University of Georgia Athletics
Inside The Rivalry: Gym Dogs vs. Kentucky
February 04, 2010 | Gymnastics
By Kevin Copp
If the Gym Dogs can take away a lesson from last week's upset loss on the road against No. 15 Auburn, it's that series history matters little in determining the outcome of a meet.
Before Friday's 195.225-194.900 loss on the plains, the Gym Dogs sported a perfect 64-0 record against the Tigers. With the win, Auburn became just the 19th different program (and 16th active program) to record a win against Georgia.
Georgia sports an identical 64-0 mark against Kentucky entering Friday's meet, but the squad hopes the storyline's parallels end there.
"I think it hurt them," head coach Jay Clark said of the loss to Auburn. "I think it stung them. I think it snuck up on them and surprised them and bit them a little bit. But nobody's panicked here. It's not the way we've envisioned it, but we haven't reached the defining moment that's going to dictate our season."
A loss to No. 11 Kentucky would not define Georgia's season either, but it would become a dubious footnote for this team to be the first Gym Dogs squad to lose to the Wildcats.
"Of course, at Georgia, you keep records, you build legacies, you go back and you want to fight for those legacies that have been made," senior Courtney McCool said. "We kind of roughed one up last week, and we don't want to do that again this week, but we're focused on what we're going to do right this week."
One thing that the Gym Dogs do have going for them Friday is a return to the sorely missed Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia opened its season there with a win over then-No. 7 Stanford on January 9th and has not been back since.
"I didn't realize the difference home and away would make until I went home and then three away meets," freshman Shayla Worley said. "It really does make a difference in the energy level and everybody's excitement. To finally be home again, everybody's just stoked to come out in front of our own fans."
In addition to its series streak against Kentucky, the Gym Dogs are putting another streak on the line Friday – home wins. Georgia has not dropped a regular-season contest on its home floor since a 197.025-196.175 loss to Alabama on February 18, 2005. Since that time, the Gym Dogs have rattled off 28 consecutive meets without a loss (counting a tie vs. No. 1 Florida in 2007).
McCool is part of a senior class trying to become the just the third group of seniors (1999 and 2009) to finish their career with a perfect record in Stegeman Coliseum.
"The fact that we haven't lost at home doesn't change the fact that we're out there to win," McCool said. "It doesn't pressure us into thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, what if we lose?' Because we really have nothing to lose at this point."
The Gym Dogs may have nothing to lose Friday, but Kentucky stands on the precipice of a milestone win for its program. The Gym Dogs (No. 9) and Wildcats (No. 11) are closer in the rankings as they have ever been for a regular season meet.
This week marks Kentucky's highest ranking since February 24, 1998, when the Wildcats were ranked No. 8. Two weeks later, that Kentucky team was eviscerated by 10.025 points by a Gym Dogs squad on its way to an undefeated season and NCAA Championship.
"I think its great for the SEC when all the programs are doing well," Clark said. "I think its great for our sport and our conference. I feel that Kentucky has always had the potential to put competitive teams out on the floor, and certainly they've got one now."
An interesting subplot of these two schools is that they are the alma maters of quite possibly the two greatest collegiate gymnasts in the sport's history – Kentucky's Jenny Hansen and Georgia's Courtney Kupets.
Hansen won eight individual NCAA Championships from 1993-95, a mark that stood alone until Kupets finished her career with nine, despite missing the 2008 NCAA Championship due to injury. Kupets was the recipient of the Honda Broderick Cup in 2009, given annually to the top women's amateur athlete in the nation. Hansen won that award in 1994.
One area in which Kupets holds a decided advantage is team NCAA Titles – four to Hansen's none. Kentucky has never advanced to the preliminary round of the NCAA Championships, but at No. 11 in the polls, this may be the Wildcats best chance in more than a decade.
"We're not in a position where we shouldn't be surprised by anyone right now," Clark said. "The biggest surprise hasn't been other teams. Our surprise has been us. We know that teams are good and they want to beat us. When you've been the bully on the block for a long time, people want to take you out."
Georgia tries to avoid their first four-meet skid since 2005 against the Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday. Check out georgiadogs.com for live video coverage as part of Meet Central presented by Athens Regional Medical Center.
Kevin Copp is the host of the Georgia Gym Dogs Show, which airs on georgiadogs.com, and the play-by-play broadcaster for Georgia gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, and softball.
If the Gym Dogs can take away a lesson from last week's upset loss on the road against No. 15 Auburn, it's that series history matters little in determining the outcome of a meet.
Before Friday's 195.225-194.900 loss on the plains, the Gym Dogs sported a perfect 64-0 record against the Tigers. With the win, Auburn became just the 19th different program (and 16th active program) to record a win against Georgia.
Georgia sports an identical 64-0 mark against Kentucky entering Friday's meet, but the squad hopes the storyline's parallels end there.
"I think it hurt them," head coach Jay Clark said of the loss to Auburn. "I think it stung them. I think it snuck up on them and surprised them and bit them a little bit. But nobody's panicked here. It's not the way we've envisioned it, but we haven't reached the defining moment that's going to dictate our season."
A loss to No. 11 Kentucky would not define Georgia's season either, but it would become a dubious footnote for this team to be the first Gym Dogs squad to lose to the Wildcats.
"Of course, at Georgia, you keep records, you build legacies, you go back and you want to fight for those legacies that have been made," senior Courtney McCool said. "We kind of roughed one up last week, and we don't want to do that again this week, but we're focused on what we're going to do right this week."
One thing that the Gym Dogs do have going for them Friday is a return to the sorely missed Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia opened its season there with a win over then-No. 7 Stanford on January 9th and has not been back since.
"I didn't realize the difference home and away would make until I went home and then three away meets," freshman Shayla Worley said. "It really does make a difference in the energy level and everybody's excitement. To finally be home again, everybody's just stoked to come out in front of our own fans."
In addition to its series streak against Kentucky, the Gym Dogs are putting another streak on the line Friday – home wins. Georgia has not dropped a regular-season contest on its home floor since a 197.025-196.175 loss to Alabama on February 18, 2005. Since that time, the Gym Dogs have rattled off 28 consecutive meets without a loss (counting a tie vs. No. 1 Florida in 2007).
McCool is part of a senior class trying to become the just the third group of seniors (1999 and 2009) to finish their career with a perfect record in Stegeman Coliseum.
"The fact that we haven't lost at home doesn't change the fact that we're out there to win," McCool said. "It doesn't pressure us into thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, what if we lose?' Because we really have nothing to lose at this point."
The Gym Dogs may have nothing to lose Friday, but Kentucky stands on the precipice of a milestone win for its program. The Gym Dogs (No. 9) and Wildcats (No. 11) are closer in the rankings as they have ever been for a regular season meet.
This week marks Kentucky's highest ranking since February 24, 1998, when the Wildcats were ranked No. 8. Two weeks later, that Kentucky team was eviscerated by 10.025 points by a Gym Dogs squad on its way to an undefeated season and NCAA Championship.
"I think its great for the SEC when all the programs are doing well," Clark said. "I think its great for our sport and our conference. I feel that Kentucky has always had the potential to put competitive teams out on the floor, and certainly they've got one now."
An interesting subplot of these two schools is that they are the alma maters of quite possibly the two greatest collegiate gymnasts in the sport's history – Kentucky's Jenny Hansen and Georgia's Courtney Kupets.
Hansen won eight individual NCAA Championships from 1993-95, a mark that stood alone until Kupets finished her career with nine, despite missing the 2008 NCAA Championship due to injury. Kupets was the recipient of the Honda Broderick Cup in 2009, given annually to the top women's amateur athlete in the nation. Hansen won that award in 1994.
One area in which Kupets holds a decided advantage is team NCAA Titles – four to Hansen's none. Kentucky has never advanced to the preliminary round of the NCAA Championships, but at No. 11 in the polls, this may be the Wildcats best chance in more than a decade.
"We're not in a position where we shouldn't be surprised by anyone right now," Clark said. "The biggest surprise hasn't been other teams. Our surprise has been us. We know that teams are good and they want to beat us. When you've been the bully on the block for a long time, people want to take you out."
Georgia tries to avoid their first four-meet skid since 2005 against the Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday. Check out georgiadogs.com for live video coverage as part of Meet Central presented by Athens Regional Medical Center.
Kevin Copp is the host of the Georgia Gym Dogs Show, which airs on georgiadogs.com, and the play-by-play broadcaster for Georgia gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, and softball.
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