By Al Weston
Where are they now?
Missy Thomas Swicord teaches her sport Missy Thomas Swicord - Gymnastics When Missy (Thomas) Swicord, ’91, was inducted into the Georgia College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, she became the first of what is sure to be a long line of Georgia College gymnasts to earn slots in GC’s highest athletic honorary. Swicord was ever-gracious in her acceptance speech, recognizing her teammates and legendary head coach Geza Martiny, showing a true sense of community that only collegiate athletics can produce. Swicord continues her involvement in the world of gymnastics by serving as owner of Lake Country Gymnastics, a youth training facility here in Milledgeville, Ga. She now works alongside her long-time gymnastics coach, as Martiny is a member of the training staff at Lake Country.
Today, Swicord is the owner of Lake Country Gymnastics in Milledgeville.
Swicord competed at Georgia College in gymnastics from 1987-91, aiding the squad to an NAIA National Championship in 1988. An AllAmerican four times over, Swicord earned an NAIA national honor in the all-around in 1988. In 1989, she won NCAA Division II All-American honors in the all-around and the balance beam while qualifying for the national championships as an individual in the all-around. She won allaround All-American honors again in 1990, and was an important member of the 1991 GC gymnastics team that qualified for nationals, finishing second in the region. Q&A What made you decide on Georgia College for your collegiate gymnastics career? I had a couple of choices for pursuing higher education through gymnastics. I decided on Georgia College for a couple of reasons. My private club coach for more than 10 years had been friends with Geza Martiny from the college and my team (Low Country Gymnastics in Charleston, SC) had been to several summer gymnastics camps and hosted meets at Georgia College. I fell in love with the campus at a younger age and I remember telling my mother that the Georgia hospitality far exceeded anything I was used to in the Charleston area. Those things, coupled with a comfortable feeling of knowing that I was going to a place that was familiar to me with a coach that knew me and my abilities, made Georgia College my final pick. How did your role as a student-athlete help shape you as a person in college? Being a student-athlete helped in several ways. The most important was that you walked into
SPORTS
Bobcat Alumni:
college on the first day and you were already a part of a team. No need for other social avenues to get you acquainted to your surroundings, you were a part of something great already! People recognized you as being an athlete, they knew who you were. It was a comfortable, reassuring feeling that an 18-year-old young woman needed at that point in her life. What do you miss the most about being on the Georgia College team? I certainly miss the comradeship that I had with each and every member of that GC Gymnastics team. Through my four years of competing, I made lifelong friends with all of the girls that shaped our gymnastics team from 1987 – 1991! I was able to be a leader, a mentor, a protector of my teammates. That was a good feeling, a feeling that I have to this day with a lot of them still. What was your most memorable moment in gymnastics competition for Georgia College? That would have to be the team qualifying to the NCAA Division II National Championships. I was a senior and had already made the trip to the National Championship by myself, but to see my team come together and perform well enough for us to make together; that was a moment I will never forget! What made you decide to stay involved with the sport? After graduation, I coached for a local club for a couple of years and then took up aerobic instruction for the next several years. When my daughter began taking gymnastics (at the age of 4) it brought back that feeling of “Oh my goodness what am I doing?” It was an opportunity to build a training facility and do what I always knew I could do – become a gymnastics owner and coach! With just an idea, I set out and explored and researched our community for more than a year before opening Lake Country Gymnastics in July 2010. What advice would you have for future Georgia College students to get the most of their experience at GC? Have fun – keep the future in clear view. Review your after-college plans long before the day comes. Be prepared to continue to build on the great foundation that the school stands for, and above all remember that for every day there is a beginning and an end, finish it as strong and as you started and always keep your eye on the prize!
Swicord was inducted into the GC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Georgia College Connection • Spring 2012
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