New look for the blog. Do we like it? I’m not sure yet. I think it’s more readable than before but is also maybe a little template-y and sterile, like a blog about orthodontics where orthodontists can say, “Oh, don’t you hate when braces do that?” We’ll see how it goes.

It’s September, which means the preseason is rearing its head all over the place. We’re getting schedules and updated rosters and hearing the news that Cassie Whitcomb unsurprisingly took a medical retirement. At her strongest, Whitcomb had some ideal Mary Lee Tracy handstands (flat hips!), so when she couldn’t hit any handstands in exhibition routines last season, it became clear that her chronic back injury would not allow her to compete at this level. As a result, Kaelie Baer appears to have received a magic year.

Most of the top teams have now released their 2013 schedules, and I have compiled them here to give us a single handy resource for planning and reference purposes. [Edit: All the top teams have now released their schedules, so let’s give a round of applause.]

Georgia has a characteristically packed schedule, but this year it includes no weeks off during the regular season. The first weekend off will be the bye week between SECs and Regionals. That always makes me nervous. Durante will have to be farsighted in her lineup strategy to protect against injury, especially with her frail elites like Worley and Davis. 

Stanford once again is barely competing. Last season, the Cardinal didn’t even register on the quality radar until Pac-12s and didn’t even settle on final lineups until the day of Super Six, but maybe there’s something to that. The team peaked at the right time, that’s for sure.  

The SEC teams always have the most difficult schedules out of conference necessity, but Georgia and Alabama stand out this season as having the most challenging roads. The only potentially soft meets for either of those teams are the conference meets against Kentucky and Missouri (as well as Georgia’s meet against NC State).

2013 NCAA Schedule