Whitby native Lori Strong was first on balance beam and second overall in her first NCAA gymnastics competition as a member of the University of Georgia Women’s team.
Strong had scored 9.7 (out of 10) or better in three events and a 9.5 in vault, her first event.
Strong, formerly Canada’s top gymnast and a two-time Olympian and Heather Stepp are part of a powerful Georgia team that is ranked second in the U. S. and is taking aim at number one, Utah.
There was a crowd of more than 8,000 at the meet in Georgia. “The audience was awesome,” Strong told a reporter who covered the event.
Strong, a freshman, said she was nervous at her first meet but felt calm on the balance beam competition.
“It’s a relief to get the first meet over with,” she said.
The Georgia team, known as the Lady Bulldogs, was to meet Brigham Young in the next competition.
