According to famed author Mark Twain, it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog that oftentimes determines a champion.

The axiom holds particularly true for Lakewood High's Victoria Dubrowskij, especially during her senior season.

Dubrowskij might be small in stature - a little over 5-foot tall and as slender as can be - but her ferocity and spirit in competition helped carry her through a painful campaign and to a second consecutive Moore League title.

For her accomplishments and ability to overcome, Dubrowskij has been selected the 2010 Press-Telegram Dream Team Gymnast of the Year.

Over her career, the petite-sized dynamo has worked her way from beginner to Level 9 and on to the cusp of Level 10, a step below elite, Olympic-like status. But achieving that came with a price. The physical demands of the year-round sport - all of the bending, jumping and landing - caught up with her this year and began to take a toll on her body.

But it didn't stop Dubrowskij, who graduated last month with a GPA near 4.0, from successfully defending her titles as Moore League champion and Dream Team Gymnast of the Year.

"She's a fighter," longtime Lakewood coach Michelle Kaeka said. "At times I would tell her, `Do something easier.' She would say, `No. I've got to do this."'

At the Moore League finals, Dubrowskij won the floor exercise (9.2), the balance beam (9.4) and the vault (9.5)

and placed second on the uneven parallel bars (9.2) to claim the all-around with a score of 37.30.

"It was great to see her finish on top," Kaeka said. "When you get a kid like her, it's a Godsend. She is pretty much one of top gymnasts I have ever coached (over 19 years). She is right up there."

Dubrowskij had a couple of missteps en route to the title. At the San Diego Invitational, she fell off the beam and wound up as the runner-up because of it. But it only made her stronger.

"I'm happy for myself because I did finish good," she said. "I had some errors in the season, but I brought it all back together in the finals.

"In San Diego, that was the first time I ever fell on the beam. If I hadn't fallen, I probably would have finished first. I wasn't going to let that happen again."

Not only did Dubrowskij, who led the Lancers to the team titles in her freshman and junior years and is a member of the Lakewood Youth Sports Hall of Fame, end her high school career on top, but also her career.

The taxation on her body got to be just too much that it wasn't worth competing anymore.

"I'm done now. I made up my mind," she said. "It got to the point where it's hard and not as fun as it used to be. I couldn't do it anymore. I just wanted to finish the season strong."

But that's not to say she is totally done with gymnastics. Over the past couple of years, Dubrowskij has helped coach her less experienced teammates. Kaeka said she hopes to see her in the gym next season.

"I'm sure she will (come back to help coach). She is staying local ... and maybe she will do some choreography for us," Kaeka said. "Victoria likes coaching. She has had a big part in helping newcomers and being a mentor."

dave.werstine@presstelegram.com