The Georgia Gymdogs pushed through a year of adversity and are using last season’s 9th place finish as motivation for the next. The Gymdogs went 14-14 last season, facing tough SEC competition while battling injuries to several key contributors. Similar to many other top-tier teams, Super Six is the goal, and the girls are hungry to reach it. 

Mary Beth Box will be a senior this year, and as a seasoned competitor, she brings a strong sense of leadership both inside and outside of the gym. She was recently selected as one of only two student athletes to serve as a representative on the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors. She will be the voice of her peers, updating the Board on student-athlete involvement at three different meetings throughout the year. Box says she is “honored and excited to be able to represent the student athletes in front of the people who are behind everything we do.” She was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Beyond academic success, Box displays her incredible leadership in the gym and on the competition floor. When she thinks of a leader, it’s not someone who is in front holding the Georgia flag and leading the team, but someone who is behind the girls, pushing them to be the absolute best they can be. She said, “When every member of the team is at their best, we can reach a whole new level of success. And that’s what I want this year.”

Box competed beam and floor at every meet in the 2015 season, tying her career best of 9.95 on both events. She qualified to event finals on floor at the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas where she notched a 9.8875 and became a First Team All-American. Although she proved herself to be a rock-solid competitor individually, Box knows that it’s truly about the team. She believes the Gymdogs had all the pieces in place for a great competition at Nationals, but couldn’t quite put them all together. She said, “The most difficult part for us as a team is knowing that we had what it took,” and that is what is driving the team during the off-season.

Having what it takes comes from dedicated preparation through countless hours of practice. For the Gymdogs, this meant getting right back in the gym soon after last season ended to hit the ground running for next year. The majority of the team is in Athens for the summer, taking classes and participating in voluntary training. A normal day includes waking up early to do strength and circuit training, attending class, then putting in a few hours of work in the gym. 

Box notes the importance of outlining goals and having a plan for what each individual wants to master next season. The team is focused on upgrading skills, particularly on vault. Recent NCAA legislation has devalued the most common vault, a Yurchenko layout full, to a 9.95 start value. On the heels of this change, the Gymdogs are looking to increase their difficulty and compete vaults with 10.0 start values. 

Another primary focus is ‘E’ valued tumbling passes. Junior Morgan Reynolds, who missed the early part of last season due to injury, is training a full-in and an Arabian double front. Box is working on a double layout as well as a front handspring double front. Also, she has not been a bar worker for the Gymdogs in the past, but is putting in time on the rails to learn a routine. 

After 18 years of gymnastics, this year will be Box’s grand finale, so she is embracing an “all in” approach. She said, “I’m going to give the girls anything and everything I have to position them to be not only great gymnasts, but great people, and future great leaders. Because after I leave, they are the ones who carry on the legacy and the ones who will teach each one behind them what it means to be a Georgia GymDog.” 

Photos by The GymShark

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