‘Show me what you got.’ This GymDog got her chance to shine in Arkansas

Megan Roberts had been working for weeks to compete in multiple gymnastics events for Georgia. Those efforts didn’t get any spotlight, nor did it result in a lineup change through a four-meet period. She improved quietly, and readied herself for a breakout moment.

She had nailed her one-and-a-half Yurchenko vault for three weeks. Her middle pass on floor routine also improved. Roberts, who has been battling an ankle injury at certain times, still pushed for more, GymDogs’ head coach Courtney Kupets Carter recounted in Arkansas.

“You aren’t counting me out, are you?” Roberts would ask the coaches.

“No,” Kupets Carter replied. “But show me what you got.”

On Friday night at Barnhill Arena in Arkansas, Roberts got her chance.

A second-year version of Roberts is a rejuvenated one — outgoing, powerful and potential to reach a level of dominance. Roberts doesn’t hesitate to speak up, and doesn’t wait to bring results, either.

Roberts competed in three events — vault, uneven bars and floor — in the GymDogs’ (5-5, 1-3 SEC) 196-950-196.675 loss to Arkansas (2-5, 2-2 SEC). Her one appearance on more than Roberts’ usual specialty of uneven bars came in the Critique Classic on Jan. 3.

The result shouldn’t be surprising, but instead a statement of emergence: 9.800 on vault and floor along with the routine 9.850 on bars (her teammate and close friend Abbey Ward celebrated by pumping her fists while running). Roberts has scored a 9.850 or higher on bars during four-consecutive meets.

“It’s all about confidence and coming out of her own skin,” senior Sabrina Vega said. “That shows the growing depth of our team. We still have someone who can hit and give us that score.”

Said Kupets Carter: “I’m just so proud of her. She shows how much work goes on behind the scenes for athletes who might not compete (on certain events) every week.”

The standout showing from Roberts served as an illustration of Georgia’s ability to perform well through adverse circumstances. There have been multiple obstacles for the GymDogs as they reached the midway benchmark of the regular season, but the biggest has come with injuries. Kupets Carter would rather be precautionary and “make sure they’re healthy when it’s most important,” referring to the postseason stretch which begins with SEC Championships on March 21.

Nonetheless, Georgia found itself in a bit of a bind. Freshman Amanda Cashman didn’t make the vault and floor lineups due to calf tightness. Sophomore Mikayla Magee was held out of the floor rotation in back-to-back weeks because of a lingering ankle injury. Vega is finding spots to rest and didn’t compete on vault due to a heel injury suffered earlier in the season.

Suddenly, the lineups looked vastly different. Kupets Carter had to make some of those decisions in a last-minute pinch, and felt like a road meet would present a better opportunity to tinker with things. Georgia’s result, below a 197, didn’t quite reach the lofty norm but provided a launching point in the team’s first true road meet of 2020.

Georgia had stuck dismounts on bars to set a successful tone. It struggled through vault but made progress while testing out the new-look lineup with multiple gymnasts performing different routines with higher start values. The GymDogs continued a rampant run on floor exercise, capped by Vega’s 9.950, and then finished the meet with a 9.925 on balance beam by freshman Haley de Jong.

“This performance continues to solidify that this is a great team,” Kupets Carter said. “To me, what they overcame through this competition is going to pay off for them when everyone is healthy to be a great team.”

Georgia calls these moments “curveballs,” and they’ve become a running joke within the practice gym. They received a twist two days ahead of the season opener with Rachel Dickson’s Achilles tear, and smaller ones have followed it. Along with the flurry of minor injuries, the GymDogs are also dealing with lower scores during road meets. They voiced frustration after a 196.300 at the Metroplex Challenge, and received a score .750 lower than it did after beating Auburn on Feb. 2. Many of the routines, however, had similar results.

But Vega reminds the GymDogs of singular improvements during each meet as the team’s coach-like leader.

“On paper, OK, we aren’t getting that 197-plus on the road, but this was a great push toward the high 197s,” Vega said. “It’s about slow and steady, and I’ve always told the girls you can’t run before you can walk.”

Georgia speaks repeatedly about its work in training. Those high-setting goals have begun to come true in the practice gym. After all, this season began with long hours of grueling mandatory practice in September, and steady progress has been seen since a seven-month grind began for the GymDogs.

There have been many days of drills, conditioning and intrasquad. Georgia has seen some results that haven’t yet translated onto the competition floor. The focus hasn’t been the scores, because that’s an uncontrollable factor, but the GymDogs have seen numerous stuck landings, a strong team camaraderie and success coming together.

“We know we are capable of greatness,” sophomore Rachael Lukacs said. “We have to start believing it. We need to show that confidence we have in training, because it’s there.”

Similarly with how the coaches entrusted Roberts, the GymDogs don’t want to be counted out. They’re preparing for a breakout moment.

They don’t think “great” is too strong of a label for what’s ahead, either.

“It’s all about their heart and fight,” Kupets Carter said. “They love gymnastics, truly love this team and each other. They want more and they’re not going to give up. That’s huge and why I believe they’re a great team.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 1:53 PM with the headline "‘Show me what you got.’ This GymDog got her chance to shine in Arkansas."