What's New with our Gym Dog Alumni
September 02, 2002 | Gymnastics
Calling Gym Alumni
If you wish to be on the gymnastics alumni mailing list email..... Lisa Mobley
Please send your Gym Dog Alumni news for our web site to Karlene Lawrence or Lisa Mobley. You can call Lisa at 706-542-7934 or email Karlene at karlene@sports.uga.edu
2003-04 News
2002 News
Georgia Gymnasts Alumni Night, 1993 National Team Reunion, and Gym Dog 20th year celebration was held on the weekend on January 10-12
* All alumni coached by Suzanne were invited to participate in march out.
* Talya Vexler (1999-2002): Talya is still in school at Georgia and will graduate in May 2003 with a degree in Marketing.
* Eileen Diaz (1999-2002): Eileen is still in Athens, finishing up her degree at UGA.
* Brooke Andersen (1997-2000): After receiving her masters in Accounting at Georgia, Brooke is moved to Atlanta, Ga. and is working at an accounting firm in Dunwoody.
* Lori Strong Ballard (1993-1996): Lori is currently living in Mandeville, La. with her husband Steven Ballard, and their new baby girl, Sierra, who was born on Aug. 15, 2002.
* Hope Spivey Coburn (1991-1994): Hope married Everette Coburn on October 5, 2002, and now owns her own gymnastics club, Spivey's Gymnastics International, and is currently living in Bethlehem, Ga.
* Lisa Marie Collins (Alicea):(1990-1992): Lisa was married to Donnie Collins (a former UGA football player) on Sept. 18, 1993. Now they have two children, Joshua (born on Jan. 6, 1997) and Madeline (born on Sept. 9, 2002), and are all living in Knoxville, TN. Lisa is self-employed as a Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, and her husband, Donnie, is the Director of Finances with Institutional Jobbers.
* Corrinne Wright (1987-1990): Corrinne is living in Mt. Vernon, NY and works as the Assistant Commissioner for the Northeast Conference dealing in the area of compliance, championships and special events.
* Paula Maheu Whitley (1986-1989): Paula married husband Steve Whitley in October of 1992, and the two living in Cumming, Ga. with their two children, Brett (5) and Alex (3). Paula has one more on the way, and is due in February of 2003. With all of these youngsters, Paula works as a stay-at-home mom!
* Debbie Greco Meyerhoff (1986-1989): Debbie was married to Scott Meyerhoff in 2001, and the two recently had a baby boy, Alexander in May 2002. Debbie and her family reside in Dunwoody, Ga. and she works as a stay-at-home mom.
* Delene Darst: Delene currently lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, Giles, and works in Ministry Support with St. Andrew's United Methodist Church. She is also a gymnastics judge for USAG Jr. Olympic, and also coaches one night a week at a gymnastics club in Charlotte. Delene is also a proud grandmother of two boys, Zachary Thomas Darst (8) and Kial Chandler Darst (3).
* Terri (Eckert) Smith (1984-1987): Terri was Suzanne's first recruit at the University of Georgia back in 1984. Terri is now living in Alpharetta, Ga. with her husband and three children, Ryan (11), Hunter (7) and Ashley (4). * Terri owns her own computer software company that provides software to Extreme Sports Facilities.
* Stacy Cook Lacy (1982-1985): Stacey currently resides in Lawrenceville, Ga. and works for the Coca-Cola Company. She has two sons, Austin (9) and Steven (5).
* Lauren Reiff Parker (1982-1985): Laurie has been married to Michael Parker for 15 years, and they have two boys, Jason (11) who is an avid baseball all-star player, and Jared (8) who is also an avid baseball player. Laurie and her family live in East Cobb in Marietta, Ga. and she teaches tumbling to three and four year olds at Cobb YMCA and Children's Edge For Fitness.
* Donna Gay Mathis (1973-1975): Donna has been married to Milo Mathis since 1974, and the two reside in Cumming, Ga. They have three children, Mark, a UGA graduate in 1999, Matthew, a junior at the United States Naval Academy, and Megan, a sophomore at UGA. Donna teaches Spanish at Haynes Bridge Middle School where she was honored as the Teacher of the Year in 2002.
* Gwyneth M. Puckett (1973-1975): Gwyneth was married in 1976 to Ralph Puckett, and the two have two children, Courtney (12/30/82) who is a sophomore gymnast at Auburn, and Lindsey (4/27/87) who is a sophomore at Providence Christian Academy and is a Level 10 JO National Team Member in gymnastics. Gwyneth also teaches at Providence Christian Academy, Gwinnett Gymnastics Center in Lilburn, and at Gwyn's Heirlooms and Interiors.
* Lisa Collins (Alicea) and her husband, Donnie Collins, (a former UGA Football Player) had a baby girl on September 9, 2002. Madeline Renee has a big brother, Joshua Benton who is 6.
*Catching up with Kathleen Shrieves
*Jenni Beathard, a member of the 1998 and 1999 Championship Teams, graduated from UGA in May 2000. Then, on July 21, 2001, she was married to Scott Hudgens, and the two now live in Augusta, Ga. where Jenni is finishing up medical school. She will be graduating in May 2005 and hopes to start a residency in dermatology.
* Corrinne Wright was a member of the Gym Dog squad from 1986-1990, and a member of the 1987 and 1989 Championship Teams. After graduating from UGA in 1991, Corrinne then attended Law School and ultimately graduated in June of 1996. Then, she went into Athletic Administration. After living in four different states and five different cities, Corrinne is now settled in Mt. Vernon, New York, and works for the Northeast Conference in Somerset, New Jersey. There, she is the Assistant Commissioner and handles NCAA compliance issues, several conference championships, and other special events. In the future Corrinne hopes to become an Athletic Director at a Division I institution.
* Melissa DePaoli Johnson just had a baby boy, Hayden Alan Johnson, 9 lbs. and 12 oz. His big sister, Alex, just celebrated her two year birthday and is very excited about her new baby brother. The Johnson family is currently living in Durham, NC and Mark, Melissa's husband, is a head golf pro in Raleigh, NC.
* Jennifer Carbone, a member of the 1993 Championship team, was married in 2001 and is now Jennifer Carbone Zuccaro.
* Lori Strong Ballard had her first child, a girl, Sierra Ballard, on Aug. 15, 2002.
* Julie Ballard Clark and Jay Clark announce the birth of their first child, a son, Walton "Cole" Clark (pictured), on Aug. 15, 2002. Cole weighted 8 lbs. and 8 oz. Now Cole, (Julie's baby) and Sierra (Lori's baby) are cousins born on the same day.
* After Karin Usry (Lichey) graduated in December of 1999, she married Mike Usry, former quarterback for UGA, and the two moved to Tampa, Fla. Karin then finished her schooling in Tampa, working as an intern for Florida 2012, the organization biding for the 2012 Olympic Games. Then, Karin accepted a job with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce as the Sports and Area Council Manager. Karin worked there for over two years before she and husband Mike opened a smoothie bar, ,,Sweet River Blends /, inside a World Gym. Then, about one year later, the two decided to move back to Athens, Ga. Now, Karin in working at the Georgia Center as an event manager, and she and Mike have also just bought their first home here in Athens, so they are definitely here to stay!
* Kathleen Shrieves is working in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome as an intern, as a last requirement before she receives her masters in Sports Management.
* Suzanne Sears is currently living in Baltimore, Md. and is working at Sun Trust Bank.
* Former assistant coach, Jackie Estes, is expecting her second child, a girl this time!
* Sam Muhleman Brown opened her own gymnastics club, Georgia All American Gymnastics, in Jonesborrow, Ga. She hosted National Gymnastics Day there in 2002 and several current Gym Dogs were in attendance signing autographs.
* Kelly Roberson (Macy) had a baby girl in 2002 and named her Macy.
* Hope Spivey opened her own gymnastics club, Spivey International, in Wynder, Ga.
* Leah Brown, who currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio, recently began Medical School at Ohio State. Brown also accepted a scholarship from the U.S. Navy, and will subsequently practice medicine in the Navy for four years. She is currently applying for a residency position in Orthopedic Surgery. Brown also served as the volunteer coach for the women's gymnastics team at Ohio State, and would occasionally do the commentary for some of their competitions.
* After graduation, Kim Arenas (Arnold) married and moved to Milledgeville, Ga., where she lives with her husband, Pete, and two daughters, Isabel (3) and Elena (1). Kim is currently a stay-at-home mom and loving every minute of it. One day, when all the kids are in school, Kim would like start teaching, as she is certified to teach pre-K through fifth grade.
* A big "Welcome" to our newest member of the Gym Dog Alumni Family: Eileen Diaz, Talya Vexler, and Danielle Maurone. Talya and Eileen are still here in Athens finishing their degrees, and Danielle is currently in graduate school here in Athens, and is working as the graduate assistant in Suzanne Yoculan's office.
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