The LSU gymnastics team has been known for its high level of competition from start to finish.
This season, it’s been a little slower coming along. At week five, LSU currently has a team average score of 196.645 compared to week five scores of 197.555 in 2017, 197.290 in 2018 and 197.015 in 2019.
This is the lowest team average for LSU after five weeks of competition since putting up 196.525 in 2016. It’s worth mentioning that the Tigers finished second in the nation at the NCAA Super Six that season.
Despite struggles so far this season, co-head coaches D-D Breaux and Jay Clark are not worried about the Tigers’ long-term success. Breaux said she’s seen development in this team and has seen individual gymnasts grow throughout the season so far.
“We know what we have,” Clark said. “We talk about that a lot, whether it’s just bad routines within a particular meet, or a bad meet, but we know what we have. We know that when we get healthy, when we get to a place where we can have some level of consistency in our training. We just know what we have and regardless of outcomes, sometimes there’s things that happen that you can’t control.”
Injuries are a big reason for the Tigers’ early season struggles.
Two major contributors— senior all-rounder Kennedi Edney and junior all-rounder Sarah Edwards— are out or limited with injuries. Clark understands the potential struggles those injuries present.
Edney injured her elbow in practice on Jan. 30, and is limited to just two events (beam and floor exercise), while Edwards injured her left ankle on her second floor pass against Florida on Jan. 24.
Even with the injuries, the Tigers are focused on controlling what they can control and hoping the depth in the lineup can perform at a high level.
“The things we can control are that we did get a little tentative, trying to compete not to lose (against Alabama),” Clark said. “That’s just a bad mindset for any team to allow themselves to get into. We’ve got to move on to the next thing and as long as they buy into that and truly do it, we know we’re going to be fine. We talk about the disappointments and where we went wrong, what needs to change, but there’s no knee jerk with this team. We’re not going to categorically change anything we’re doing because we know what we have.”
That’s the culture of this team, Clark said. Being able to get up on the floor each week, regardless of the previous week’s disappointments, and continue to compete to the fullest.
Freshman Kiya Johnson said it’s personally been difficult for herself and the rest of her fellow freshmen to get adapted to the collegiate competition and live up to the legacy of past LSU teams.
It’s that developing confidence in themselves and each other that will propel the Tigers to put an entire meet together, Johnson said.
“It took a little while to gain that culture,” Clark said. “I just know in the first couple years that I was here, there was a little bit less of that. It’s more about having a group of young women that believe in the message and when the message stays consistent and the belief follows, then the results begin to happen, which then reinforces the belief and confidence begins to grow.”
“I think we’re still a very confident group. we’re a little bit angry at the way things have gone from time to time, but I wouldn’t say that there’s any sense of panic or desperation, not coming internally from this program.”
The overarching culture of a program is as important as anything, but the identity of every individual team is vital.
This year’s Tigers are are still trying to find that identity, but Clark said they turned a corner that night at Florida. He’s confident that this team will ready to compete for a championship in March and April.
“I’m incredibly positive about this team,” Clark said. “That’s what I keep trying to say to them and anyone who will hear me. The sky’s not falling. We know what we have and they know what they are. Every team goes through growth and maturation at a different rate.”
“It doesn’t change where we’re headed. It doesn’t change what our intentions are. I love this group. They’re hungry and they want to do well. When you’ve got that kind of foundation and the kind of talent level that we have, we know we’re going to be fine.”