An Alabama Gymnastics Bond Formed in a Snap

How a quick post-meet photo and Instagram post formed a relationship that's paying off four years later for the Crimson Tide.

They say a picture's worth a 1,000 words, but this one has become pretty priceless to two Alabama gymnasts.

Gabby Gladieux and Makarri Doggette hoisting their all-around trophies at the 2019 Nastia Liukin Cup / Makarri Doggette

It was March of 2019 at the Nastia Liukin Cup in Greensboro, North Carolina. Makarri Doggette had just claimed the senior all-around title and was already committed to Alabama, just months away from beginning her freshman year in Tuscaloosa. Gabby Gladieux won the junior all-around title that night and had recently received an offer from the Crimson Tide. 

Without knowing each other yet, Doggette was encouraged to go take a picture with Gladieux. And with a little help from social media, the relationship took off from there.  

"After I took that picture with Makarri, I posted it on Instagram, and she reposted it on her story and then followed me," Gladieux told BamaCentral. "And that was  a big moment for me. I was kind of starstruck. And then ever since then, watching her on TV, I would follow her."

Fast forward four years to January 2023, and Gladieux and Doggette got to compete on the same stage again— this time for the same team, both representing the Alabama Crimson Tide in the season-opening win over Michigan State. Doggette had just finished competing in the all-around for the first time in almost a year, and Gladieux was the only freshman to compete that night for the Crimson Tide.

After the meet, Doggette posted an Instagram with the freshman, saying, "Shoutout @nastialiukin for my best friend."

Liukin, the 2008 Olympic all-around gold medalist, saw the post, commented on it and reached out to Doggette, something she's been doing ever since Doggette first participated in the Nastia Liukin Cup.

"She said it was something that brought her to tears and she couldn’t get it out of her head," Doggette said. "I think it was just really awesome because it has been some years since I’ve been there, so the fact that she’s still involved with our lives is just incredible because there’s so many girls that go to that meet. And she definitely makes the effort to keep in touch and let us know that she’s still supporting us from afar."

Thousands of young gymnasts in the 2000s grew up idolizing Liukin and Shawn Johnson, including Doggette and Gladieux. And participating in the Nastia Liukin Cup provided young gymnasts like them on the club or Junior Olympics track the opportunity to not only meet one of their idols, but compete on a huge stage that prepared them for the next level.

Liukin launched the event in 2010 to, "provide a competitive opportunity for the country’s top Junior Olympic gymnasts" according to the Nastia Liukin cup website. At the meet, Liukin takes the time to get to know all the gymnasts. She hosts and brunch and tries to have one-on-one conversations with the competitors according to Doggette and Gladieux. 

Through a series of qualifying meets, a gymnast becomes eligible for the annual event. Doggette qualified six times throughout her club career, while Gladieux did twice. The two current Alabama gymnasts overlapped at the 2019 event, where both happened to win their respective divisions.

"It gets you set up to compete on a big stage, on TV, under the bright lights— which is what you do every Friday in college," Gladieux said. "It’s a really good experience."

Both gymnasts were super appreciative to Liukin for both the event and her continued support. 

Since that event in 2019, Gladieux and Doggette kept up with each other. Gladieux committed to Alabama a few weeks later and began following Doggette and the Crimson Tide on TV. Doggette would keep up with how things were going for Gladieux as the relationship developed.

Now, four years later with one a senior and one a freshman, both are mainstays in the Alabama lineups. In the last meet, they combined to post four scores of 9.875 or better including a 9.95 on floor for Gladieux and a 9.925 for Doggette on vault. The freshman has scored a 9.9 or better on floor in five of the six meets this season. 

Gladieux called her big sister on the team. She enjoys heading into the gym for practice each day because she knows Doggette will be there to have her back. 

"We call ourselves the senior-freshman duo," Doggette said. "Competing with Gabby is like competing with a veteran. She knows how to put it out there, and she’s always that person that grounds me before I go. She pushes everybody to do their best every day because she brings her best to the table. It’s been amazing."

And the tradition continues with 2023 signee Jamison Sears, who has also participated in the Nastia Liukin Cup multiple times and was also at the meet in the 2019. Sears finished fourth in the all-around in the junior division that year. 

"Me and Jamison actually met at Nastia too," Doggette said. "She’s been like a baby sister to me ever since—kind of like with Gabby. She told me kind of a similar story with me following her and that type of thing. We got to have her on her recruiting trip for her official. I think it’s just super cool that we all went through the same process because it is such and big deal and such a fun meet."

Last year, she won the all-around senior title. It shows the strength of the Alabama program and the talent it continues to bring in year after year. 

"The Nastia Liukin Cup is is a fantastic platform to kind of join forces and compete for something bigger and compete to inspire young girls through the generations," said Alabama gymnastics head coach Ashley Johnston. "And I think Makarri and Gabby are a great example of that. Makarri was kind of that role model for Gabby going into Nastia Liukin cup, and then now they're able to both be role models for future generations that are coming up through the club programs."

And while the future for Alabama gymnastics looks bright, the present is sparkling right now too. Coming off back-to-back season high scores and its first 198 of the season in the Metroplex Challenge last Saturday, the Crimson Tide is on high heading into Friday's meet at Georgia. 

"This is the feeling that we were explaining to the underclassmen," Doggette said. "This is what we felt in the past. This is what we want. We know we’re better than this. We can put everything out on the table because we’re capable of so much. I think we’ve done a very good job of doing that, but now it’s just continuing that journey.”