How Rachael Lukacs, an overthinking all-arounder, found her confidence for GymDogs
It had been a few weeks since Rachael Lukacs competed on balance beam. All of her coaches and teammates knew it, too.
She botched her dance, then landed her dismount and returned to the GymDogs huddle with some hugs and smiles. Georgia head coach Courtney Kupets Carter couldn’t help but laugh. She embraced Lukacs twice, too, after the sophomore tied her season-high on balance beam with a 9.825 in Saturday’s loss at Alabama.
“Sorry I’m laughing at you,” Kupets Carter said, “but what are you doing?”
“I was so in the moment that I didn’t know what to do,” Lukacs later recalled. “I forgot what I was doing for a minute.”
Such a miscue served as a fitting — and rather funny — way to end a meet of unique circumstances for Georgia. Lukacs looked back and laughed at her blunder, because it capped off an evening full of successes. She walked out of Coleman Coliseum with an all-around score of 39.375, tying a career-best mark set Jan. 10 vs. LSU.
From the moment Lukacs debuted as a freshman at Georgia, she showed power. Her talent flashed and created a high ceiling for Lukacs to become the next GymDog star. Her performances on floor and vault have always been consistent and dynamic — to the extent of serving as the team’s young centerpiece on those events.
A year of experience brought another challenge to Lukacs, a gymnast who doesn’t hide her emotions and sometimes wrestles with a lack of confidence. Georgia asked the sophomore to compete on all four events. Lukacs would see success in training on uneven bars and balance beam, but frustrations occurred when it didn’t translate to competition.
“I can relate to her on that at a really high level,” said senior Sabrina Vega, who led the team with a 39.400 all-around score. “We are both perfectionist-minded. If it’s not right the first time, we’re going to internalize and try to figure that out. I’ve been in her shoes, and I can serve as that mentor and remind her not to overthink.”
Kupets Carter made a late-season adjustment — cut down Lukacs’ load. After a two-week hiatus, Lukacs looked different and “in her element,” as her head coach put it, during her return to an all-around load.
“I went after everything, stayed in my zone and tried to keep energy throughout the team,” Lukacs said. “I gained more confidence out there this week.”
Lukacs could’ve also had a turning point last week, because her focus came away from the gym. She had a sickness appear with some stuffiness and a sore throat and had to shift her approach. Lukacs had to worry about getting better, and she had a chance to rejuvenate.
Georgia’s season has been lengthy with mandatory practices beginning in September and a stretch of 10 regular-season meets to follow. The breather could’ve come at an ideal time for the GymDogs, because they’ll gladly accept Lukacs finding her momentum with the postseason stretch looming.
“She takes a lot on herself, but is so powerful and talented,” Kupets Carter said. “It was different for me to watch her (Saturday), because she was in her element. It’s nice to see that (version of) Rachel come out and be the big player that this team needs.”
A dynamic version of Lukacs could be the one that drives the GymDogs’ success. There’s capability for strong scores on four events, and the sophomore knows it. She’s ready to chase it.
Even if it includes a blooper-like laugh on balance beam.
“I have been trying to work to gain that strength and confidence,” Lukacs said. “I want to own what I do. Not just go do it, but have purpose behind it.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 8:23 AM with the headline "How Rachael Lukacs, an overthinking all-arounder, found her confidence for GymDogs."