LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux’s two-for-one deals are too good to pass up.
Breaux’s offer doesn’t expire and is available exclusively during practice, but those who have bought in can attest to the deal’s effectiveness. More importantly, Breaux’s bargain benefits buyer and seller alike.
Breaux simply tells a gymnast that her next practice routine is a “super set,” meaning that if she perfectly executes her routine, it counts as two practice runs. The drill appears to be little more than a motivational mind game, but the super sets have translated to a rejuvenated balance beam lineup for the Tigers.
LSU’s weak link last season was on the beam. The team scored less than a 49.000 on the event six times en route to a subpar 49.012 season average, compared with its 49.403 average on vault.
But halfway through this season, the Tigers are No. 3 nationally on beam with a 49.240 regional qualifying score, and those super sets and mental repetitions factor into the breakout performances.
“All the preparation during the offseason has helped when we go into beam and act like it’s just a super set,” said junior all-arounder Lloimincia Hall. “We go into each meet thinking it’s like one of the pressure games the coaches come up with and end up succeeding.”
LSU’s lowest beam score so far was a 49.075 against No. 9 Georgia on Jan. 17, which is higher than eight beam scores the Tigers posted last year.
And beam scores for this season continue to improve. LSU tied, then broke, its season-high beam score two weeks ago with a 49.250 against No. 11 Arkansas followed by a 49.325 versus No. 2 Oklahoma.
Freshman all-arounder Ashleigh Gnat earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week recognition in part because of her event-winning 9.900 on beam against the Sooners. Breaux, who specializes as a beam coach, said Gnat’s contribution in the fourth spot of the rotation has energized the lineup.
The Tigers boast arguably the best beam anchor in the country in junior all-arounder Jessie Jordan, whose 9.915 regional qualifying score is No. 1 nationally. Jordan said the confidence she gained through super sets and mental practice helped her overcome doubts she had about the lack of consistency in her beam routine.
“It’s so calming to know that every time [Jordan] gets up, she’s going to hit,” said senior all- arounder Kaleigh Dickson. “We all sit back and are calm when she’s up there because she practices exactly the way she competes.”
Jordan has displayed her consistency in the early part of 2014 by blowing past last season’s 9.772 beam average, but she’s not the only LSU gymnast who made significant strides in the offseason.
Dickson upped her median score by more than a half-tenth of a point, while Hall increased her average from a 9.788 last season to a 9.818.
Sophomore all-arounder Jessica Savona has provided a 9.700 this season after being removed from the beam lineup halfway through 2013. Junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville, the No. 1 gymnast in the country, is No. 2 on beam with a 9.900 regional qualifying score.
“During the offseason, it was about skills and getting the kids in here and going through each skill in their routine a couple of times,” Breaux said. “… Our upperclassmen are one more year mature, and they understand the process a lot better.”
Breaux recently switched Hall from the middle of the lineup to the leadoff position, a move she said helps take pressure away from the end of the rotation. Breaux praised Hall’s stability and focus, and the junior all-arounder embraced her role wholeheartedly.
“That start-off position on beam is so dear to D-D’s heart,” Hall said. “… I don’t look at it as pressure, but I look at it as an honor because D-D trusts in me to go up there and lead it off well so that anybody behind me can just relax.”
One of Breaux’s mottos is the team that wins on beam almost always wins the meet, so taking up her super set offers is a no-brainer for the Tigers.
But for others, excellence on the balance beam is a matter of pride.
“We wanted to make it known that we didn’t have an event that we’re struggling with,” Hall said. “We wanted to be just as confident on [beam] as we are on our top events.”