From ‘Mommy-and-Me’ style classes to hours of practice in the gym, gymnastics is a sport that demands years of sacrifice from its athletes.
But behind the scenes, as each gymnast perfects their craft, is a force greater than many fans know: the families and parents who support their athletes on their journey.
For LSU, that force takes the form of parents and even grandparents who helped push its gymnasts from toddlerhood to the top of the nation and have made countless sacrifices over the years.
“Our family made many sacrifices, including moving Lexi to Minnesota her final three years of high school to train at an Olympic-level gym,” said sophomore Lexi Zeiss’ mom, Dana Zeiss. “However, it was Lexi who sacrificed the most to chase her dreams. She left her friends, her family, her home, her gym and her state because she needed and wanted more.”
Zeiss’ drive to progress in her sport was similar to that of fellow sophomore Victoria Roberts, who began their adventure in the gym at a young age.
Robert’s sacrifice echoed in transitioning from her childhood gym to pursue a path at LSU.
“During her senior year of high school, we had to make the difficult decision to leave our gym of 14 years to join a new club coached by LSU legend Bob Moore to prepare her for college,” Roberts’ parents, Stephanie and Trey Roberts, said. “LSU becoming an option felt like an answer to prayer, as it hadn’t been a consideration before.”
In the name of LSU being an answer to Roberts’ prayer, another family on LSU’s roster turned to prayer. The Cowans, whose senior, Ashley Cowan, dedicates her journey to her faith and love for Christ.
That love helped push Cowan’s career to new heights, just like many of the other gymnast families who devoted most, if not all, of their time outside of work or other obligations to help build the athletes we see competing for the team today.
“We spent countless hours carting Ashley — and her siblings — to a gym far from home, sometimes making two trips a day, juggling everyone’s schedules,” Cowan’s mom, Jill Cowan, said. “There were nights when homework was finished in the backseat, and dinners happened on the go, all so Ashley could chase her dreams.”
While it’s commonly said that it takes a village to get athletes to the level they’re at, not every gymnast was given that privilege at home. This was the case for senior Chase Brock, a gymnast who’s faced her fair share of adversity after her humble beginnings shaped her into the teammate she is today.
“I was a single mom to two girl athletes,” Brock’s mom, Kirsten Brock, said. “I had them both in sports that involved travels and hours in a gym. Somehow, we figured out how to make that work. [Chase’s] dedication, the strength of this program, and the resilience she developed over six years–she is leaving it all on the floor. Her legacy is about her character, not just competition.”
For sophomore Kailin Chio, a similar story on the other side of the country makes her success even sweeter for those who helped her become the nation’s No. 1 gymnast.
“As a single parent, I was responsible for getting her to and from every practice, every meet and fully financially carrying the cost,” Chio’s mom, Sara Chio, said. “Having had and still having the ability to give her the support, tools and opportunities to live out her dreams is a blessing beyond comprehension. I have and will always be her biggest and number one fan!”
Whether it be competing in the first meet of the long season or fighting for the national title, the families of every gymnast have shown up to nearly every meet, watching the daughters that they’ve raised take on a new level of greatness.
Many fans might think that after years of pouring money into the sport, after hours and hours of practice, and all the miles traveled or even moved, some of these parents would change the way they brought their children up. But for most of them, they would have done it all over again if it meant seeing their children get to where they are today.
“We would not have changed a single thing,” Dana Zeiss said. “This has been Lexi’s journey, and she has taken our family on an incredible ride. She has had so much success, but what makes us most proud is how she has handled the moments that didn’t go quite as planned.”
Even if it’s not watching their daughter perform in front of a sold-out home crowd, simply being a part of the process is enough for these families.
This is evident in freshman Nina Ballou, who has quickly won over the hearts of Tiger fans, earning the nickname “Nina Bayou.” While her success is a testament to what she’s done for the team this season, one of the highlights for both her and her mother is how they still share a special moment ahead of each competition.
“I have the pleasure of doing Nina’s hair for nearly every meet, and it’s something we both look forward to,” Ballou’s mom, Diana Ballou, said. “I don’t take for granted how lucky we are to still be so involved in her journey and really cherish every moment watching her entertain the crowd every week!”
Every gymnast has a special bond with their family, and for Tiger transfers like fifth-year senior Courtney Blackson or senior Emily Innes, that bond is strengthened by the support they earned while deciding to continue their sport in Baton Rouge, La.
Still, no matter how long each gymnast has been doing gymnastics, it’s clear that no sacrifice could outweigh the joy that every family experiences as they watch their daughter compete alongside the best of the best in one of the top collegiate programs this nation has to offer.
“Now that she is in her senior year, it is bittersweet,” Innes’ mom, Kris Innes, said. “It has been a pleasure watching her compete, but sad to see it come to an end. We couldn’t be more proud of all her accomplishments and the fact that she took a leap of faith going into the portal and ending her career at LSU.”
