University of Georgia Athletics
Noel Couch Blog: November 15
November 15, 2010 | Gymnastics
Nov. 15, 2010
Hey soul sister, how YOU doin'?! Mikayla Couch and Victoria Tanella were doin' just fine as they arrived in Athens on Friday, Nov. 5 to spend the weekend with their big sisters! UGA would never be the same! The week before the sisters arrived, the Gym Dogs had a floor intrasquad where we performed full floor routines for the first time this year. Cassidy McComb and I were commended for our aggressive, explosive routines. Overall, we were pleased with the performance, but noted the need for corrections and enhanced form execution.
The sisters began their whirlwind of a weekend by hanging out with us in the locker room before practice and then sitting up in the balcony watching practice. Afterwards, Mikayla even tried to imitate my new floor dance...let's just say she should "stick" to lacrosse! Mik is an AWESOME lax player. Speaking of lacrosse, I'd like to give a shout out to the DePaul Catholic High School (my alma mater) lax team that Mikayla is a captain of. They played a great tournament this past weekend and are gearing up for a winning season. Back to UGA...we enjoyed dinner as a team that night and followed it up by playing, none other than our favorite game, catch phrase. The Gym Dogs are really getting to be good at this game.
Before we knew it, it was SATURDAY IN ATHENS! We put on our finest red and black, did a little bit of tailgating, and made our way to the stadium to watch the Dawgs tee it up between the hedges. I taught Mikayla all the traditional cheers and it was neat for her to see in person all of the players she usually watches on TV. Her favorite Dawg on the field was Uga himself. She was convinced that she would snatch him up and take him home with her. Needless to say, the game and experience were a huge success. Later on, we hit up some shopping downtown and finished up with fro-yo.
Sunday morning, Shayla Worley, Christa Tanella, Kati Breazeal, Mikayla, Victoria and I met the Moore's for brunch. I had the strawberry pancakes, which may have just been the best one's I've ever had! We had a wonderful time and, as always, enjoyed chatting and laughing with them. Mikayla left that afternoon and was sad to go, which told me that she definitely had a great time here.
Now that the semester is coming to an end, we're all really giving a last big push to get in some final good grades and extra credit. Shay has gotten A's on her last two Accounting tests, one of those being a 100! Christa and I attended the Midterm Elections Conference held at the Georgia Center on Friday for extra credit, which we found to be very informative and interesting. Our seniors continue to set good examples in school with their study habits and hard work.
This past Thursday freshie Laura Moffatt and I attended the performance of The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee, which my hometown Jersey friend, the one-and-only, Stephanie Genito starred in. The play was entertaining and Stephanie and the cast were hilarious in their roles. I highly recommend going to see one of the performances. You will not be disappointed!
This past week in the gym we had intrasquads on vault, bars and beam. The intrasquads continue to be good markers for us to see where we're really at with our training and to put ourselves in a competitive situation and mindset. We finished up the week with a positive and spirited practice on Friday and afterwards attended the opening game of the men's basketball season. The boys were able to edge out Mississippi Valley State University in a close, nail-biting, high-adrenaline, heart-racing game. I was proud of and happy for the boys starting off the season with a win!
Saturday morning Cassidy, Mariel Box, Kati, Christa, Bekah Bennetts, Cat Hires and I attended the Special Olympics Annual Run. We ran and walked with the kids as they made their way on the 5k race. We had a lot of laughs as we made up handshakes with our race partners. Cass and I had the best handshake with our partners where we would clap hands together with them and then perform a combination hug and pat on the back as we say, "get the money!" needless to say it was a pretty epic morning. The Gym Dogs take part in various community services like this one throughout the year. We always enjoy connecting with and giving back to the community.
We have a VERY busy week coming up with it being the last week we're all in Athens before we can go home for Thanksgiving. Christa and I spent our Sunday night making tortellini with the gravy made when Mama Couch was here, finishing up some homework, and hanging out with our friend Scott, better known as "Fish" due to his last name being Haddock. Continue to keep up with our practices on YouTube and next time you check back with me we'll be "dreaming of a white Christmas!" To all my family, friends and fans I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
