The ASU men's gymnastics team has never let little things like lack of money or recognition get in the way of their success. Last weekend was no exception.
The Sun Devils captured a remarkable seventh straight national title as they took first in the 2004 Collegiate National Championships in Denton, Texas.
"It was a lot of fun," senior co-captain Paris Gianola-Bland said. "Everything we do throughout the year leads up to this, and we we're ready."
Things didn't go smoothly for the team early on, as they fell behind the rest of the field early after Gianola-Bland fell off the pommel horse, floor and high bar. But the Sun Devils regrouped late as they racked up season-high totals on parallel bars to take the lead for good.
"I got off to a rough start, but I picked things up when I needed to," Gianola-Bland said. "The whole team came through, and we're happy with how things turned out."
In addition to the championship, the team produced three all-around champions in Sam Moore (second place), Josh Cimo (fourth) and Gianola-Bland (sixth).
The team's consistent success over the years is unexpected given the fact the team competes with squads from around the country that often are able to provide athletes with what ASU does not -- scholarships. In 1993, men's gymnastics was cut as an NCAA sport by the school and then relegated to being what it is now a club sport. Consequently, the team is on its own when it comes to financing.
"We don't get anything from the school," said Moore, also a senior co-captain.
"We have to do fund-raisers quite a bit, which makes it difficult to focus on meets."
As frustrating as lack of funding is, the team would rather look at their hard work as a character builder.
"We have to work for everything we get," said Gianola-Bland. "It makes it harder, but we get more out of it because of it. It makes it more enjoyable."
Their coach couldn't be more proud of their success.
"These guys don't just show up for fun, they put in a lot of hard work," head coach Scott Barclay said. "They go to school, head to practice, go to their jobs and do homework the way any other team does.
"It's a shame they don't get the support they deserve."
Reach the reporter at vic.vela@asu.edu.
