Last Friday the O’Dome was packed to the brim with over 8,000 enthusiastic gymnastics fans from all over the south to watch the #1Florida-#5Alabama rivalry.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric! The first 1,200 fans were given an orange or blue light-up stick, and once the lights went out for the Gators grand entrance through the gator head, the stands resembled a rave. The orange and blue sticks waved uncontrollably throughout the crowd and it was so loud that you could feel the atmosphere in your chest.

Florida is always a highly covered team by many media organizations, but Friday night there seemed to be an endless sea of media! There were double the usual amount of photographers on the competition floor, and I found it especially hard to find a decent place to film without heads or cameras in my shots. Between rotations I would quickly run to the next event to try and snag a permanent spot before the vultures moved in.

Isolating my attention to the camera viewfinder during every routine for both Florida and Alabama, I never had time to look up at the scores. I knew the competition would be a close one, and I worried with Kytra Hunter’s falls on bars and beam that Florida was on the losing end. As I recorded every routine I noticed Alabama had no major mistakes on any event.

Once the final rotation started, I still had no idea what the scores were.


(Picture by Erin Long)

Florida dominated on floor with an adrenaline boost from the eccentric crowd. But it was Ashanée Dickerson’s lively performance that actually gave me the chills! Dickerson stuck every pass cold! Ed Buckley, MC for the Florida gymnastics meets, actually gave me a celebratory hug after Ashanée’s near perfect routine.

Watch her routine from my point of view:

When the final team scores were revealed my jaw literally dropped all the way open. I just couldn’t believe the Gators not only scored over a 198, but also beat the reigning National Champions by over a point!

The mixed zone for post meet interviews was packed with reporters, but the wait for interviews was worth it. Bridget Sloan and Ashanée Dickerson were all smiles and couldn’t wait to share their excitement about the night.

Dickerson said, “This is the first 198 team I’ve been apart of, and it’s just an amazing feeling to know that all of our hard work is making good outcomes.” While Sloan added, “We’ve had great results and we aren’t going to change our energy right now.”

Once the meet was over I realized that my cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much. With all of the action happening only feet from my camera, I couldn’t help but be immersed in all of the excitement. Filming the biggest rival meet of the season was an amazing opportunity, and I only hope the Gators continue on to greatness this year.

Click here to watch all of the amazing routines!

--Gymnastike Intern, Brittany Norton