U. puts together string of productive practices

Utah gymnastics coach Greg Marsden has had his complaints about his team and its less-than-acceptable workouts at times.

The last week, though, he's been quite happy with them, after a bit of disappointment a week ago.

"I really do feel like we're making progress in many ways," he said, noting Utah had what the team jokingly decided was a "personal best" last week with three good practices in a row. Sunday made it four.

"The last couple weeks of the season, we've been right on the verge, and assuming we can get through this week and have good workouts, that could get us over the hump," Marsden said.

Utah is at the NCAA West Regional at Cal-Berkeley Saturday at 7 p.m. MDT hoping to finish in the top two of the six-team meet and qualify for the 2007 NCAA Championships April 26-28 at Utah's own Huntsman Center.

Utah is the nation's only team to have qualified to every nationals since it began gymnastics in 1976, but qualification hinges solely on the regional performance, which makes everyone nervous in a season that has not seen the Utes put together a complete meet yet.

Senior team captain Nicolle Ford puts some of the bad practice moods back on her coach. "Yes, things were a lot better last week," she said, "but we feed off of Greg just as much as he feeds off of us, so if his attitude and the way he's coming into the gym is not excited and in a bad mood, then that's how we're going to be.

"If everybody comes in in a light mood and joking, then it's a totally different atmosphere."

Ford said Marsden morphed last week, and it helped. "Him coming around and changing his attitude, as well as us, I think that's a big part of it."

She said he has every right to be hard on the team when it doesn't do well, but she says it's best if he gets his point made and then lets it go.

So recent practices have been the happiest all season, in Ford's view. "It's been better. It's been both parties."

She adds that this team seems to get down when even one person is in a bad mood, so her advice for all is, "Fake it," she said with a laugh.

REAL ASHLEY: Ashley Postell came to the gym Monday wearing the Real Salt Lake hooded sweat shirt belonging to forward Jamie Watson. They've been seeing each other since September when she was returning to Utah from her mother's wedding and the Real team was on the same flight.