Living in a foreign country can be a scary experience, but for Arizona gymnastics junior Aubrey Taylor and sophomores Danielle Hicks and Rachelle Silberg, life is really not that different.
The trio from Canada will lead the No. 14 Gymcats (2-7) against No.19 Oregon State (9-3) tonight at 8 p.m. in Corvallis, Ore.
The Gymcats look to win their third straight Pacific 10 Conference meet and continue scoring above 195.
“”We lacked a little bit of energy at this last meet,”” Taylor said. “”We want to up the motivation and the energy.””
Taylor and her fellow Canadian teammates know a little something about what it takes to win. They all represented their country on the national team, including Olympic tryouts for Taylor and Hicks.
The gymnasts said their migrations to Arizona occurred because of their thirst for the competition.
“”There’s no college gymnastics at all (in Canada),”” Silberg said. “”That’s why a lot of people come down here.””
Both Taylor and Hicks were recruited by Arizona head coach Bill Ryden, while Silberg walked on to the team. They all said the Wildcats offered one of the best and closest programs in the country.
“”They welcome you like you are one of their own,”” Taylor said. “”The chemistry of the team is what drew us here.””
Said Silberg: “”The coaching here is awesome, and the atmosphere of the team is just great.””
Hicks said competing for the Canadian national team is very individualized.
“”It was nothing like a team environment like it is here,”” she said.
Socially, they think life is very similar in the U.S. to what they were used to back home.
“”I tell people it’s not that different,”” Silberg said. “”We listen to the same music, and we watch the same TV shows, but I have been told that I say some words funny.””
Taylor said she has had to squash some interesting preconceived notions.
“”People ask us if we say ‘aboot’ or live in an Igloo,”” she said. “”One guy asked me if as soon as we are born we get dipped into ice water.””
All three women said they knew each other previously from competitions throughout the country.
“”It’s a really small group of people, so everyone in Canada in gymnastics … you know each other,”” Hicks said.
After graduation Taylor said she plans on staying in the U.S., while Hicks said she’ll return to Toronto to pursue her secondary education in chiropractics.
Meanwhile, the trio of Canucks continues to lead the Gymcats as they put a two-game win streak on the line this weekend against the Beavers.
