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Rockies, here we come. Fresh off a solid performance in California, the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team climbs back on a plane and heads up into the Rockies. The Falcons (0-4) meet their namesakes from Air Force (0-4) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation dual Friday night (Feb. 2). SPU hosts Sacramento State Feb. 16 in the first installment of a two-meet home stand.

Balancing act. Coach Laurel Tindall’s squad managed to improve upon its opening night score last week at San Jose despite competing with just five athletes in the vault and uneven bars due to injuries. Tindall's squad was still able to end the night with a respectable 189.875 team total, a slight (0.50) improvement over the first meet, which was at home. Utah State won the quadrangular (194.225), followed by San Jose State (193.025) and Boise State (190.070). SPU had solid event scores across the board but with the depleted bars lineup, managed just a 46.825 on that apparatus. The strongest event was floor with a 48.150. Tindall hopes that healing injuries will allow her to fortify her bars options by season’s end, when Seattle Pacific is slated to host the USAG Championships, presented by Leisure Care, April 19-21.

USAG rankings. Seattle Pacific remained static in the second week of the USAG rankings. It remains No. 3 behind Maryland’s Towson and ‘05 national champion Rutgers, and one would think that with a healthy bars lineup, SPU could elevate its status even higher. Texas Woman’s, last year's national meet winner, is fourth. Tindall has taken the Falcons to either the NCAA or the USAG meet 26 times over her 32 year tenure as head coach. SPU took eighth in 2006, and won its last championship at home in 1997. Seattle Pacific has already qualified for this year's national meet as host.

Huss close to home. Performing just two hours away from her home town of Orangevale, Debra Huss (Sr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista) continued her successful comeback from injury at San Jose. Huss, who missed the latter half of last season, continued her all-around success by following up her season-opening win with a accumulation of 38.525. She has a solid grip on the individual all-around and is among the top seven in three events: No. 1 on floor, No. 4 on beam and No. 7 on bars. Huss holds the SPU all-around record. Kristin Bryant (Sr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) launched a 9.725 vault last week. Bryant is fourth in the USAG rankings in that event. She holds the No. 2 mark all-time in the school annals.

Utility players. With some injuries still healing, several Falcons have been called upon to step up their performances. Amber Lundgren (So., Temecula, Ca./Temecula Valley) competed all-around for the first time in her career, totaling 37.700. Her best event score was a 9.625 on bars. Brianna Schwartz (So., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner) followed up her season-opening bars win a 9.650 floor exercise routine. She vaulted a solid 9.525. All-American Sarah Sullivan (Sr., Salem, Or./Sprague) negotiated a 9.550 score on beam and a 9.525 mark on floor. Sullivan is still recovering from a now-healed fracture in her left hand sustained during preseason training. Tindall hopes to have Sullivan as an all-around by season’s end.

Scoresheet says. The highest individual scores last week were Huss’ floor exercise (9.725) and Bryant's vault. Huss balanced a 9.700 on beam to lead the team while Danna Nelson (So., Maple Valley, Wa./Tahoma) flipped a 9.625 and had an identical score on floor. Melissa Daniels (So., Salinas, Ca./N. Monterey Cty.) landed a 9.600 vault for the second week in a row and Christie Chinaka (Jr., Honolulu, Hi.) notched a 9.400 on the unevens.

Gym shorts. Colorado Springs was the site of Seattle Pacific’s first national championship in 1986 and the Falcons won the MPSF crown there last spring...Nelson fractured bones in her foot during her vault warm-up and is now the fourth gymnast to be ruled out for the season...Utah State’s Jessica Parenti-Otte won the all-around competition with a 39.300. She also finished first on bars (9.825) and beam (9.850). Overall, Utah State athletes won each and every event. Katy Schilla launched a 9.875 victory on vault, and Nicki Felley danced a 9.900 floor exercise…For the Falcons, Ashley Domres (Jr., Scottsdale, Az./Scottsdale Christian) had an uncharacteristically off night, swinging a 9.175 on bars and hitting a 9.050 on the balance beam. Domres has been a key contributor on both events throughout her career…Individually speaking, Daniels is 10th among USAG vaulters. Nelson was No. 8 on beam and Lundgren debuted at eighth in the all-around.

Tickets, please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season meets are $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. Laurel Tindall is synonymous with Seattle Pacific gymnastics, having either competed or coached each of the program’s 34 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships (1986, ‘92, ‘97) and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 19 titles. Now in her 32nd year, Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year four times and two years ago, she was the MPSF coach of the year. Originally, Tindall competed for the Falcons, winning a national crown on vault as a senior. She then succeeded George Lewis as head coach. Tindall is a charter member of the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. Kathy Siwek returns for her seventh season as an assistant coach. Siwek was a two-time All-America and a member of the 1997 national championship team. Anna Leiferman is in her first year on the staff. She was a member of the team in 2003 and ‘04.

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 Collegiate Gymnastics Information Center or Mountain Pacific Sports FederationWebsites.