Cancun Sounds Like a Great Place To Be

Now I'm starting to figure this out. Iowa's women's gymnastics team is starting its season in a nice place this week--Cancun, Mexico. When the Hawkeye football team lost the Insight Bowl game to Oklahoma, 31-14, last week, I was wondering why Marc Hansen's employer, the Des Moines Register, didn't send him to Tempe, AZ, for the game. Now it's dawning on me. First of all, Ed Kelly e-mailed me from London, saying Hansen was on vacation until Jan. 10. [Even though the paper didn't send him to the Insight Bowl or the Iowa State-Rutgers game in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City, Marc wrote commentaries about both games without leaving Des Moines.] With all of the information I have now, I'm betting my friend Marc is spending part of his vacation in Cancun. His daughter, Jessa, is an outstanding senior on the Hawkeye gym team, so I'll bet [at least I'm hoping] most of the family is heading to, or in, Cancun. The team left for Cancun yesterday, Thursday is called a "training day" for a team that's called the "Gym Hawks" and the competition starts Friday. Jessa Hansen was an all-Big Ten first team gymnast last season. This is what the Iowa publicity department says about her: "One of six Hawkeyes to compete in all 14 meets [last season]... first team all-Big Ten selection... won six event titles, including four on floor... set career bests on all four events, plus the all-around... led the team on floor with career mark of 9.950, winning the event title against Iowa State... posted a personal best of 9.875 on bars at NC State, winning the event title... placed second on beam against Denver with a career high of 9.875... recorded a career mark of 9.850 on vault to tie for fourth versus Denver... set third career mark against Denver in the all-around (39.425) for a second place finish... Academic all-Big Ten selection... Big Ten Sportsmanship Award nominee." The amazing thing about Jessa, who is from Waukee, is that she's done so well at the collegiate level even though there is no high school gymnastics program in the state of Iowa. Good luck to Jessa and the rest of the Hawkeyes in Cancun. And, Marc, I hope you get a few rays from that Cancun sun. I'm guessing you won't have to spend all of your time indoors.