‘I still can’t believe it’: Emotions accompany abrupt end to GymDogs season
The sudden halt to the University of Georgia’s sports seasons caused lives to be uprooted and routines to be changed due to the COVID-19 spread that has the country on pause. This story is part of a series surrounding the effects of the cancellation on Georgia gymnastics.
Courtney Kupets Carter sat in the middle of her gymnastics bubble. There were a number of duties ahead of Georgia’s final regular-season meet, so her focus locked in on preparing her team for Missouri while taking time to recruit a 2022 class of GymDog newcomers.
Kupets Carter and her staff spent that Thursday afternoon — better known as March 11, 2020, the day that altered the entire sports landscape — on an airplane. They finished an early practice and had a checklist of recruiting to-dos. Georgia’s third-year head coach went about her day until a domino-like string of news began to unfold about the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it forced on sporting events. She had been aware of the virus worldwide and reminded her gymnasts to maintain optimal health and hygiene, but alterations seldom crossed Kupets Carter’s mind.
As the team’s director, she pondered on whether she had full grasp of the coronavirus’ effects. The changes accumulated rather quickly: Speculation on whether the NCAA would make tweaks turned into a conference-wide order to restrict fans from sporting events. And as we all know, it would only worsen.
“We always thought, ‘This isn’t going to change our approach. We’re going to keep working,’” Kupets Carter said on a conference call with reporters. “Our team had shown so much passion for the sport, so I was excited about that challenge. I knew they could handle no fans or sudden changes that took place.”
Meanwhile, the GymDogs were gathered for what would be one of their final group gatherings of the 2020 season. They were bedazzling sneakers in their comfortable Stegeman Coliseum confines as an activity to bid farewell to their three seniors — Sabrina Vega, Rachel Dickson and Jordyn Pedersen (student-coach). They waited for updates from their coaches but received news via television and social media before official word could even reach them.
All of a sudden, the final link that held the season’s chain together snapped. Georgia’s season (8-7, 2-5 SEC) ended abruptly and the curtain fell without conclusion or a chance to say goodbye for a trio who will never suit up as a GymDog again.
“There was so much more to give and we were ready for anything,” said sophomore Rachael Lukacs, who ended her season by tying her career-high all-around score at Alabama. “I still can’t believe this is happening. It is insane to think it has come to this.”
Those emotions took a while to set in. For many, those feelings of devastation haven’t been accepted nearly a month later. Once 9 a.m. came on the Friday following the news, however, Georgia had to address it as a team. The team’s lounge — a place known for heartwarming locker-room bonding time and raucous post-victory dance parties — became a place of solemn gathering.
Not much could be said because no words could justify it.
“We all hoped that someone would say, ‘This is a big joke. You do have a chance (to finish),’” Lukacs said. “We waited for that, but it soon hit us.”
There were tears shed. Maybe even a few voices raised. Nonetheless, Kupets Carter wanted her team to remember the positives. The GymDogs, finishing 12th nationally, had the utmost confidence from their coaching staff. Kupets Carter touted this as her favorite team through her tenure, and saw it as only a few strides away from shining in postseason competition. So, the words spoken on that day centered around positivity.
Each GymDog shared what they did well to their teammates. They each created three goals for the time away that coincided with their “Vision 2020” statements that were made prior to the season.
“It was a little bit numbing for everybody at first. It was hard to understand,” Kupets Carter said. “That was one way to provide some sort of closure.”
Added sophomore Rachel Baumann, a Plano, Texas native: “We had to pack everything up. We booked flights and went back home. It was over.”
The GymDogs’ season came with its share of adverse moments: Dickson’s Achilles’ tear before the season opener, freshman Amanda Cashman’s Achilles’ tear midseason, frequent frustrations and struggles on uneven bars, and a rash of minor injuries that forced last-minute lineup changes. After each one, Georgia had to think it couldn’t reach another extreme. A virus had other plans.
Georgia’s biggest heartache is for the three seniors. All of their teammates recognize the efforts of Dickson’s post-injury support, Vega competing all-around at 24 years old and Pedersen sticking with the program despite medically retiring in 2018. The GymDogs only hoped to see one last honorary goodbye or Vega to get one last shot at a 10.000 with her viral-worthy floor routine.
The NCAA did not honor an extra year of eligibility to athletes in winter sports (but did so for spring-sport athletes).
“I would want to change the scenario, but I do not have that power,” Kupets Carter said. “We’ve allowed them to grieve that loss. They’ve handled themselves well, but it’s going to take time.”
For those returning, it brings for meaningful reflection. The circumstances give another chance more value. Those gymnasts can’t wait to return to their own bubble.
“I am unbelievably grateful,” Lukacs said. “I get to go and attack while using this as motivation from having the postseason taken away. I want to keep this team on the uptick toward greatness.”
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Coming next: The series will continue with looking ahead to the offseason and what’s next for the GymDogs program, then analyzing the performances throughout the campaign. It will close by spotlighting Sabrina Vega and her time with the “moonwalk” tradition on balance beam.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 12:16 PM with the headline "‘I still can’t believe it’: Emotions accompany abrupt end to GymDogs season."