Nicole Curler's freshman year has been a balancing act.
Literally.
The 5-foot gymnast attends classes, practices and study tables.
Not to mention she ranks sixth in the nation on the balance beam (9.850) as of Jan. 22.
"We as coaches love her competitiveness in every situation," MSU gymnastics head coach Kathie Klages said. "She is extremely talented and has the ability to focus in every competition. She really gets the job done."
Curler said college gymnastics is more about teamwork than anything.
"Everything is for the team, no matter what you do," she said. "I came from a bigger club, where it was a lot different, but here you want it more for the team than for yourself."
Besides tying for first in the all-around competition against No. 16 Arizona on Jan. 12, Curler earned her first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor Jan. 7, after winning both the balance beam and floor exercise.
"I have always read about so many other people winning it," Curler said. "It hasn't happened here in a while, so I was really excited."
Her first meet performance has put on more pressure to live up to her potential for the rest of the season.
"I don't want to disappoint anybody," she said. "Of course, I am always going to do my best, but mistakes happen."
Although it has been tough to learn how to manage her time, Curler said her team has been supportive in helping her adjust.
"I feel like we always have somewhere to be," Curler said. "But my team is like a big family. They always make sure everything is OK."
Playing for a cause
On Saturday, the Spartans motivated themselves with a good cause, hosting the Flip for a Cure competition. Although No. 21 MSU suffered a 194.850-194.425 defeat by No. 23 Ohio State, the team came in second, placing before University of Illinois-Chicago.
The team auctioned its pink leotards and held a silent auction for items like jerseys and basketballs. All proceeds went to the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
Kristen Coleman set a school record of 39.525 in the all-around competition. She also set a career-high 9.950 on the uneven bars and tied with Curler with a 9.850 on the floor exercise.
Klages said the biggest part of the meet was getting the message out to women everywhere about breast cancer awareness.
The team dedicated the event to Jan Howard, the mother of former MSU gymnast and current Associate Director for MSU athletics Angela Howard.
"Hopefully by hearing her story, others will take something from it and either donate or get screened or encourage someone that they know or love to get screened," Howard said. "If by telling this one story it affects anyone positively, it's worth it. I know it would mean the world to my mother."
The Spartan gymnasts return to the mat Saturday to participate in the State of Michigan Classic.
