Leaders can emerge at any place, at any time.

Regardless of the fact that Arizona gymnast Sarah Tomczyk will not be moving onto individual competitions on Saturday, the 2009 NCAA National Gymnastics Competition has been quite an experience for the talented floor worker.

“”This has been a roller coaster experience for sure,”” Tomczyk said. “”Gosh, I wish the whole team could have been here to experience it with me.””

Tomczyk was paired to compete along with the LSU gymnastics team, and reeled in a 9.775 with her floor routine on Thursday.

“”My knees buckled a little bit on the last pass, and that cost me an automatic tenth,”” Tomczyk said. “”It wasn’t a bad routine, though.””

Although Tomczyk’s time in the spotlight only lasted the duration of one Janet Jackson song remix, she has gained a multidimensional and motivated stance about her future in gymnastics.

“”Next season for me starts tomorrow,”” Tomczyk said. “”Nationals aren’t something that get handed to you. You make nationals for a reason.””

Having seen and competed with the nation’s elite gymnasts first hand, Tomczyk has become that much more confident in the capabilities of herself, and the remainder of her team back in Tucson.

“”There was nothing out there that we couldn’t do,”” Tomczyk said. “”I really want to be able to go back (to the UA) and share my experience with the girls, so they can really get an idea of what to strive for.””

National championships are something that all collegiate gymnasts dream of, but very few possess the skills to actually make that dream come to life. Tomczyk explained that she hopes her teammates can enjoy the experience someday, but they need to not only know, but embrace the amount of work that is necessary to get there.

As soon as I get back, I’m going to ask each of the girls what they truly want,”” Tomczyk said. “”We have to believe, as early as the summer, and put in the extra work in the gym.””

All in all, this experience has shown Tomczyk the benefits of a strong work ethic, and has motivated her to bring her fellow teammates along for the ride in 2010.

“”I just really wish the whole team could have been there with me,”” Tomczyk said. “”I hope I can use this experience to be a total encouragement.””