After the final tumbling pass of her floor routine, Rheagan Courville turns to face her teammates lined up along the edge of the floor.
The junior all-arounder spells out LSU with her arms, and her teammates do the same. It’s not just for Courville’s performance — every floor routine is an interaction among every member of the No. 1 LSU                             gymnastics team. 
A team standing along the floor to shout words of encouragement and mimic the moves of a competing gymnast is commonplace in collegiate gymnastics. For LSU, it’s a crucial building block of team chemistry.
“They’re having vicarious performances through each other, and that’s what you want to see happen,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “Then it becomes fun and it’s automatic.”
Cultivating team chemistry is critical because most gymnasts never belong to a team until competing in college.
Club gymnastics is divided into different levels of competition in which gymnasts advance not as a team, but as individuals. Courville, who quickly advanced through the club levels, attested to the benefits of having a support system behind her.
“Growing up, I was extremely individual,” Courville said. “Coming to this environment where you have so much support around you and so much enthusiasm just really makes you better in all aspects of your gymnastics. I couldn’t imagine doing it by myself anymore.”
The closeness of the team during floor exercise is also meant to help the Tigers stay in the “purple zone,” a term Breaux uses to stress focus on one’s own routine. Even in a hostile environment, LSU can feel like it’s at home. 
“In a sea of colors that aren’t your home colors, it’s really nice to look over and see everybody lined up on the side because it’s like a barrier,” Courville said. The event is just as invigorating for those who don’t have a spot in the floor rotation.
The Tigers learn teammates’ routines by spending hours watching one another practicing. They see how much time and energy goes into perfecting every detail, and vocal and visual encouragement is their chance to make a difference and give back to the team. 
“Doing that and giving off that energy shows that even though I’m not in this lineup, I still serve a purpose,” said sophomore all-arounder Randii Wyrick. “Whether that’s moving mats or cheering them on or being moral support, we’re still all there as a team.”
The lively exchanges between performer and teammates are meant to engage the crowd as well. For the Tigers, a more energetic atmosphere helps heighten their performances.
“It’s all about the vibes you get from your teammates and the environment that you’re in,” said junior all-arounder Jessie Jordan. “When I wasn’t competing, it was really fun for me to sit back and watch the routines and get to cheer for my teammates and dance along with the routines.”
Though a squad being near the mat during floor exercise is a widespread practice, teams are corralled some distance from the floor during conference championships and NCAA regional meets. With the Southeastern Conference championship just a week away, Breaux said she plans to make LSU aware of the upcoming change by keeping it away from the floor against Kentucky on Friday night.
So when Courville turns near the end of her routine, the Tigers won’t be directly in her line of sight. But odds are they’ll be mirroring her every move anyway.
“I love to see them having fun with it and really getting into it,” Courville said. “It’s a confidence-booster when you look over there and seeing them doing it. They’re enjoying themselves, so it makes me enjoy myself  even more.”
“Doing that and giving off that energy shows that even though I’m not in this lineup, I still serve a purpose.”

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Charlotte Willcox

All-around gymnast Rheagan Courville strikes a pose during her floor routine Friday, March 7, 2014 during the Tigers' 197.500 - 195.525 victory against NC State in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.