Georgia week. It was a week filled with anticipation. What would Friday bring? Would there be the usual 'sideline' issues? Would the Gymdawgs post another 197 +? Would the Tide have an answer for the awe-inspiring early season prowess of the 'Dawgs? How would the freshmen react to a typically enthusiastic Alabama/Georgia gym crowd? Would our injury and other returnees fair well? Would Friday ever, actually, arrive?

Isn't it always the case; no matter how informed your opinion, no matter how vivid your imagination, truth is stranger than fiction? Alabama defeats Georgia - - number '1' Georgia, no less - - and neither team scores above a 196! And to be perfectly honest, had it been any other opponent, I would have conceded the meet to Bama after the first two rotations. However, Georgia was more than able to keep it interesting.

After a lively new 'intro', the teams took the floor with Bama on the vault and Georgia on the Bars - - the usual 'dual meet' format. Bama put in a solid performance. The fans gave a very warm welcome to the returning Jeana Rice, who responded with a lovely 9.875 vault. Andree Pickens, once again, was brilliant, turning in a 9.95. Georgia, in the meantime, was swinging its way on the bars to a solid 49.150. I was a little uncomfortable at this point because Georgia is justifiably known as a great vaulting team, and that's where they were headed next.

Turns out, I needn't have worried. While Alabama was having a typically awesome night on the bars - - scoring a tremendous 49.275 - - Georgia suffered the kind of night someone must have envisioned when they changed the vault to 'one and done'. Since I can't be 'held libel' for the truth, I'm just going to say that the Gymdawgs fell, fumbled, and hopped their way to a 48.300. That's 48.300. We re-added that score three times - - we still didn't believe it. So, after Georgia's best event, Alabama had not only made up a deficit, they had actually taken a considerable lead (98.175 to 97.450). Georgia could have 'thrown in the towel' at that point, after all, the teams are fairly evenly matched on the beam and floor. But, of course, Georgia didn't get to be 'Georgia' by throwing in the towel!

I was forthright about Georgia on the vault, so it is only fair to be the same about our beam rotation. OK, it could have been better. Rumors concerning whether or not I can actually watch us on the beam aside, I have been advised that we had a few too many wobbles and a couple of falls, too, resulting in a 48.350 team score. Happily (well, for us Bama fans, anyway), Georgia was having its own problems on the floor, including a fall by the normally dependable Cory Fritzinger. Fortunately she was not hurt, but her 9.225 forced Georgia to count Marline Stephens' 9.55 - - leading to a team floor score of 48.775. This reduced Bama's overall lead to three tenths of a point going into the last rotation. Not a comfortable lead, certainly, but not one that a visiting team on the beam could normally expect to 'make up' on a home team on the floor.

Just to resolve the mystery, we ended up with a 49.150, a good score, but I think a bit low for us. Once again, freshman Alexis Brion was, well, astonishing. Her 9.90 was matched by Raegan Tomasek, who performed what I call 'that unbelievable quadruple eggbeater thingy', but the 'PBA's assure me is really called a 'double front arabian'. Georgia survived a scare when Sierra Sapunar fell off the beam - - or more precisely fell on the beam - - hurting her leg. Luckily, although she could not complete her routine, we were advised after the meet that the injury was more painful than permanent and that Sierra should recover quickly. However, Georgia was able to muster only a 48.800 on the beam, for a final score of 195.025 to Alabama's 195.675.

All victories are sweet, but I hope that our friends from Georgia will accept our 'extra' elation over beating them for the compliment that it truly is. We performed well, but, as the coaches have warned us, we still have a ways to go. This week's meet with a tough Denver team should be a good opportunity for Alabama to continue to improve. However, I think that the Gymtide can afford to draw some confidence from the fact that, even with all the talk of average scores and high scores and RQA's and whatnot in the next few weeks, there is no substitute for having already defeated, in head to head battles, two teams that we will surely meet again if we are fortunate enough to make it to the Super 6 Final.