Taylor makes triumphant return

It's not every day that a hometown hero slips into Aiken, but that is exactly what former local gymnast Grace Taylor did on Saturday.

Taylor, 22, a member of the three-time NCAA national champion University of Georgia Bulldogs, made a stop at her old stomping grounds to help judge the 2009 AIGY Classic at Aiken Gymnastics and hand out trophies.

The NCAA individual champion in the balance beam in 2008, Taylor was a member of Aiken Gymnastics for 14 years before heading off to college and is the first gymnast from South Carolina to be on the U.S. Elite National Team. She is also a six-time Aiken Gymnast of the Year, competed in three U.S. Championships (2002-04) and placed first on the balance beam at the Junior Olympic Nationals in 2001 and 2006.

Taylor said she always tries to make a point to drop by her second home at Aiken Gymnastics when she is in town.

"I miss it more every time I come back," she said. "The little girls are growing up. I don't recognize them anymore."

Her accolades are well-known in the gym located off Monetta Street. Her posters still hang in the rafters, and her named is on nearly every wall. But for Taylor, returning to the gym is a way to give back.

Taylor spoke to the current students at Aiken Gymnastics while she was there and tried to drive home the point that putting the team first makes everyone successful. She said that individual success is forgotten, but team success is always remembered.

She should know since she has been part of one of the most successful gymnastics programs in recent years at Georgia. The Athens, Ga.-based school has won 10 NCAA team gymnastics titles, including the last five.

"We always expect to win," she said. "That is always the goal."

Taylor aspires to win a fourth consecutive NCAA title her senior year, a feat only accomplished by one other class in Georgia history. Georgia has only lost five meets in the three years she has been there. An undefeated season next year would also give her senior class the lowest number of losses by any class in school history.

"We are a family," she said. "Keeping the senior class together will be crucial."

With those goals in mind, Taylor said she is still driven to compete even after 18 years of participating in the sport.

"It never gets old," she said. "The practice may (be old), but when it comes to competing, it never does."

Taylor has had her share of individual success, as well. One of her biggest moments came in 2008 when she claimed the NCAA title on the balance beam. The event was held in Athens, Ga., in front of family and friends. One special person who got to share in the moment with her was her Aiken Gymnastics coach Draha Krizova.

After Taylor won the event, she sought out Krizova, who was in the stands, for a big congratulatory hug.

"I was so excited that she could come," Taylor said. "I spent numerous hours on the beam with her. She was always there to lift me up, and she believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. We share a special connection."

Krizova said that Taylor is more than just a former gymnast, she is more like a daughter.

"She is like my other child," Krizova said. "When she comes to Aiken, it shows she likes what she is doing. I'm really proud of her. I'm glad she visits. It helps the kids believe in the dreams they have."

Taylor said her days of performing on the balance beam and in other events will be coming to an end eventually. Her senior year at Georgia maybe the last time she will compete.

Taylor said she doesn't plan on pursuing the 2012 Olympics, saying her best shot at any Olympic games would have been in 2004 in the Athens games in Greece.

A health promotion major, Taylor plans to get her master's degree in public health and work for a nonprofit agency or in medical missions.

"I'm looking for a need to fill," she said. "I would love to be in South Carolina and close to my family."

Until then, there is still work to be done.

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