Meeting the Moment

Deja Chambliss isn't someone who cries often, but accepting the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championship trophy with her GW teammates in front of a crowd filled with familiar faces at the Charles E. Smith Center on March 19, the joyous tears flowed.

The Buff and Blue captain savored the unexpected surge of emotion amid a scene that was long-dreamed, well-earned and never promised.

"It was so special to have it be here," Chambliss said recently. "Because anywhere else it would've just been a story that we came back with. People got to see us do it event after event and feel that raw, genuine celebration instead of what's captured in a photo or a video.

"To actually get to live that moment with our family, our friends and everyone who was here, it was really big for all of us and something we will never forget."

Seeded fourth entering the EAGL Championship, GW put its best foot forward competing on podium in its home arena to earn the title with a score of 196.325. The Buff and Blue's consistency separated them from the pack in a tight race with four event scores of 48.900+, topped by a 49.275 on floor.

Led by the EAGL Gymnast of the Year Chambliss, Margie Foster-Cunningham's squad stuck to its plan and channeled the raucous atmosphere into a performance to remember that secured the program's first conference crown since 2017.

"I was really super proud of them," said Foster-Cunningham, reflecting on the highlight of her 37^th season at the program's helm. "Because it would've been really easy for them to get caught up in the excitement of the moment, but they embraced it and they used it for what we'd been preparing to do."

Of course, this group's drive for a championship started well before they even took to the competition floor for the first time at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational on Jan. 16.

Throughout the fall, captains Chambliss and Olivia Zona made sure a simple question stayed close to mind: "What did I do today that was like an EAGL champion?"

Navigating the continued challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Foster-Cunningham borrowed from Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius to keep her student-athletes pressing forward with the concept of amor fati, Latin for love your fate.

"Anything that happens to you, use it for fuel to get where you want to go," Foster-Cunningham said. "The obstacles show you the way to where you want to go. You have to work through things. There's no perfect path."

After an uneven start, GW found its footing and built confidence down the stretch of the regular season. The Buff and Blue hung tough in a tough environment at No. 2 Oklahoma on Feb. 11, posted a season-high score of 196.375 at Pitt on February, knocked off Big 10 foe Nebraska on its Senior Night on March 4 and finished the regular season with a 196.325 at Maryland six days before the EAGL meet.

That finish set the tone for the attitude that the team carried onto the Smith Center floor on March 19, no matter that they were ranked last out of the four squads competing in the evening session.

"I think we kind of had a calm confidence to us that day," Zona said. "We just went in and kept attacking from beginning to end."

GW was the only team in the session, Zona noted proudly, that ran out during intros, and the energy just kept on building from there, spurred on by a cowbell-ringing cheering section that included well over 100 alumni.

In a difficult spot starting on beam, the Buff and Blue managed to get through that event without a fall and set the tone for what was ahead.

They proceeded to post 49.275 on floor, 49.075 on vault and another 49.075 on beam to finish. The leadoff performer in each event scored at least a 9.800, and they made it through the meet without counting any misses in a solid effort.

"There was nothing extravagant," said Chambliss, who claimed a pair of event titles en route to second-place finish in the all-around with a 39.475. "We didn't do anything different than we normally do. We just showed up and showed out."

When it was over, the Buff and Blue gymnasts were pleased with their performance but not certain how it stacked up with the field.

Zona and Chambliss were with a group recounting the effort with GW President Mark S. Wrighton when the overall team scores finally flashed in the arena. The conversation wrapped abruptly in the moment as the gymnasts dashed off to join the celebration.

As first-years in 2019, both were members of a team that fell .125 short in a runner-up finish at the EAGL meet. This time, the Buff and Blue were .250 clear of second-place Towson atop the eight-team field.

Reflecting their senior leaders, this GW group proved its championship mettle with its resilience, cool demeanor and unwavering focus.

"Just a very positive team with a very positive mentality," Foster-Cunningham said. "They kept striving the whole year."

Beyond the team success, the EAGL meet on podium in Foggy Bottom represented a showcase for the program that caught the attention of the gymnastics world at-large, the veteran coach said.

"It showed that we can do things that are very excellent," Foster-Cunningham said. "It put us in a really good spotlight, showing the commitment to our program. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who was involved, especially (Director of Athletics Tanya Vogel), for the support to put on a fabulous event like this."

While the Buff and Blue took great care to make it like any other meet, the gymnasts were ready in the merry aftermath to enjoy the party with their home crowd. There were smiles, hugs, cheers and yes, plenty of happy tears to remember for a lifetime.

"That's what I dreamed of the day I committed here," Zona said. "I wanted to be a conference champion, and I wanted my team to get there together. It meant the world to me to be able to do that."

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Deja Chambliss

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