Gymnasts Share Holiday Favorites and Memories
12/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Dec. 24, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The holidays are in full swing, and the Alabama gymnasts are all home, enjoying time with family and friends before the start of the Crimson Tide's 2009 season. Before taking off for the break, after exams and a few days of training, the ladies took a moment to share some thoughts on the season.
About half of this year's team said they could name all of Santa's reindeers, and those that could, led by junior Kassi Price, broke out into song to prove it, singing, "you know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen/Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen/But, do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all?" And of course all the gymnasts could answer that question, with a resounding "Rudolph."
This season also brings holiday specials and movies, including a 24-hour marathon of "A Christmas Story". The gymnasts all made their picks, from the modern favorites like "Elf" and "The Santa Clause" to the popular favorites from everyone's childhood like "Frosty the Snowman", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "The Year Without a Santa Claus", "The Little Drummer Boy" and of course "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to true classics like "It's a Wonderful Life" and "White Christmas".
This Crimson Tide's best holiday memories and traditions all come back to time spent with family and friends. As freshman Ashley Priess said, "My favorite part of Christmas is reuniting with all my family. I love celebrating Christmas and seeing how happy everybody is. It really is the most wonderful time of the year."
Holiday baking and meals play a part in many of the gymnasts' favorite traditions and memories. Senior Ashley O'Neal's favorite tradition is making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and junior Brittany Magee's is cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, while freshman Geralen Stack-Eaton loves eating dinner with her whole family on Christmas day.
Junior Alyssa Chapman's favorite holiday tradition was one echoed, with variations, by several of her teammates, "sitting at the top of the stairs with my brother and sister on Christmas morning, waiting for my parents to go down first and let us know when we can run down the stairs and into the den together."
While they are enjoying their time at home, before long they will be back on campus and training for the quickly approaching season. Alabama opens the 2009 season Jan. 9 at Auburn.
Players Mentioned
