I call Laura my second mom because there were times when I spent more time with her than my own mom honestly. She's done so much for me and has shaped my life as much or more than anyone. – Utah gymnast Georgia Dabritz, on her club coach Laura Tebo
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gymnast Georgia Dabritz typically wears the face of a fierce competitor. She’s earned that right as a 10-time All-American, three-time regional event champion, and four-time Pac-12 title winner.
Last Friday, Dabritz hit the nation’s best all-around mark this season at 39.6 to lead Utah to a quad-meet win. The effort earned her Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors.
But Monday, Dabritz didn’t wear her competitiveness on her sleeve. The senior had something else on her mind after hearing the latest update about her club coach Laura Tebo’s battle against cancer.
Tebo coached Dabrtiz from her beginning at Ace gymnastics in Massachusetts, and has followed her protege through college. It was Tebo who pushed Dabritz to explore college by bringing her applications and getting her name out for recruiting.
“Georgia’s the one who has gone out and done great things from that club, and it was (Laura) who helped her do that,” said Utah co-head coach Megan Marsden.
“I call Laura my second mom because there were times when I spent more time with her than my own mom honestly,” said Dabritz. "She's done so much for me and has shaped my life as much or more than anyone."
The senior knows her time with Tebo is priceless at this point and will fly home after Friday’s meet against UCLA to see her coach. Although she feels fortunate to see Tebo this weekend, Dabritz also knows her mind has to stay zeroed in on practice this week. She admits Tebo wouldn’t want her focus elsewhere because she understands the rivalry with UCLA, and that her gymnast has to be at her best to stay in the all-around lineup on a very deep and talented team.
“Laura watches every meet and texts me before, during and after,” said Dabritz. “I know she loves seeing what we’re doing at Utah.”
An avid college gymnastics fan, Tebo can be credited with not forcing Dabritz to use grips on the uneven bars. That move helped the gymnast earn the nickname "No Grips Dabritz" since it’s a rarity to see gymnasts swinging on the bars bare-handed.
“She ultimately made that decision,” laughed Dabritz. “I peeled off the bar the first time she made me try them, and was like, ‘I don’t ever want to do that again.' So, she said, ‘Whatever you want to do I’ll support and we’ll work with it.'"
The duo made a good decision as Dabritz has shined on bars since her freshman season. She’s the reigning Pac-12 champion on bars, as well as vault and floor. Although she’s hit her events this season, Dabritz knows her scores can still improve. She and her teammates have been working on landings and other small missteps to get the scores up.
“We have a big meet with UCLA coming up,” said Dabritz. “The two of us both know what it’s like to win a Pac-12 championship and we'll be doing all we can to win another one.”
Fourth-ranked Utah and eighth-ranked UCLA square off at 6 p.m. Friday with gymnast introductions beginning at 5:45 p.m. due to the meet being featured on the Pac-12 Network.
“Our team is really excited for this meet and to be home again in front of our fans,” said Dabrtiz. "I think we are ready to really showcase what we've been doing in practice."
Dabritz also admitted she's especially excited to give the meet recap to her coach, knowing this weekend will be one of those priceless moments.