Alabama gymnasts will defend home court in NCAA championships

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - The Alabama gymnastics team has made competing for NCAA championships an annual ritual. They didn&#39;t want to blow it this time. <br> <br> The Crimson Tide brushed off that concern with a season-high 197.90 at last weekend&#39;s NCAA regionals in Morgantown, W. Va., to earn a spot at next week&#39;s championships at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. <br> <br> ``Nobody wants to host a party and not be invited,&#39;&#39; coach Sarah Patterson said. <br> <br> Instead, Alabama will make its 20th consecutive championship trip a short one coming off its fourth best team score. The Tide posted the highest score of any regional team for the second straight year. <br> <br> Patterson said the hardest part is over: Qualifying. <br> <br> ``There are intangibles that you have no control over,&#39;&#39; she said. ``And I think that until you have qualified and you know, I don&#39;t think you can ever really relax and enjoy it. <br> <br> ``I think that from this point on, I want the ladies to relax and enjoy this experience, because it doesn&#39;t matter if they&#39;re a freshman or a senior, this is their one opportunity to do it at home.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Tide hosted the meet twice before, coming away with the titles in both 1991 and 1996. They haven&#39;t finished higher than third since, but have more than the home court advantage going for them this time. <br> <br> Alabama set an NCAA balance beam record of 49.75 in Morgantown, an impressive turnaround in the event that narrowly cost them the Southeastern Conference championship. <br> <br> Plus, Andree&#39; Pickens, a three-time SEC Gymnast of the Year and a nine-time All-American, is back healthy. She tore her left Achilles tendon a few days before the championship last year, but the team still finished fourth. <br> <br> Alabama also has history on its side. This will be the 18th time a host team has competed in the championships, and the home cooking has been good for seven titles so far. <br> <br> ``Our whole theme was &#39;On the Road Back to Tuscaloosa&#39; and it was really exciting to know that we were going to be able to compete at home,&#39;&#39; senior Natalie Barrington said.