The LSU gymnastics team is ahead of the curve in what could be the future of college sports media guides.
The NCAA decided in the fall to prohibit teams from distributing printed media guides to recruits.
Rather than upload guides and send them electronically, LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux said she wanted to produce an online-only media guide.
“The media get enough information from coming and watching the event and the statistics we put together week in and week out. … Our media guide is more telling the story of our program and our traditions,” Breaux said.
Breaux said she wanted to produce a media guide similar to No. 6 Oregon State’s. The Beavers approached Pursuant Sports — a company that produces the online media guides — last year with the online-only idea.
“Everybody saw the rule coming, so Oregon State jumped in front of the rule, and I really like what they did, and I have a lot of respect for their program,” Breaux said.
LSU’s online media guide contains the statistics a regular media guide would include as well as interactive videos of LSU gymnasts.
Former gymnasts Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and Susan Jackson discuss their success and the storied history of LSU athletics, while current gymnasts present what life is like as a Tiger.
Freshman Kaleigh Dickson tours the on-campus apartments and the LSU campus in the video. The guide also includes videos from LSU football games.
“I think it’s great,” said sophomore Shelby Prunty. “It allows more interaction so people can see tours of places and not just a picture here and there.”
The guide features a video tour of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes and a tour of the athletic training facility, which includes the “largest hydrotherapy pool in collegiate and professional sports,” according to Clare-Kearney.
Breaux said anything fresh and original can help sway a recruit.
“Kids make their decision where they’re going to go based on strange things,” she said. “If we have this to put in front of them and we’re doing it better than anybody else then we’re going to get positive results.”
With new technology comes inevitable minor issues.
Breaux said LSU is still tinkering with the online media guide and figuring out how much information can be included without the site being choppy.
“The package of what we’ve got, we like it,” she said. “Now we’ll just tweak it and change the paging a little bit so we can make it work better.”
So far it seems the LSU gymnasts enjoy the product.
“For LSU to do something different this year, I think it’s really fun,” said freshman Sarie Morrison. “Recruits will like the fact it’s online and you can go to it any time to watch it.”
 
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