Mmmm.... Mmmm.... Those Words are TASTY......

This post is mainly in response to an email question from Maggie, one of my most devoted readers outside my family. Because family members are REQUIRED to be devoted readers, but Maggie just is. Maggie emailed me and asked about this past Friday night's gymnastics meet, so I'm here to report the results. If you don't give a darn about college gymnastics (or if you've already heard me wax ad nauseum effusive about this particular topic), feel free to stop reading now. The short version is we won our first SEC competition, by a pretty good margin (1.675 is huge in college gymnastics), and we will likely move up to 3rd in the national rankings. Second if we can convince Stanford to score below 195.7 in their meet, which is going on even as we speak. Not that I sit around and figure those things out, mind you.

The long version requires some history. And those of you who know me well also know how badly I hate to be wrong. I'm here to eat my words. Publicly.

When I first started going to gymnastics, I took Hubby to a meet. Now I only take him if I have NO ONE else to take, because he makes fun of ALL the gymnasts (ours included), doesn't want to wait around for the awards presentation if he already knows who won, and there's the whole flask thing. (See yesterday's post for explanation of the flask thing.)

In one of the first meets he went to, he saw a sometime golfing acquaintance of his. They were both surprised, saying simultaneously, "Dude....what are YOU doing here?" Hubby's buddy was there to watch his niece perform before the meet. She was doing gymnastics at a local gym, and they often provide the pre-meet entertainment.

A couple of months later Hubby ran into his buddy, who told him his niece was going to be a Gym Dog. EVERY girl from 4 to 14 who takes gymnastics in this area wants to be a Gym Dog when she grows up. So I said (because I'm SO knowledgeable about these things), "Yeah right. Sure she is."

Then  a few months later I see that the girl has been offered a scholarship and has given a verbal commitment to UGA. So I said (because I'm SO knowledgeable about these things), "Good political move on his part. Give a scholarship to a local girl, keep in good with the area gyms [the one where this girl trained is owned by a former Gym Dog]."

Then I read an article about the girl in the local paper that said she had not only signed with UGA, she was going to finish high school in December and go ahead and join the UGA team in January as an early enrollee. It's fairly common with high school football players, and you sometimes hear of it with gymnastics. I would think gymnastics would be tougher, since they have to start immediately, and football players have spring training to acclimate themselves to college and don't actually compete until eight months later. But whatever. So when I read that in the paper, I said (because I'm SO knowledgeable about these things), "Well, she'll be a mat puller this year and break into the line-up [maybe] next season."

She finished high school on December 17th and joined the UGA team on December 18th for the Sneak Peek. Because of NCAA regulations, she wasn't able to train with the team all fall. She stepped right in and took her spot. 

She started her very first meet, and she hasn't looked back. She was in on vault in her first home meet, and she ran down that runway and nailed her vault to the mat, scoring a 9.925. Did not move those feet on landing. Wow.

She might have had a letdown after that meet, but not this girl. On Friday night, when we had one of our best girls on floor and bars out with an injury, and an all-arounder out with illness, Lindsey had to enter the all-around for the first time.

She only set new career highs in every. single. event.

9.95 on vault
9.925 on uneven bars
9.85 on balance beam
9.825 on floor exercise

She tied the highest score IN. THE. COUNTRY. in the all around this year.

She's a freshman. Perhaps even a sub-freshman, since she SHOULD still be in high school.

I am eating my words, but I don't mind at all. She is, apparently, the real deal. And I am apparently SO NOT knowledgeable about these things.

If you care, you can watch videos of her vault, uneven bars, and balance beam performances below. Not sure what happened to her floor routine video, but she does part of it to "Love Shack" by the B-52's. (Another local connection.) Gotta love it.

Uneven Bars:


Balance Beam:


Vault:




By the way, I have to give a shout-out to our commentator, the inimitable Kevin Copp. He is in his second season - that's right, SECOND - calling UGA gymnastics meets, and he is so incredibly knowledgeable. Still biased, but knowledgeable. I kind of like the bias personally.


**Burp**

I'm kinda full from eating my words.