Dismounting from the apparatus after a near perfect beam set in the new LSU Gymnastics Training Facility, Michelle Gauthier still isn’t satisfied.
The Mandeville native senior climbs back on the four-feet high, four-inch wide beam and repeats her routine until each skill is perfect.
“She is such a hard worker, and she puts 200 percent into everything that she does,” said senior all-arounder Jessica Savona. “She’ll go up on each event, and if it’s not done to her best abilities, she’s going to keep going until it’s acceptable.”
“You’ll always see me going again and again and again,” Gauthier said. “That’s just because I know I need to push my team to get better.”
The walk-on, who was honored at LSU’s Senior Night on Friday, doesn’t have the nationally recognized name that All-American teammates Ashleigh Gnat and Myia Hambrick do, but her coaches mutually agree she’s just as impactful.
LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux said Gauthier has a large responsibility as the primary backup in two events. Breaux says she can always count on Gauthier putting together a complete routine in pressure situations with the least amount of meet-day preparation.
Serving as the Tigers’ pacesetter in practice, associate head coach Jay Clark said Gauthier’s intense work ethic to improve with every repetition paints her as the wmodel teammate.
As a substitute on beam and floor, Clark said a young athlete can become frustrated and an energy drag. But not Gauthier, she embraced her role the day she first walked onto campus and strives to help the team every day.
“There’s a lot of places she could have gone and been on full scholarship and competed in [every event], but she made a choice to come to a program where there’s an awful lot of talent,” Clark said. “But her work ethic keeps her relevant and in the mix. [That] pushes others.”
Whether she’s telling freshmen how best to manage their time and showing them the ropes in the practice facility, or giving advice, Gauthier is LSU’s vocal leader.
Gauthier said she naturally took over the role when she arrived on campus after previously taking a stable of younger gymnasts under her wing at Mandeville Gymnastics during her club career.
“I was the oldest girl in my club gym, so I always had younger girls under me with fears, and I took it upon myself to help them out,” Gauthier said. “Coming here, I took that with me and used it.”
Adding to her resume, Gauthier is the head of the gymnastics team’s community service push and co-representative, with junior all-arounder Sydney Ewing, for the Student Athlete Committee.
Breaux added that Gauthier’s grades are never wavering. The kinesiology senior is a three-time Academic All-American and won the Wally Pontiff, Jr. Academic Excellence Award for the 2014-2015 school year for third-year student-athletes who have a 3.9 or higher GPA.
Making the beam lineup five times this season, Gauthier helped LSU record its three highest beam scores this season, including a nation-leading 49.575 against No. 2 Florida on Feb. 26. Her most memorable performance came against No. 8 Arkansas on Feb. 5 when she recorded a career-high 9.875 beam score.
“My whole team was running with their arms wide open,” Gauthier said. “[Ewing] was the first one to give me a hug, I [said], ‘You’re next. You not only have to go, you’re next!’ I had my team’s support; I could feel their positive energy. Having them behind me and having such a great team motivated me to do well.”
Clark said Gauthier drives the competitive environment in practice, which pushes the rest of the team to improve, and, ultimately, translates to the third-ranked Tigers’ success.
“She really is a joy to have on our team,” Clark said. “It may not always show up on a box score, but I promise you when she’s gone it will leave a hole that we’ve got to fill.”
You can reach Jacob Hamilton on Twitter @jac0b_hamilt0n

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Emily Brauner

LSU senior gymnast Michelle Gauthier is not just a back up for the team, but a strong vocal leader and pacesetter for practice.