Under the bright lights of the floor mat, an LSU gymnast may feel alone and anxious.
Luckily, just feet away, 15 backup dancers stand in purple and gold leotards.
LSU gymnasts can be seen lining the stage syncing their movements along with select steps of the performing Tiger, and what may look like typical sideline antics to some is actually a form of team bonding for the No. 7 Tigers.
“Normally in the past, we’ll maybe do just one person’s routine,” said junior Sarie Morrison. “But this year, we made an effort to sit down thinking, ‘OK, what can we do in everyone’s routine that would be fun on the sidelines and get the crowd into it too?’”
According to sophomore Rheagan Courville, LSU coach D-D Breaux also had a heavy hand in the decision to formalize the dancing, which occurred sparsely in years past.
“One day, we were in the gym, and D-D said, ‘I want to get y’all to be in sync with this and make this a thing everyone can catch on to,’” Courville said. “So we practiced it, and we just made it a point to do it every single time.”
LSU has used its dancing as a way to build team chemistry, an aspect Breaux said is stronger in this team than those of the recent past.
Breaux said the team has adopted a sense of togetherness and ownership; Morrison went as far as describing her teammates as sisters.
“We feel each other’s pain and each other’s victories,” Morrison said. “It’s going to make for a better season for us. … We know we’re good this year, and we have a chance to do amazing things.”
LSU sophomore Lloimincia Hall said the support is more than moral.
“[Breaux] almost made a joke behind it, saying, ‘if you don’t know your routine, just look on the sidelines,’” Hall said.
She also said the hopes of getting the crowd more involved at meets has been a driving force behind the newly refined backup dancing.
“The judges are people too,” Hall said. “So if they see that you’re having a great time, and the audience is into it, why wouldn’t they want to give a great score?”
