Fan support at gymnastics meet impressing

Sports like football and basketball obviously have the most notoriety when it comes to MSU athletics. They have huge fan bases extending way beyond the student section and receive the most coverage from the media. They’re the teams that earn MSU the reputation it has in the world of college athletics.

But there are tons of other athletes that wear the green and white jerseys that don’t get the grand-scale attention these teams receive.

Case in point: MSU’s gymnastics team.

This weekend, I traveled to Ann Arbor to watch the gymnastics team take on Michigan. I had never been to a gymnastics meet before this and honestly wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I imagined a small crowd of camcorder-toting parents, grandparents and younger siblings with little-to-no student support.

I was blown away when I arrived at Crisler Arena and saw there were literally hundreds of fans gathered to watch the meet. Yes, there were the usual grandparents and parents eager to snap photos and capture their daughter’s performances with their camcorders. But I was surprised to see a huge student section filled with dancing fans waving posters in support of their favorite gymnast. There were young gymnasts, about 6 years old, who were thrilled to perform on the same floor as the Spartan and Wolverine gymnasts.

I never would have imagined there would be such an involved group of fans at gymnastics meet.

And even though MSU didn’t pull off a win, the performance was amazing to watch. The teams go back and forth in their performances — an MSU gymnast starts on the uneven bars and once she’s done, a U-M gymnast tackles the vault. This is enough to keep your eyes glued to the performance floor, and it’s definitely not boring.

Next time you’re thinking about buying tickets for basketball or football, think outside the box. Support one of the lesser-known, seldom celebrated teams that make up the face of MSU athletics. Believe me when I say you’ll be pleasantly surprised.