Georgia's Eileen Diaz tried, but she couldn't remember the last time gymnastics was not part of her daily routine.
"I think I might have been five," Diaz said. "All I know is it's been a very long time."
Teammate Talya Vexler knows how she feels. The lone seniors on the 2002 Georgia squad, Vexler and Diaz are finally coming to the realization that their years as competitive gymnasts are coming to an end.
Tonight's regular-season finale against LSU (7:30) will be the duo's Stegeman Coliseum farewell.
"I think it's kind of hit me because we're now trying to make those last-minute corrections and I've sort of realized I only have a couple more times to make it good," Vexler said. "I can practically count the number of reps I have left. It's sinking in. I think I'm going to be ready (to retire), but I also know there are going to be some things about competing that I'm going to miss."
Vexler won't miss the aches and pains. As a freshman, she had surgery to implant a rod in her shin to expedite recovery from a stress fracture.
The injury kept Vexler from competing in all four events, but it did not keep her from competing on beam, as she stepped in for an injured Sam Muhleman the week of the 1999 SEC Championships as Georgia's leadoff performer. Vexler has excelled on the beam throughout her career, including her junior campaign when she hit 14 of 15 routines.
A solid performer on floor, Vexler boasts a career-high score of 9.975.
"There have been days when I've thought I'm not going to miss this at all," Vexler said. "I think about how my body hurts. Then there are some days when I'm like, 'Oh gosh, I'm going to miss this so much.' But your body gets old. I know that sounds funny coming from a 22-year-old, but I've been doing this ever since I was little, and this isn't a sport like tennis or football. You can't do it forever."
Diaz agrees, although the Puerto Rico native's career may extend past April's NCAA Championships.
A member of Puerto Rico's 1996 Olympic team, Diaz is considering an offer from her country's gymnastics federation to compete on its team this summer at the Pan American Games.
"I don't know for sure yet, but there are still a couple of individual goals I have for myself," Diaz said. "This would be a way I could make them happen."
But Diaz said her participation would be a one-time scenario. "Yeah, that would be it," she said. "I'm not going to be 28 years old still trying to compete."
