UA gymnast takes a vow

Aubrey Taylor — now Aubrey Kelly — was going to be married. Her husband, Jesse, proposed on Valentine's Day 2006, and the two set a July 29 date.

Ryden was happy for Taylor, but he was not so sure it was best for his gymnastics squad, which opens this season at Michigan State on Friday.

"Initially, I was kinda concerned," the UA coach said. "Was there going to be a separation of focus? I wasn't all that worried about her gymnastics suffering so much. I was worried about the social aspect, within the gym or whatever."

After all, Kelly was going to be one of his team's two seniors and was one of two to compete in last year's NCAA Championships. And Ryden had never had a gymnast get married while still competing.

Kelly could sense her coach's unease. After the proposal, she booked a meeting with Ryden and brought her parents along — "reinforcements," she joked — to try to calm her coach.

"It was probably the most uncomfortable conversation I've ever had, especially with a coach," she said. "I wanted him to know I was still 100 percent committed to the team. My priorities weren't going to change; I was here for gymnastics and for school. I had to reassure him, because I knew he had those doubts."

Those doubts, it turned out, were for naught. Kelly had the best fall session of any UA gymnast and will likely make her season debut at the all-around spot Friday.

"It hasn't affected her team participation at all," Ryden said. "She's been great."

Fellow Canadian and former roommate Danielle Hicks said, "She's so much more calm and a happier person overall."

That steadiness is what Ryden loves about the senior. She is the oldest gymnast on the team — Kelly turns 23 on Feb. 5 — and might be the oldest collegian Ryden has ever coached. With age comes the consistency of experience.

"I have absolute faith in her when we walk into a meet," he said. "Pressure's not gonna get to her. She can overcome injury, overcome drama. That's a very comforting feeling from a coach's standpoint."

Kelly grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and, as many Canadians do, went to a five-year high school.

"There's an advantage as far as experience goes," Kelly said. "As far as your body goes, it's a definite disadvantage. I can definitely feel the wear and tear everywhere.

"As soon as you get older, as soon as you get bigger …

"The prime age for a gymnast is 13."

The grind became apparent three years ago. As a freshman, Kelly did a standard vault; after a while, the severe arching of her back made it almost impossible to do correctly.

"She's 23; she's been doing this for 20 years," Ryden said. "Her back was saying, 'Enough.' if we let her keep vaulting, we were gonna lose her on everything."

After a year away from the vault, Kelly's coach taught her the Yurchenko vault. Named after Russian gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, the vault mandates a gymnast do a roundoff onto the springboard and a back handspring onto the horse, essentially going on backward.

The new vault is easier on Kelly's back. She learned it quickly last year, and was working on a hybrid vault this year — somewhere between her freshman vault and the Yurchenko — but it has since been scrapped.

"The ultimate vault last year wasn't great," Ryden said. "Her Yurchenko this year is much better than last year's."

If it's not good enough, Kelly will not vault. Ryden said he has "four 10.0 vaulters" sitting on the bench, depth that didn't seem possible last year, when the team had two open scholarships.

"In my 3 1/2 years here, I've never seen such depth," Kelly said. "It's almost reassuring, but at the same time it puts pressure on you."

Jesse never thought getting married before the season would be problematic.

"We had such a great relationship, so it wasn't even an obstacle," he said. "I know just life in general is better when we're together."

Ryden and his squad attended the 102-guest wedding over the summer. The gymnasts went to the football-themed reception, which was Kelly's idea, wearing homemade T-shirts with their names on the back and football helmets on the front. Friends and family wore jerseys and cheerleader outfits, and Kelly's father, Corbett, dressed as a referee. The garter was attached to a football before it got thrown across the room.

Members of the bridal party were introduced with their heights and weights, as at a football game. Jesse and Aubrey wore New York Giants jerseys with the words "Groom" and "Bride" on the back.

Kelly's teammates and coaches are supportive of her new life, but they know that now she has to make a new name for herself — literally.

By taking her husband's name, Kelly loses her name recognition with judges. In gymnastics — and other judged sports — reputation can play a role in how judges score events.

"I've built up this name for myself," Kelly said. "Now the judges are gonna be like, 'Who is this person?'

"I think I'll definitely surprise people. I think they'll recognize me. It might just take them a couple minutes."

*Conference meets Times subject to change

Friday at Michigan State 6 p.m.

Jan 21 at UCLA* 3 p.m.

Jan 26 Oregon State* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2 Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 at Washington* 8 p.m.

Feb. 16 Stanford* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 Arizona State* 7:30 p.m.

March 2 at California* 8:30 p.m.

March 9 at North Carolina St., 5 p.m. w/ James Madison, William & Mary

March 16 Penn State, Kentucky 7:30 p.m.

March 23 at BYU, w/ So. Utah 6 p.m.

March 31 Pac-10 Championships 5 p.m. at Tempe

April 14 NCAA Regionals 6 p.m. at Tucson

April 26-28 NCAA Championships noon / 6 p.m. at Salt Lake City