Kupets forgoes Olympic Trials for Gym Dogs (The Red and Black) Gym Dogs junior Courtney Kupets said she has decided to forgo her bid for the U.S. Olympic Trials, focusing solely on the upcoming NCAA gymnastics season. Kupets would have been the first American gymnast ever to try out for the Olympics while still in college. Publish Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:08:53 GMT Read more...

Alicia Sacramone withdrew from college (Brown University) to concentrate on the upcoming 2008 Olympics. Courtney Kupets decided to concentrate on college and not go for the Olympics: [quote]Kupets would have been the first American gymnast ever to try out for the Olympics while still in college. Brown University's Alicia Sacramone withdrew from college to continue her Olympic bid. Even in an individual sport such as gymnastics, Kupets stated her decision to nix her Olympic pursuits stemmed from her personal sense of responsibility to her teammates. "It took away from the team environment," Kupets said. "I was sometimes thinking about the skills I had to do for different routines instead of focusing on cheering for whoever was up on the bar and making sure they were ready as well."[/quote] Actually, there have been American male gymnasts who have been in college while trying out for the Olympics. [quote]Gym Dogs head coach Suzanne Yoculan said she was aware of and supported Kupets' plan to try out for the Olympic squad, but wishes the process were simpler for college athletes. "She has the physical and mental ability, but she has to jump through a lot more hoops to make a run for it, and she felt like she had to make a choice."[/quote] [quote]"It just got to be too hard for her to balance the two," Yoculan said. "She would really have to live two lives, and there just weren't enough hours in the day for her to be everything to everybody." With dreams of Beijing behind her, Kupets can turn her attention to leading the Gym Dogs to a fourth consecutive national championship. "I can now think about this team this year and being built off of what we did in the past and trying to get this team to end up in the same place," Kupets said.[/quote] Kupets at 2004 Olympics: [quote]Kupets was a member of the 2004 silver medal-winning Olympic gymnastics team, capturing an individual bronze medal on the uneven bars. She has won two team national championships and five individual national championships in two years with the Gym Dogs.[/quote]