The No. 4 Gators want people to know heading into tonight’s meet against No. 7 Georgia the rivalry between the schools extends beyond the football field.
Wednesday, the team went to the 34th street wall and painted a portion of it to advertise the meet against the five-time defending national champion Bulldogs at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.
Coach Rhonda Faehn said the team decided to paint the wall on its own, and that it was a sign the gymnasts were trying to build up spirit and draw themselves closer as a team before the rivals meet.
“It’s something they got really excited about, and I’m sure they’ll turn that passion into the actual competition and their routines,” Faehn said.
Florida hasn’t won a meet against Georgia since 2005 in Athens and the last time Florida (4-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) hosted Georgia (3-3, 2-2 SEC), the Bulldogs won by .025, the smallest margin possible.
The Gators hope to change that tonight, though.
“They’re a really good team, and you always want to beat them just so you can say you beat some of the best out there,” junior Alicia Goodwin said. “We’re going out there this week with no holding back because we can’t if we want to win.”
The rivalry will have a new look on both sides this season. Suzanne Yoculan retired as Georgia’s coach after 26 seasons and 10 national championships, and was replaced by one of her assistant coaches, Jay Clark. Georgia also lost national all-around champion and Courtney Kupets
For Florida, it will be the first taste of the rivalry for its five freshmen, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fired up about it.
Freshmen Ashanée Dickerson and Marissa King both said they are pumped up about facing Georgia and look forward to the opportunity, especially since the Gators haven’t beat them in a while.
“Every year the rivalry becomes stronger,” Faehn said. “There’s going to be some great gymnastics because it’s Georgia coming in and we want to win that much more.”
