The LSU gymnastics team will be balancing to avoid the fall Friday when the team travels to Kentucky after earning its highest score in almost three years at the Metroplex Challenge last week.
LSU coach D-D Breaux is preparing her No. 6 Tigers for their third road meet in as many weeks in the hopes that the team can maintain the high expectations set early in the season.
“It’s just a matter of doing what we do in practice and not trying to do it with emotion like we did in Texas,” Breaux said. “I think these kids have tasted victory, and they have competed and shown that they are warriors.”
The Tigers lead the overall series with the Wildcats 66-5, but have gone 3-2 in the past five seasons, including a 196.125-195.050 victory at home last season.
Second-year Kentucky coach Tim Garrison has the Wildcats — who aren’t usually considered a perennial power in the country — up to the No. 16 spot in the nation.
“They will beat us if we let down and don’t go in there with the eye of the tiger,” Breaux said. “We have to go there to play and compete with everything we have.”
The Tigers fell to No. 2 Oklahoma last week by .175 after struggling with the beam exercises, something the team has focused on this week in practice.
Four of the six Tigers competing on the beam failed to break the 9.800 mark in Texas and prompted an increased focus on the little aspects of the beam competition.
“We didn’t make mistakes, we just weren’t great,” Breaux said. “We were checking ourselves and little breaks throughout our routines and we didn’t stick our dismounts. You can’t do that if you want to beat a team that’s as good as you are or better than you are. You have to win beam.”
LSU junior Kaleigh Dickson said she expects to remain the third Tiger to compete in the all-around competition after a strong performance last weekend, during which she scored a 39.275.
“I love being back in the all around,” Dickson said. “I just want to help my team get the best score possible, and if the coaches think that’s me, then great. … [Breaux] said she’s going to be very hard on me on beam this week. I’m looking forward to it, though.”
