These girls have certainly persevered. Each and every one, Lichey included. For the first two years of her Gym Dog career, Lichey battled chronic elbow and ankle injuries that made the simplist tumble a painful ordeal. It's hard to believe I've been able to accomplish what I have over the years. I guess everything just fell into place.
Nobody can argue with that.
The proud owner of five perfect scores on vault, two coming this year, Lichey has been named the SEC Gymnast of the Week a record three times, a feat even sister Karin did not achieve during her storied Gym Dog career. She's the one who showed me the ropes. Like Lichey, Shrieves knows about competing with pain, perhaps even more. After finishing second in the all-around to Olympian Shannon Miller at the 1997 World University Games, there seemed little doubt Shrieves would become a collegiate star. But disaster soon struck.