Since coach Jeff Graba’s arrival on the Plains in 2010, the Auburn gymnastics program has slowly improved year by year.
Now, he’s a two-time SEC Coach of the Year, and the program has been firmly entrenched in the national top 10 all season.
Senior Bri Guy, who was part of Graba’s first recruiting class, said she has enjoyed the process.
“It’s crazy really,” Guy said. “Getting 195’s and 196’s our freshman year was a big deal, but now we’re getting 197’s and we’re like, ‘That’s not good enough, we’ve got to do better.’ It’s a huge leap for us. It’s really great.”
Graba came to Auburn with a plan to change the culture around Auburn gymnastics. He said he knew it would not be quick, but the results have been rewarding.
“We’ve been preparing them for this for three or four years,” Graba said. “Gymnastics is a long process. We changed a lot about how we train here from the first day that I got here, and a lot of that was just laying the groundwork for when we finally became talented and deep.”
Though he has certainly found his niche, gymnastics was not in Graba’s initial plans growing up.
Starting his sophomore year in college, Graba’s band played for approximately 10 years at bars in the Minneapolis area.
Though the band never advanced from there, Graba said he enjoyed the time and considered them a success.
“You can’t define success in the band industry by how much money you make, but we didn’t lose a whole lot of money,” Graba said, laughing.
Graba said he doesn’t have as much time for it as he used to, but he said he hasn’t lost his love for music.
“It’s a love/hate relationship with music, and if anybody’s ever been in a band, they know there’s definitely a love/hate relationship with music,” Graba said. “I love to do it, and it’s sort of a release for me at this point, a stress reliever.”
With coaching, recruiting and his family, it is difficult for Graba to find time for his old hobbies, but he said he hopes he will be able to return in the future.
“It’s nearly impossible to balance,” Graba said. “In gymnastics in particular, we joke that it’s a lifestyle, not a sport. It’s a year-round thing for us, coaching and recruiting and managing a program. I don’t get as much time as I’d like for the other things, but right now I get enough time for my family, and we hang out with the girls, and I’m enjoying watching them grow. I don’t miss the other things right now, but at some point I’ll get back to them.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
