When Victoria Ortiz was 9 years old, she sat in McKale Center watching Arizona’s gymnastics meets, dreaming of becoming a UA gymnast.
That same year, she attended the GymCats’ banquet and met with then-assistant coach John Court.
Ortiz’s dreams became a reality, and now the senior will close out her collegiate career Saturday at McKale Center in the Pac-12 Championships.
“Being able to have the Pac-12 Championships at home means so much to me because, being from Tucson, I grew up in the stands. I was in the stands watching the girls and just dreaming about being down there,” Ortiz said. “So, being down there for my last meet and seeing my fans up there and being with my team, just makes me realize my dreams came true.”
The GymCats will compete in the first session as the No. 8 seed. Arizona will start with the floor event, continue in Olympic order and finish on balance beam.
Senior Kennady Schneider is a floor specialist for the GymCats who choreographs her own routines and is known for dance and spirit on the mat. Schneider said it’s not ideal for a gymnast to open a meet on their best event, but it’s her last routine at McKale.
The 5-foot-1-inch senior from Nevada wants to use her final routine as a means to be a role model for children.
“I know that I represent a very small demographic of the sport, so I want to represent what I want to see in the future of the sport,” Schneider, who is African-American, said. “So I’m going to do my best, put a smile on my face and know that I have a bunch of little girls looking up at me in the crowd.”
Schneider said gymnastics isn’t historically a sport that features upsets, but the GymCats have posted season and national highs on balance beam.
“So I think that’s an event where you’ll really see us shine, especially since it’s our last event in the session that we’re in,” Schneider said. “I think that we’re really going to put on a show for balance beam, especially.”
Ortiz has added an upgraded dismount on uneven bars and, along with Christina Berg, has the potential to earn a 9.9-plus score. On beam, Court said he’s looking to Madison Cindric to get her fifth 9.9-plus score of the season.
“So, we actually start on one of our weaker events and then hopefully build our scores,” Court said.
The second session, which features the top four teams, will start at 6 p.m. Court is encouraging his athletes to sit with relatives and friends between sessions so they can best experience the Pac-12 Championships.
Cindric said the goal is always to make the second session, but they’re going to make the best of competing in the first group.
“Every one of the eight teams there always want to be, but four teams won’t be,” Cindric said. “So, we’re going to go out there in the first session and do everything possible we can and then come back and watch the second session.”
Notes
- Arizona event manager Elliott Tritz and his team spent the week setting up McKale Center for the championship meet. The seats on the east side were moved down, so there are more seats closer to the action. “There’s not a bad seat in the house,” Tritz said.
- UCLA, Utah and Washington are all in the top 10 in the nation, so the second session will see plenty of strong performances. Court said he believes the Pac-12 is one of the toughest gymnastic conferences. “I said it earlier this year: UCLA can win it all this year, and this is probably the best team they’ve had in a decade,” Court said.
- Because the meet is a Pac-12 event and not an Arizona meet, Court said the GymCats aren’t able to give the three seniors a send-off. Court said he has nothing but respect for his seniors, whom he’s known for a while. Court first met Ortiz when she was 9, Schneider when she was 12 and Cindric at age 13. “You wish they could stay forever, but at the end of the day you’re an educator, and you know they’re ready,” Court said. “They’re ready to go to grad school, go to the workforce or finish up their classes here. They will be missed for everything they’ve done here.”
- The GymCats are expecting a large crowd on Saturday to help make the conference championship feel like a home meet. “All you ever want is support from your fans and every meet we’ve had that this season,” Cindric said. “And I’m hoping they’ll all come down and watch us on Saturday.”
