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WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
The Red & Black | Tuesday, November 7, 2006 | 3
Winter Sports Preview 2006
SPECIAL FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT
Gymnastics
Gym Dogs shoot for third straight national title
FILE | The Red & Black
A Sophomore Courtney Kupets performs a routine on the balance beam during last season. Kupets went on to win
NCAA National Titles in the beam, the uneven bars and the all-around.
By MEGAN HARRISON
mharrison@randb.com
It’s a new season with a
new team, but its the same
goal for the Gym Dogs — get
ting to the Super Six and
then trying for a third
straight National
Championship.
But with the finals more
than five months away, the
championship is not some
thing that is in the front of
the Gym Dogs’ minds.
“Winning a national title is
a process, and it’s too early to
predict,” head coach Suzanne
Yoculan said.
Right now, the gymnasts
are working on getting their
routines together and prepar
ing for the regular season.
“We are taking it one day,
one month, one meet at a
time,” junior Katie Heenan
said.
“We are trying not to focus
on that,” senior Kelsey
Ericksen added.
And the upcoming season
has some new things in store
for spectators — new girls
and new routines.
“We have amazing and
beautiful beam workers,” sen
ior Ashley Kupets said.
Kupets added that this
year’s floor exercise routine is
exciting and everyone is
enjoying it, more so than last
year.
And that means the Gym
Dog team is spending all of
its time in the gym working-
on routines.
This is the time when all of
the routines and tumbling
passes are put together, and
the gymnasts have to get it
right.
“November is the hard
part,” sophomore Tiffany
Tolnay said.
And this is the season of
the Gym Dogs according to
some.
Brittany Smith, who grad
uated, is the only starter not
returning, while the team
gained six freshmen —
including another Olympian
and U.S. Elite National gym
nast in Courtney McCool.
This team may have more
talent than any other Georgia
team has had to defend their
National and SEC
Championships.
“We definitely have targets
on our back,” Heenan said.
But that is what happens
when a team goes undefeated
the year before and wins its
second straight National
Championship.
But Yoculan does not
seem to be intimidated, say
ing this is the way that the
Gym Dogs operate.
Yoculan does know that
the team will be in contention
for a third straight title and it
has the hardest schedule in
the country again, citing
home meets with Alabama,
Utah and Florida.
Another thing that
Yoculan knows is how hard
the team works to get back to
the National Championship.
Sophomores Courtney
Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay
stayed in Athens over the
summer to work hard and
make improvements to
upgrade their skills, Yoculan
said.
The coach also said that
the team has a great combi
nation of power, finesse and
strength, and the six fresh
men have helped.
Yoculan said that the new
gymnasts have brought dif
ferent strengths and skills to
the team that will add to
overall success and to the
team chemistry.
Courtney Kupets said
that the freshmen
bring a new energy to the
team, saying that
last year it was “fun-serious
energy,” but this year
there are more inside
jokes and the freshmen are
more outspoken than last
year.
Ashley Kupets sees the
freshmen as more depth to
the team.
“We have 14 girls practic
ing beam — that’s a lot,” she
said.
Yoculan said that the team
will be prepared for the sea
son.
Now the gymnasts just
have to get through
November.
“We have to have all our
routines done by the time
break comes around,” Tolnay
said, adding that each gym
nast was going though her
new routines and skills this
month.
The elder Kupets said that
this is the time to be getting
back in shape for the up com
ing season.
Name: Katie
Heenan
Event: All-around
Class: Junior
Hometown:
South Riding, Va.
Key stat from
last year:
Finished third nationally in the floor
exercise and ninth on balance beam.
Outlook/role this year: Has been
placed into a leadership role in guid
ing the younger members of the
team, a role she enjoys.
Interesting fact: Likes to bake things
from scratch - makes amazing
chocolate chip cookie dough cheese
cake, according to teammate Audrey
Bowers.
Name: Courtney
McCool
Event: Balance
beam and Floor
exercise
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Lee’s
Summit, Mo.
Key stat from last year: Did not com
pete while recovering from wrist
injuries
Outlook/role this year: As a fresh
man, looks to guide the team and step
out and show people what she and
Georgia can do.
Interesting fact: McCool is an amaz
ing dancer who has choreographed
dance moves for herself and others on
the team.
Name: Courtney
Kupets
Event: All-around
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Athens
Key stat from
last year: Kupets won the NCAA
Championship titles in the all-around,
uneven bars and beam last year.
Outlook/role this year: Hopes to
become a team member people can
look up to and go to for advice.
Interesting fact: Enjoys taking ingre
dients from the kitchen and making
“creations” and then having everyone
eat them. The worst has been Rice
Krispie Treats with Laffy Taffy.
Name: Kelsey
Ericksen
Event: All-
around
Class: Senior
Hometown:
Cincinnati,
Ohio
Key stat from last year: Ericksen
won the SEC Championship titles in
the all-around, vault, bars and floor
exercise.
Outlook/role this year: Ericksen
knows that she has not peaked yet
and wants to make the most out of
her senior season.
Interesting fact: Loves animals and
hopes to join the University's vet-med
program next year.
Name: Ashley
Kupets
Event: All-
around
Class: Senior
Hometown:
Athens
Key stat from
last year: Competed in three events
on both days on NCAA champi
onships and scored a 9.9 on the floor
exercise in the Super Six.
Outlook/role this year: The senior
obviously wants the team to be a
huge success and wants to go out
with a bang.
Interesting fact: Obsessed with fash
ion and has tons of pairs of shoes.
Name: Tiffany
Tolnay
Event: All-
around
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Grapevine,
Texas
Key stat from last year: Placed
fourth in the NCAA Championship all-
around
Outlook/role this year: Looks to
continue to contribute to the team
and help win the third straight
title.
Interesting fact: Likes to eat shrimp
and tilapia and claims, “I’m a seafood
girl.”
Head Coach: Suzanne Yoculan (24th
season)
Last year’s record: 36-0-0. This is the
fourth undefeated season for the pro
gram, while no other program has ever
done it.
Last year’s finish: 1st SEC, 1st NCAA
Key Loss: Brittany Smith
Three key meets: Utah, Alabama, Florida (all at
home)
They said it: “What I can guarantee is that we will be
in the Super Six (the final meet for the NCAA
Championship). We will be in contention.” - Yoculan
Changes to the meet: The floor set-up at Stegeman
has been reconfigured to add 273 seats that are clos
er to the floor for more entertainment.
Tickets: Season tickets for students are now on sale,
or individual tickets are for sale prior to the meet.
Interesting fact: A thousand more season tickets
have already been sold than last year.
Name: Paige Burns
Event: Vault, uneven bars,
balance beam
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: St. Cloud, Fla.
Name: Audrey Bowers
Event: Uneven bars, balance
beam, floor exercise
Year: Junior
Hometown: Lilburn
Name: Megan Dowlen
Event: Vault, uneven bars, bal
ance beam
Year: Junior
Hometown: Rowlett, Texas
Name: Christi Fortunato
Event: Vault, balance beam,
floor exercise
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Martinez
Name: Marcia Newby
Event: All-around
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Virginia Beach,
Va.
Name: Lauren Johnson
Event: Vault, floor exercise
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Cartersville
Name: Adrienne Dishman
Event: Vault and uneven bars
Year: Senior
Hometown: Athens
Name: Abby Stack
Event: All-around
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Matthews
Sneak-a-peek:
Sneak-a-peek is the first chance for people to see the
Gym Dogs in full action before the season begins.
The event this year will take place Dec. 10 at
Ramsey.
Season Opener
Jan. 6 against Stanford
4 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum
Televised on CSS
Name: Lauren Sessler
Event: Vault, uneven bars,
floor exercise
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Snellville
Name: Nikki Childs
Event: Uneven bars, balance
beam, floor exercise
Year: Junior
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Name: Grace Taylor
Event: All-around
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Aiken, S.C.