The 2021 NCAA gymnastics season is finally here.
One long national nightmare is over, anyway.
This Friday, the Florida Gators team is in Auburn, set to open a season that, thanks to COVID-19, is abbreviated, with teams only competing within the SEC to reduce travel. One thing will be familiar, at least in a sense: For the first time during Jenny Rowland’s tenure as head coach, the Gators start the season ranked No. 1, just edging out the Oklahoma Sooners, where they perched to finish last year’s COVID-shortened season.
The rest is going to be strange.