Nicole Artz - A Maize and Blue Legacy

As she steps onto the floor for the first time in her senior year, a rush of adrenaline rushes through her. 4 years has gone by like 1 day, and in the blink of an eye, it will all be over. But in a way, it's just the start. The start of a new season. And on the smaller span of things, the start of a new routine. And that's the way you have to look at it, one step at a time. One breath at a time. The green flag is raised and a deep breath in is all it takes. Nicole Artz is now the captain of the Michigan Gymnastics team.

Full in, stick. Front layout front full, stick. Double pike stick. Perfect. But what's new? The floor exercise has always come easy to Nicole Artz. The floor is in a way, her home. She steps on to the blue carpeted springs, and a new chapter begins. She's not just going through the motions, she's putting on a Cirque De Soulei performance. Nicole even says that when she is on floor, she gets to relax a bit. But the work behind her floor routine has to be done before anything good can happen on the competition floor, let me take you behind the scene's and we will discover what make's Nicole Artz so good on floor.

Years and years of training and still, she uses the same choreographer she used when she was 8. Years and years of training and still, she performs to her music the same way she did 10 years ago. Years and years of training and still, she tumbles with the ease she always has. That's what makes her so good. After all these years of training and consistency, she's able to relax more now. She loves to see her team on the sidelines dancing along and it helps her perform here tumbling with ease and land cleanly. Catch Nicole Artz easing her way through her floor routine this Saturday @ 2 at Michigan State.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more! :)

Photo via The Michigan Daily.