Who needs a coach when you can do it yourself?

That is the attitude of the Grand Valley State University gymnastics club, which became a self-coached operation at the beginning of the 2011 season. The club certainly is not hurting because of the decision as it will head for nationals this season for the first time since 2007.

“A lot of us have been doing this our whole lives,” said gymnastics club president Kristi Hopkins. “So it’s very easy to coach each other.”

Hopkins said the decision to remove the club’s previous coach was made as a team because they believed she was not a good fit for their goals.

“She didn’t have a lot of experience with the kinds of gymnastics we do,” Hopkins said. “She was a trampoline and tumbling coach, which we don’t do. She didn’t really know how to coach us the way we needed to be coached.”

Junior gymnast and club treasurer Alexa Kitson said coaching themselves has allowed the club to become even closer with one another while still maintaining some order.

“It’s working out nicely for us,” Kitson said. “It’s helped us come together as a team. We’re all very self-motivated to get things done, and when problems arise, the board members take care of the issues that need to be taken care of.”

Since the switchover, the team has experienced a level of success that Hopkins called “unusual.” In the two matches in which the club has participated so far this season – one at Kent State University in Ohio and one at Notre Dame University – the club took first place.

With a single competition at Eastern Michigan University remaining before the national competition in Richmond, Va., one would think the pressure to succeed would be on the uprise, but exactly the opposite has occurred.

“Everything is a whole lot more relaxed this year,” she said. “Everyone feels a lot more comfortable in the gym. People come in and get their stuff done, and it’s for fun. They want to do their best, but there’s no pressure. That’s better for everyone.”

The club’s adviser, Marene Van Farowe, said she feels that the team’s decision to compete this year without a coach has undoubtedly increased the team’s performance.

“They are not being led by anyone,” Van Farowe said. “It makes them work harder. They have to make the decisions themselves without someone else telling them what they need to do. It’s caused the team to become a conglomerate of spirits and thoughts – pulling them together to become the team they are now.”

GVSU’s gymnastics team will head to Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti on Saturday to compete in “Michigan Madness,” an all-day tournament.

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