Florida gymnastics is staring down a massive challenge this Friday night-and head coach Jenny Rowland wants her team to have the memory of a goldfish.
Yes, really.
Coming off a tough road loss to Missouri, the fifth-ranked Gators are set to host top-ranked Oklahoma at the O’Connell Center in what’s shaping up to be their biggest meet of the season. And with the defending national champions rolling into town, there’s no room for lingering frustration or second-guessing. That’s where the goldfish mentality comes in-short memory, move on, and refocus.
“We’ve got to be a goldfish,” Rowland said. “Missouri was last Friday.
It’s in the past, and we can only learn and grow from it. We can either use that meet to tear us down, or we can use that meet to fuel our fire.”
The Gators are hoping it’s the latter.
Florida’s loss to Missouri wasn’t just unexpected-it exposed a concerning trend. While the Gators have looked sharp at home, their road performances have lagged behind.
At Auburn and Missouri, their scores were nearly a full point lower than what they’ve put up in Gainesville. That kind of home-road split isn’t unheard of in college gymnastics, but the gap is wider than Rowland would like.
Still, the head coach isn’t hitting the panic button. She pointed to the impact of Ly Bui’s injury at Auburn, which disrupted the lineup and may have rattled some of the younger gymnasts. Against Missouri, the Gators took a major hit on bars-an event where they’d previously ranked No. 1 in the country.
Rowland called it “just one bad event,” and emphasized that practice performances haven’t raised any red flags.
The coaching staff took time to regroup with the team on Monday, owning up to what Rowland described as a lack of “grittiness” in the Missouri meet. The Gators didn’t collapse after the rough bars rotation-they posted a 49.450 on beam and a 49.325 on floor-but those scores weren’t enough to claw back into contention.
Junior Alyssa Arana believes the issue is more mental than physical. In the gym, everything clicks. On the road, the dynamic changes.
“How we can best help each other mentally, because everyone needs something differently-whether that’s talking to someone else or being in their own bubbles,” Arana said. “I think it’s important week to week to go over that and see what it is that we can keep helping each other.”
And if there’s ever a time to reset and lock in, it’s now.
Florida isn’t just facing the top team in the nation-they’re doing it in front of a home crowd, under the lights of a nationally televised meet, and in support of something bigger than gymnastics. Friday marks the 20th annual “Link to Pink” meet, a powerful tradition that raises awareness for breast cancer and honors those affected by it.
It’s the highest-ranked Link to Pink meet Florida has hosted since 2014, when LSU came to town. And this year, it carries added meaning for Arana, whose aunt is a breast cancer survivor.
“I watched her keep a smile on her face and have such positive vibes, so that’s my motivation,” Arana said. “It helps me keep my emotions in place a little bit more because we have gymnastics to do.”
Rowland echoed that sentiment, reminding her team that they’re competing for something far greater than scores or standings.
“We’re doing gymnastics in support of something a lot bigger than us,” she said. “Do it for those fighters.
Do it for those survivors. And do it for those who did not win their battles.”
As for the challenge of facing Oklahoma? Rowland welcomes it. She likes when her team can lean into the underdog mentality-when the chatter is loud and the spotlight even brighter.
“I don’t mind the chatter, because I like to be like, ‘Oh, watch us,’” Rowland said. “We know what we’re capable of doing.”
Friday’s meet will be the first time Florida and Oklahoma face off in Gainesville as SEC opponents. The Gators hold a narrow edge in the all-time series at 19-17-1 and boast a dominant 11-1 record against the Sooners at home.
The stage is set. The stakes are high. And if Florida can channel that goldfish mindset, shake off the sting of Missouri, and find their fire in front of a home crowd, they might just remind everyone why they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
First rotation begins at 6:45 p.m. ET on ESPN2.