Quoting Auburn Coach Jeff Graba & Senior Caryn Kadous

Quoting Auburn Coach Jeff Graba & Senior Caryn KadousQuoting Auburn Coach Jeff Graba & Senior Caryn Kadous

Jan. 20, 2015

Quoting Auburn Head Coach Jeff Graba

On being back in Auburn Arena
"It's exciting and a relief at the same time. I think we're all a little bit tired and everyone here looks forward to competing in front of our fans. I'm trying to keep the excitement down just enough in practice to remind them that we have a gymnastics meet to do, and it's not just getting out in front of our fans and having fun. It is a blast in front of our fans and student body though. We can't wait."

On No. 12 Arkansas
"Well, they just beat Alabama last week, so our schedule sure isn't getting any easier. We knew it going in having the toughest schedule in the country it's not lying to anybody. Every week is going to be tough, and Arkansas is a quality opponent. Quality opponents bring out the best in our team and our fans."

On last week at No. 3 Florida
"I think we took considerable steps forward last week. We did a much better job on the competition floor with our management and energy level. I think our focus and the fact that we're not travelling is going to help us. We definitely need to take another step forward because we're still not where we want to be, but I like our opportunity this Friday."

On improvement
"We need to do all four events well in the same meet. We've done a good job of nearly finishing off every event, but we haven't done it yet. Last Friday, we did three events the way we really wanted to perform them and then we had a beam hangout. I want to see 24-for-24, and the girls stay on the equipment, selling their routine so it's not just squeaking by, it's actually performing well. I'm looking for everybody to be successful. That's how we're going to gauge if it's a positive experience."

On individual gymnasts
"We've really been leaning on Bri Guy. We didn't think we would be leaning on her this early, but she has a way of bringing that on herself. She goes out there and performs really well. Lexus Demers has done a great job for us, Caitlin Atkinson has done really well. Caitlin went out there and won the meet against Florida among heavy competition. It's the usual suspects we have had in the past, and we want to start working our freshman in here in the next few weeks. We're looking to get some more people involved."


Quoting Auburn senior Caryn Kadous


On having a home meet this week
"It's really exciting to have our first meet at home. It means a lot going into my senior year, but just for the team in general, it's nice to be on our home court and compete with our fans around and show people what it's like to compete for Auburn gymnastics."

On having a good meet at Florida
"It felt nice having a better meet at Florida. It definitely gave us something more to feed off of for this upcoming meet and now everyone has gotten their feet wet and knows what to expect."

On preparation for this Friday
"I'm just working on some stuck landings, hitting my leaps, hitting 180s and some endurance to help me with my routines."