AUBURN, Ala. – If you're a gymnastics coach filling out a lineup, it's always better to have too many deserving athletes than not enough.
Coach Jeff Graba's Auburn Tigers found themselves in that situation in the season-opening meet. Seven vaulters. Six spots.
That potential problem became an opportunity for an upperclassman to exhibit what Graba called "selfless leadership" and a sophomore to make her Auburn debut.
Before last Friday's North Carolina Tri Meet, Graba and assistant coaches Kurt Hettinger and Ashley Johnston huddled and agreed that sophomore Tara Walsh's warmup vaults merited a spot in the lineup.
To make room for Walsh, Auburn would need to remove Aria Brusch, costing the junior the opportunity she had earned to compete in the all-around.
Brusch brushed aside the news with grace, agreeing with Graba's decision to insert Walsh at Aria's expense.
When Johnston announced the lineup change, teammates applauded and hugged Walsh.
"It was very rewarding," Walsh said. "It was really sweet. Everyone came up afterwards and told me, 'You've earned it,' and, 'We've seen you work hard in the gym and you're getting rewarded for it.'
"I think every one of my teammates came up to me. It was a very touching moment. It made everything worth it."
Walsh rewarded her coaches' trust by scoring a 9.8 in her debut vault, helping Auburn clinch victory in the final rotation.
"That was my first time," she said. "The support just continued throughout the whole meet. Everybody ran over and was giving hugs again."
Graba's commitment to play the hot hand motivates the Tigers, who know their preparation can lead to participation.
"Everybody pushes each other in a way," Walsh said. "You're watching all of these amazing gymnasts go before you and you're trying to level up to that and earn your right in. It was very rewarding to get that validation that I earned that spot and I'm equal to those people I look up to in the gym."
That Brusch magnanimously handled the lineup change came as no surprise to Walsh or Graba.
"I don't expect anything different from Aria," Graba said. "That's who she is. She's all about team first."
"Aria's a really good leader in the gym every day," said Walsh, a law and justice major who's minoring in sports communication and plans to attend law school. "It's really cool to be on a team that's that deep and has that many athletes who can compete."
Competing in the remaining three events, Brusch scored a 9.8 on bars, a 9.85 on beam and a 9.75 on floor.
"I've been competing for three years and I know how much it means to me," Brusch said. "I was happy to let Tara, who's been working so hard in the gym, finally get the chance to show everybody what she's been working on. This is a team sport. We're not going to get anywhere without our team."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
