Why GymDogs didn’t lose confidence despite ‘fluke’ on bars, low score at Alabama
Georgia felt loose as it readied for Saturday’s top-10 showdown with historic rival Alabama. Through its final warm-up rotation, smiles and sharp balance beam routines were aplenty.
In many regards, the GymDogs felt more confident than usual after a strong week of training.
Sabrina Vega, soaking in each moment of her senior campaign, had the dance moves when on the beam and while watching to the side. She strutted to the country music floor mashup of “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama. Sophomore floor specialist Sterlyn Austin joined in when the pace hurried to the tune of “Watch Me” by Silento.
The mood comes from optimism after a lull against Florida. The GymDogs had reason for it because they knew of the progress made inside the training facility. Motivational messages were posted in the gym throughout the week with tips on team unity and a mention of “Mamba Mentality” in tribute of the late Kobe Bryant — all intended for the gymnasts to maximize performance. Head coach Courtney Kupets Carter said the Florida meet was the right time to have an off day without a “disaster” (or fall) and to analyze mistakes.
Georgia walked into Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum with an eagerness to rebound and perform along the lines of its last road meet — a 197.050 and win at Kentucky. Once the GymDogs opened the meet on uneven bars, however, the aforementioned disaster happened.
Haley De Jong and Marissa Oakley fell on the apparatus in succession. De Jong had a solid routine, then the error came on her dismount and led to a 9.000 score. Oakley followed, and a lingering shoulder injury re-appeared when getting caught on her release move. She spoke with athletic trainer Doug Contaoi after finishing the routine and was later replaced on balance beam. Kupets Carter wasn’t sure if the injury to Oakley is long term.
“That’s the sport and it’s really difficult,” Vega said. “Things happen.”
Consequently, No. 10 Georgia (8-7, 2-5 SEC) had to count De Jong’s fall and dropped its final road meet to No. 9 Alabama, 197.450 to 196.050. The GymDogs could’ve had an overall team score mirroring the season-high road mark if not for the fall. Instead, Georgia finished with its second-lowest score, topping only the 195.100 to open the season.
“There were so many random moments,” Kupets Carter said. “Those (the falls in succession) were really just flukes. It happens. This isn’t indicative of everything we’ve been working on. They all happened on the same day.”
Georgia’s score on uneven bars (48.225) was also its lowest since Jan. 10 (a 48.150 against LSU), and the GymDogs posted a score between 48.800 and 49.300 in seven meets to follow. There had been plenty of progress on the event, but lineup changes and adverse moments have delayed the proverbial light-bulb moment. Seemingly, once the team gains traction with a consistent lineup, a change occurs and an issue with depth appears.
Frankly, Georgia didn’t see its uneven bars lineup forming like it has. Kupets Carter envisioned a trio of Alexa Al-Hameed (an award-winning specialist as a freshman), Emily Schild and Rachel Dickson leading the rotation. Due to injury or other circumstance, none of those gymnasts are currently competing. Instead, a group of freshmen — De Jong, Amanda Cashman (before her torn Achilles ahead of the Feb. 14 meet) and Loulie Hattaway — have been forced into action.
“We’ve been doing the best we can,” said sophomore Rachael Lukacs, who tied her season-best all-around score with a 39.375. “We know these things are going on, but we don’t let it get to us. We move forward and take that next step.”
Georgia took this meet as a learning experience. It didn’t want to barely eclipse a 196.000 mark with only one regular-season meet remaining. Its hope would be to inch closer to a 198.000, but Saturday’s loss won’t factor into the team’s National Qualifying Score (NQS). The metric, which decides seeding and location assignments for the NCAA regionals (April 2-4), includes the six highest scores of the season — three of which must be away from home — and dropping the highest one. For the Alabama meet to factor in, the GymDogs would’ve had to score higher than a 196.300, but their NQS remains at a 196.900.
A chance to quickly regroup became paramount because Georgia had to create positives in order to maintain confidence. A quick turn to the GymDogs’ strengths — balance beam and floor exercise — filled that need. Georgia scored three 9.900s on the event (Vega on floor, Lukacs on floor and Rachel Baumann on beam) and suddenly things felt normal again.
“They fought through and had so much passion,” Kupets Carter said. “This team has so much in them. I have so much faith in what it’s going to bring for us.”
Said Lukacs: “We have to be grateful to be out here. We learn from it by knowing that we finished strong on the last two events. We attacked them and let it all happen.”
Once Georgia made its way to balance beam, where the original looseness was displayed, the team’s jovial reassurance in itself returned. Freshman Soraya Hawthorne, Oakley’s replacement, performed well in a pinch and received an upbeat embrace from her coach. Dickson continued with her encouraging ways (her voice could be heard above all of the other GymDogs), and Kupets Carter shared a laugh with Lukacs after the sophomore’s dance on the apparatus went awry.
Make no mistake, Georgia had moments of discouragement after falling well short to the Crimson Tide. It knows of the standard, and such a score on Saturday doesn’t match it. In the same breath, however, the GymDogs’ mantra didn’t change.
They still believe in what lies ahead — prosperity.
“It’s not the end of the world. We’re going to fix the little things here and there,” Vega said. “We’re going to come back stronger next week. It’s important to know that this doesn’t define us.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Why GymDogs didn’t lose confidence despite ‘fluke’ on bars, low score at Alabama."