floor exercise and a 9.175 on beam in her first meet back from a dislocated elbow suffered late last year...Elisabeth Kingsley (Sr., Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) scored a 9.575 on floor exercise...Kristin Bryant (So., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) launched a 9.350 vault and earned a 8.800 on beam...Domres hit a 9.000 on balance beam to go with her bars total and Chinaka vaulted 9.150... Haley Krommenhoek (So., Seattle, Wa./Mount Rainier) and Chelsey Cox (So., Valencia, Ca./Saugus) are vying for places for at least two events in the home meet this weekend...Seattle Pacific has seven athletes unavailable for consideration. Among those missing are prized recruits Maddi Bernhardt (Fr., Littleton, Co./Highlands Ranch) and Amy Potrawski (Fr., St. Charles, Il./St. Charles East), due to shoulder and foot injuries, respectively.

Tickets, Please. General admission tickets for all SPU women’s gymnastics meets are priced $5, with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams can qualify for special discount rates by calling (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 30 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 15 titles. Four times Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year. Kathy Siwek returns for her fifth season as an assistant coach. Siwek was a two-time All-America and a member of the 1997 national championship team. Kristen Strid is back for her second year on the staff after having completing 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. .