Intensity and teamwork define Penn gymnastics' instrasquad scrimmage

In Penn gymnastic's meet late Friday night, the excitement generated by the team was palpable. So much so, you’d never even know that it was a preseason, intrasquad meet.

According to coach John Ceralde, this excitement is due in large part to “team camaraderie.”

Watching the team compete against and with each other, it's easy to see what he means. Throughout the Red and Blue Intrasquad Meet, members of the team shouted supporting words to each other and, despite being serious competitors, also wanted to see their teammates achieve the best results that they could.

“Every meet is the same,” said team captain Kyra Levi. “[This meet was] a chance for us to put ourselves through this situation, to see how we deal with the stress.”

In order to prepare for the tough competition they’ll face later this season, the Quakers keep up a high level of intensity and passion, even in the preseason.

“We try to promote a positive culture in the program,” said Ceralde, explaining how his players keep their intensity throughout all competition and training. 

But, this team isn’t just about intense competition. They’re also a tight-nit group that emphasizes supporting each other and putting the team first.

“As a teammate, you lead by example in terms of supporting your teammates,” said Levi. “Keep reminding people, day in and day out, that they’re teammates first, individuals second.”

Although the Quakers won’t see an opposing team until the Lindsey Ferris Invitational on January 14th, they surely appear to have a lot of experience already under their belt, because they give every training opportunity, even an intrasquad scrimmage, their all.