Williamsburg, Va. (January 20, 2010) - While the William and Mary men's gymnastics program has seen its fair share of success on the mats, having claimed 12 USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Titles, head coach Cliff Gauthier's program also strives to be a champion in the community as well.   This year is no exception; as the Tribe gymnasts sponsored a canned food drive that collected over 3,500 pounds of food and clothing for FISH, a Williamsburg-based, non-denominational charity.

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http://tribeathletics.com/files/mgym/2010/video/fish.html
 
"Being an athlete at William and Mary means so much more than competitions," noted Gauthier, who is entering his 37th season at the College.  "We really have some special student-athletes on this squad.  The guys took time off from a strenuous pre-season work out schedule to get out in the Williamsburg community.  I think they really bonded as a group and got the chance to make a big impact on an important charity."
 
The project was mostly executed over two weekends of work, the first of which included the canvassing of over 2,000 flyers explaining the mission of the drive throughout local Williamsburg neighborhoods.  It culminated last Sunday (January 17), when the team split back into groups and went to collect the goods.  
 
"This project was a great way for us to interact with the community we are going to members of for four years," said junior gymnast Max Sabert.  "When we came to collect the food, many of the people invited us into their homes and took time to get to know us a little bit and let us know they appreciated what it was we were doing."
 
The men's program is currently preparing to open its season this coming weekend, as it will travel to the Navy Open on Saturday (1/23) afternoon for a 2:00 pm start.
 
For those interested in supporting FISH and its mission statement of providing emergency help to residents of the greater Williamsburg area, call 757-220-9379.