TUSCALOOSA, Alabama: Warmups for Alabama gymnastics were a little more difficult on a night that was already made more intense by the emotions surrounding Power of Pink.
Makarri Doggette, a fifth-year, was supposed to participate in two lineups and a demonstration floor routine before the first rotation of the evening on vault. However, she sustained a lower extremity injury during the touch warmups and was unable to make it back for the competition. Before the Crimson Tide began their third spin on the balancing beam, Doggette went back to the floor to encourage her teammates.
No. 10 Alabama defeated No. 18 Georgia (196.975) on Friday night at Coleman Coliseum with a 198.075, their best score of the season and third-highest in program history, thanks to her support even though she was not in the starting lines. After sharing a room with Doggette for the past four years, fellow fifth-year Luisa Blanco claimed that Doggette is like a sister to her.
The team was motivated to push through the last two rotations after seeing Doggette return to the floor, and they even finished the final rotation with a 49.750 program best on a floor. Blanco remarked, “She’s one of the strongest people I know.” “Watching her fall was incredibly painful, but her heart and mind are strong. She was outside wearing a boot and a scooter. I’m not sure what else could reveal more about her personality if it doesn’t. It definitely gives you the strength to go out there and perform for her when you see her strength and realize that she would do anything for this team—even ride a scooter and wear a boot. She is amazing. I have nothing but praise for Makarri.” Doggette has contributed to three events at different times during her career, but for the past five years, she has been a constant in the Alabama bars lineup.
She was averaging 9.89 on bars this season. On Friday, Shania Adams took her position and achieved a score of 9.95. With a 49.600 overall, Alabama tied its season-high bars score. Alabama had already established a season high in the quad meet victory on Monday, and this was their second meeting of the week.
Doggette is one of the team’s leaders, according to Crimson Tide head coach Ashley Johnston, and she inspired her colleagues to persevere through a difficult week by rallying them. She had no idea what Friday night was going to bring. It can be demoralizing for the rest of the team in any sport when a teammate gets hurt.
Rather, the Crimson Tide used it as a focal point and received motivation from the sizable assembly and breast cancer survivors. After the meet, Johnston expressed his pride in the way the squad came together and battled for her. “They united it. They took the initiative to ensure that their actions weren’t motivated by fear or another emotion. They decided to get together and start again on their own. What would they prioritize? How would they continue to work? And how were they going to ensure that they represented Makarri well and competed to make her proud? “It was truly amazing to see Makarri return, support the team, and give her all to whatever she could do for the remainder of the evening.” Gabby Gladieux, a sophomore, and Doggette developed a unique bond after competing at the 2019 Nastia Cup.
Overall, Gladieux’s night was memorable since she began the evening by walking out on the floor with her mother, a breast cancer survivor, and then she put the finishing touches on the competition by tying her career-high score of 9.975 in the anchor position on the floor. “It makes this meet a little bigger in my heart and hits close to home with my family,” Gladieux stated. “I simply adore my squad. Starting at the beginning, we truly competed. I am incredibly proud.
