The crowd might be smaller, but the matchup is as big as ever.

Electricity is in the air at the Pyle Family Gymnastics Facility as the ISU gymnastics team prepares to host in-state rival Iowa. It’s the decades-old rivalry between the state’s two largest schools, and the Cyclones are excited that it’s finally that time of the season.

“Gymnastics is our world, it’s what we do,” said ISU coach Jay Ronayne . “When it comes time to take on Iowa, that’s a big deal to a lot of people in the state and an even bigger deal to us. This meet isn’t just exciting for gymnastics fans, it’s exciting for Cyclone fans.”

Though no gymnasts on Iowa State’s roster call Iowa their home state, Ronayne said it typically doesn’t take long for the newcomers to get into the rivalry.

“When they’re first on campus it’s usually a recruiting trip in the fall,” Ronayne said. “They might get a chance to catch a game and get a feel for the atmosphere of the athletics here. Then when they get here as students and that Iowa [football] game is just a few weeks into classes, they get a real sense of what this rivalry means.”

Senior Camille Santerre-Gervais, who hails from St.-Lazare, Quebec, conceded that she had never heard of the rivalry before she came to Iowa State. Four years later, however, it’s a meet she constantly looks forward to.

“I’ve really learned to love it,” Santerre-Gervais said of the Cy-Hawk match-up. “We obviously have rivalries in Canada that we cheer for, but having the chance to compete in it and even win it is great.”

A win against the Hawkeyes would also go a long way toward helping Iowa State seal up a victory in the Cy-Hawk Series, in which the Cyclones currently hold an 11-10 lead. That’s just another reason for the team to go out and give it their all, said senior Henrietta Green.

“The rivalry with Iowa is definitely huge, and the Cy-Hawk Series rests in our hands, along with softball,” Green said. “It was the same situation two years ago, and we were able to go out there and get it for the school. It’s a good feeling to know we have a chance to do it again this year.”

Those chances of sealing the deal are looking better than they were just a week ago. After an injury left the Cyclones short one competitor on bars, the ISU gymnastics team was forced to count every mistake it made.

Last weekend at Minnesota, senior All-American Michelle Shealy made her season debut on the bars. Shealy is coming off of an injury of her own, but Ronayne thinks she is good to round out the bars lineup against Iowa.

“I knew I really wanted her in there for the Iowa meet, but that she needed some meet experience before that,” Ronayne said. “She only had one full practice routine before Minnesota and we saw she wasn’t quite ready, but she’s working this week. I’m optimistic that she will be in versus Iowa.”

Santerre-Gervais said that although a variety of factors will play into how the meet on March 7 with Iowa unfolds, a little Hilton Magic will go a long way.

“We always do really well at home against them, and the energy is so great,” Santerre-Gervais said. “Iowa is so close, too, so their fans will come and add to that atmosphere. It’s in our territory though, so it really is a boost of motivation to just go out there and kick their butts.”