Gym Dogs Face Tough Road Test in Texas

The Georgia Gym Dogs are riding high, coming off a season-best 197.325 Monday at home versus Iowa State. There is little time to rest, as the next challenge is upon us: The Metroplex Challenge in Forth Worth, Texas.

This is a marquee 4 team match, and one of the strongest we will see outside of the postseason. Georgia comes in ranked #18, but to be fair, would be ranked around #9 if the aforementioned MLK Jr. Day meet scores were included. Top 10 is very good in such a competitive sport. Yet Georgia will be the underdog, because of the other teams making the trip.

You may have heard of the Alabama Gymnastics program. You may know that Georgia and Alabama had somewhat of a rivalry over the last 20 years. And after a disappointing 2019 campaign, the Tide are high again, ranked #5 in the country. If that isn’t tough enough, they’ve invited Denver. The Pioneers are relative upstarts compared to most of the gymnastics bluebloods, but they have steadily built a program and roster that can compete with anyone. And are currently ranked 4th (where they ended last season). You can see what kind of test this presents for our beloved GymDogs.

Then the organizers went and asked Oklahoma to come to the party. Is Oklahoma good? Yes, yes they are. The Sooners are the defending national champions, having run through their opponents like OBJ through his cash roll on the floor of the Superdome. They now have 4 championships, and 3 out of the last 4 years. And are currently ranked #1, I honestly don’t think it’s particularly close.

Oklahoma should win going away. Oklahoma will win. The question is where do the Gym Dogs finish? Another 197+ score in this meet really positions Georgia well for the postseason, and consistent showings on bars and beam will build confidence for a fairly young team. Coach Kupets Carter has her work cut out for her, but she’s a former champion herself and she knows what has to be done. We will see if she can get her charges to execute that plan.

The meet is not on televsion, but you can catch live streaming via FlowGymnastics here. It begins at 8:00 ET, 7:00 local. So tune in and let’s see if the Gym Dogs are up to the challenge. And as always...

GO ‘DAWGS!!!