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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 28
Saturday, April 28, 2007
All hail Suzanne Superior!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As much as UGA fans grew to hate arrogant, trash-talking, ultra-successful Steve Spurrier during his years with the Gators, we have our own version of him coaching right in Athens.
And Suzanne Yoculan just won her third consecutive national championship and eighth overall in her years at Georgia.
Don’t you love it?
Indeed, the Bulldog Nation has reason to be plenty proud of arrogant, trash-talking, ultra-successful Yoculan’s mighty Gym Dogs. The way Yoculan stomps on other gymnastics programs with her own version of the hobnail boots is reminiscent of Spurrier’s take-no-prisoners style. So we can well understand how the rest of the nation must feel about Yoculan. Heck, even a lot of Bulldogs fans aren’t particularly fond of her thanks at least in part to the in-your-face way she’s conducted her personal life.
But like Gator fans in Spurrier’s heyday, we live with the downside because the upside soars so high.
Yoculan, known for giving the opposition plenty of bulletin-board material, lived up to her brash reputation before Friday’s NCAA final and predicted flatly that if the Gym Dogs were victorious this year she expects to win a FOURTH consecutive national championship again next year. “If we win three, we win four,” she said. “That’s how I look at it, hosting nationals next year [in Athens].”
She’s indicated that she’s likely to retire after next season (though if she doesn’t get that fourth in a row, you’ve got to wonder if she might hang on another year or two so she can go out with yet another national title).
She’d be missed, no doubt. But the thing is, folks close to the UGA gymnastics program say it should survive losing Yoculan just fine. Associate Head Coach Jay Clark gets a lot of behind-the-scenes credit for UGA’s continued domination of women’s gymnastics and is the natural heir apparent.
But let’s give Yoculan the credit any head coach deserves for sustained success. On top of putting together a great staff and recruiting top talent, she seems to have a knack for getting her athletes mentally ready at the right time, with this year (when the Gym Dogs had to overcome injury problems) being a prime example.
Love her or hate her, you can’t ignore Suzanne Yoculan. She won’t allow it.
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