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In Off The Bench

IOTB with Georgia Gymdawg Ady Wahl

·48 min·4 clips
Georgia Gymdog Ady Wahl joins In Off The Bench as her team heads to the NCAA gymnastics national championship in Fort Worth.
Hosts Daniel Ball and Jim Cross open the episode by highlighting their upcoming coverage of the NCAA gymnastics national championship in Fort Worth. They introduce guest Ady Wahl, a gymnast for the Georgia Gymdogs. The interview begins with Ady describing the excited, confident vibe within the Georgia team as they prepare for nationals. She shares her background from Zanesville, Ohio, mentioning a local doughnut shop called Donald's Donuts. Ady reveals her mother, a gymnastics coach, started her in the sport at age two due to her high energy. She discusses her 2023 regional championships on vault, bars, and floor, noting beam is her weakest event. Ady explains her college recruitment process, initially favoring Florida but ultimately choosing Georgia because she felt most at home and wanted to be part of the program's resurgence. She talks about adjusting to team dynamics as a freshman after training mostly alone in club gymnastics, struggling with comparison. Ady describes a spiritual turning point after her freshman year where she learned to see teammates through faith, which helped her focus and led to All-American honors and co-MVP status as a sophomore. She attributes this season's success to the team's collective buy-in and the competitive fire brought by freshmen. Ady discusses the team's mindset heading into nationals against LSU, Florida, and Stanford, emphasizing staying in their own bubble. The conversation shifts to her faith, with Ady explaining how integrating faith with gymnastics provided peace and purpose, referencing a pastor's advice to invite God into what you love. She shares her favorite Georgia leotard is a red-and-black design. Ady expresses anticipation for nationals while discussing the challenge of waiting and the team's careful training balance to prevent injury, including tumbling into softer surfaces. The episode includes sponsor reads for Jesus One Apparel, Chinook Seeds, and Old Dominic Distillery. Hosts play a blind ranking game with Ady, where she ranks fellow gymnast guests. Ady promotes teammate Brooke's 'Beam Boldly' faith podcast and her own YouTube vlogging channel. The episode concludes with hosts previewing an upcoming interview with video producer Chris Fowler.

As heard by us

A steady Georgia gymnastics discussion about freshmen, national pressure, and staying inside the team's bubble.

Off The Bench heads toward Fort Worth with a clean competition question: how should Georgia frame nationals when LSU, Florida, and Stanford are sitting in the same early session? The episode's answer is measured and inward.

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Why you'd press play

Want a Fort Worth-bound gymnastics conversation about Georgia's focus, freshmen, and staying locked in at nationals?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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