When the anchor spot on floor routine comes up, every fan in the PMAC is on their feet in anticipation of the upcoming performance. Everyone in the building knows LSU senior gymnast Lloimincia Hall is onthe mat.
Tiger fans know Hall has the potential to do something special every time she steps on the floor, and her school-record five perfect scores can attest to that.
Every year, Hall’s routines have a theme special to her at the time, and this year’s is a tribute to Louisiana.
“With the years in the past, I tried to have a different theme every time,” Hall said. “The theme this year is to thank Louisiana for accepting someone from Texas. I want to show that yes, I am a Texas girl, but I have really grown to love Louisiana.”
She became a national sensation when a video of her perfect score against Alabama on Jan. 31, 2014 went viral. The video climbed up to more than a million views and still grows daily. Her success isn’t just superficial — she has three Southeastern Conference floor championships and the status as being one of the elite floor performers in the nation.
This year, the Dallas native’s routine is set to a compilation of four songs unique to Louisiana that have forged a special meaning to Hall during her time in Baton Rouge.
“The first song is ‘Neck,’ which I have grown to love in my time here,” Hall said. “The next song is the [LSU] Fight Song, and that is followed by ‘Stand Up and Get Crunk.’ The last song is my signature song — it is something that everyone calls ‘The Lloimincia.’”
The new routine, choreographed by former LSU gymnast and volunteer coach Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, features three difficult tumbles and dance moves unorthodox to the sport, a tribute to her power on the floor.
Hall’s style is far from the traditional ballet dancing that is preferred in Olympic performances, but college judges embrace her different approach.
“[Hall’s] choreography is different than [senior Rheagan Courville’s] or [senior Jessie Jordan’s] in the sense that I have to think outside of the box because she has a different kind of presence,” Clare-Kearney said. “I tried to downplay it and was subtle with the moves she makes because she makes them so big.”
Although Hall has countless repetitions in the gym, it is still a relatively new routine for her, receiving the choreography in November. It has been performed only twice, and it will get better with time, Hall said.
The season will culminate in April with the Super Six Championships, where Hall has a chance to perform her Louisiana-themed routine in Fort Worth, Texas, less than 50 miles from her hometown.
Hall said performing not only in front of a home crowd but also in front of a crowd supporting the LSU gymnastics team will help the team focus on winning.
Then, she will focus on the individual side.
“[Hall] has some unfinished business,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “I think [the video] put pressure on her during the championships [last year] to do better than she had done all year long. Better than she had done all year long isn’t what she needed — competing with enthusiasm, excitement and the tremendous amount of power she has [is what she needs].”
You can reach Jacob Hamilton on Twitter @jhamilton_TDR.
LSU senior gymnast Hall’s floor song a tribute to Louisiana
By Jacob Hamilton
January 21, 2015
More to Discover