The regular season doesn’t start until January, but the Gym Dogs will kick off their quest for a fifth straight national title with their annual Sneak-A-Peek meet on Sunday.

The exhibition will give fans their first glimpse of the 2009 edition of the top-ranked Gym Dogs.

“I think it just jump-starts Athens,” said junior Grace Taylor, the reigning NCAA beam champion.

“It’s for our mindsets going into Christmas break, and it’s for all the fans here too … I think because the season starts right when we get back, we kind of have to give them a taste right before they go.”

Head coach Suzanne Yoculan, in her 26th and final year in Athens, will help emcee the mock meet, with her Gym Dogs performing full routines on bars and beam, as well as partial routines on vault and floor.

The Gym Dogs have a number of competitors either coming back from or still battling injuries, and the Sneak-A-Peek will offer their first chance to land on hard surfaces.

“It’s a good way for you to be like, ‘Man, I need a lot of work on this,’” said senior Abby Stack. “It’s different than everyday practice. It may be a little bit of a struggle because we’ve had a bit of a slow fall but I think it motivates everyone to work that much harder over the break.”

Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for the 2:30 meet, with admission free and general admission seating.