‘A ticking time bomb.’ What’s next for GymDogs after Rachel Dickson’s Achilles injury

Rachel Dickson suffered an Achilles tear last Wednesday during practice after feeling nagging pain near the tendon over recent weeks.

Dickson felt nerves after facing the issue at times throughout last season, but it never called for slowing down. Doctors didn’t see a tangible reason to drastically limit things.

Last Tuesday, Georgia coaches opted to limit her numbers (repetitions on each event) to make sure a flare-up didn’t occur. Dickson stole the show, however, on floor exercise. She did one test run of each pass, and the routine looked picturesque. With crisp technique and little flaw, thought of an Achilles issue subsided.

A day later, Dickson returned to the floor and the unthinkable happened. Her Achilles snapped. She lay in a helpless position before a team of staffers carried Dickson to the gymnastics training room. GymDog teammates Rachael Lukacs and Sabrina Vega, both in tears, watched on. Head coach Courtney Kupets Carter, who suffered two torn Achilles during her career, had the perfect angle and knew exactly what happened during Dickson’s pass.

“To me, it’s like a ticking time bomb,” Kupets Carter said. “You keep pulling away at it, and (the Achilles) is going to go. You can’t control that.”

Six days after the injury, Dickson moseyed around the practice gym in a knee scooter to support her teammates while sporting a pink cast. Dickson originally planned to undergo surgery for a torn Achilles Wednesday, but a worse-than-expected prognosis has led to a change in plans. Dickson also suffered a broken ankle, she told The Telegraph, and will see a specialist in Augusta for extensive surgery Friday.

Dickson remains devastated, yet hopeful for a successful operation. There’s still a decision to be made about potentially taking a medical redshirt and returning for the 2021 season, but Kupets Carter said it won’t be closely evaluated until recovery significantly progresses.

Each gymnast has a different set of pros and cons when deciding, and Kupets Carter remembers opting not to take the fifth year of eligibility. Dickson could feel as if there’s more to give to gymnastics, but also faces a quality of life factor — ability to effectively walk, run — with a significant operation looming.

Through one week of the regular season, Dickson is the sixth NCAA gymnast to face similar circumstances. There’s a certain commonality to suffering the Achilles injury in gymnastics, especially on the so-called pounding events — vault and floor — that are strenuous on the body. She joins Lena Greene (Oregon State), Katrina Coca (Pitt), Jerquavia Henderson (Iowa), Angel Zhong (BYU) and Talia Brovedani (Washington).

“You know that it’s a risk,” said former GymDog Gigi Marino, who suffered a torn Achilles during the first meet of her senior season at Alabama, in a phone interview. “Even though something is hurting, we want to keep going as competitors. We know it might increase the risk. That’s all part of it. We do so much to prevent injury, but it happens the way it’s supposed to. It’s devastating.”

Georgia had a moment of sadness, because Dickson’s role is key to team camaraderie. But the team had a scheduled intrasquad during the same practice that Dickson suffered the season-ending injury. So Kupets Carter gave her team a few moments to breathe, gather emotions and prepare for an important practice with the first meet only two days later.

“I knew, by seeing her training, she was going to shine,” Lukacs said. “It’s heartbreaking to see this taken away from her. I know God has big plans for her in the future.”

Shortly after intrasquad began, Dickson exited the training room and rejoined them. Each of the GymDogs heard her voice the loudest, and continued to practice without reserve. She traveled with the team to Orlando for the Critique Classic Invitational, and remained present while allowing her most-important qualities to shine.

“She thinks her gymnastics is the biggest contribution. It’s not,” Kupets Carter said. “These gymnasts respect and care for her so much. This is going to shape her, because Rachel’s character has been off the charts.”

After last Wednesday’s practice, Dickson tried to avoid her lone fellow senior — the emotional, caring Vega who calls herself the “momma bear.” They knew an interaction would lead to tears, but Vega knew it had to be done. They finally found each other, and two lifelong friends embraced. They’ve built a bond that’s incapable of faltering, and Vega said that she’d be at Dickson’s bedside after surgery whether she liked it or not.

“This is a tough pill to swallow. I still get choked up about it,” Vega said as her voice faltered. “She said ‘you have to stay strong.’ That was the turning point for me. Her believing in me gives me an extra oomph to do this (and) be there for the girls.”

Within an instant, Georgia had to adjust its strategy for an entire season that has hopes of advancing to the final evening of national championships. Dickson, an all-arounder for multiple seasons, served as the GymDogs’ rock during meets with consistent production. To open the season, Georgia opened with a 195.100 while finishing first in the Critique Classic Invitational without Dickson.

That’s not to the team’s standard, nor near it, but the GymDogs saw plenty of positives as they pieced together a Dickson-less lineup. Three freshmen competed on two events, Lukacs competed as an all-arounder and a few season-opening building blocks presented themselves.

Georgia opens its home slate against LSU on Friday night (7:30 p.m., SEC Network) and will likely have Lukacs and Vega competing as all-arounders. The freshmen, with the exception of bar specialist Loulie Hattaway, are competing to form a third all-around competitor.

Along with lineup construction, Georgia’s mentality shifts. The focus is team camaraderie, and not so much of a worry around the scores. A team dynamic is one of the controllables, Vega said, and the GymDogs must make continuing it a priority. Georgia won’t see Dickson in its lineups this season, but anticipate a loud presence in the team huddle.

“We have to have the purpose of doing it for her. That’s what she would want,” Lukacs said. “We give it all for her, this team and make her proud. That’s all we can do now. She’s still by our side and leading us through.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 6:52 PM with the headline "‘A ticking time bomb.’ What’s next for GymDogs after Rachel Dickson’s Achilles injury."