TUSCALOOSA -- There are constants in gymnastics, and there are variables.
Constants include lost footing on the balance beam, missteps on the floor exercise, shuffling feet on vault landings. Not that these are constant problems for an Alabama team that is seeded No. 1 in the NCAA Championships, which start today in Cleveland.
Variables include footwear. Alabama coach Sarah Patterson can't control everything, but she could tell her athletes what they could and could not wear to a banquet Thursday night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"How many coaches tell their athletes, 'Do not wear heels'?" Patterson said. "You try to control what you can control. ... Look nice. We've got to meet the standards, but don't wear 5-inch heels. I don't want someone to fall off of them."
The second-ranked Crimson Tide didn't have to be in pumps to be pumped for the year's biggest meet. Patterson is bidding for her fifth national title in 33 years at Alabama.
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