As Jessie Jordan progresses through her beam routines each meet, fellow junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville might as well be performing alongside her.
Courville nervously watches several paces away from the rest of the team, as isolated as Jordan upon the balance beam. Courville mentally performs every skill as Jordan executes them for the crowd and the judges, and she’s usually the first one to greet and embrace Jordan after her landing.
“I see how hard [Jordan] works in the gym, and I know how awesome of a beam anchor she is,” Courville said. “I’m so excited for her when she finally gets off the beam, and every performance she’s had so far is one to be excited about. I’m always her No. 1 cheerleader because my routine is over and I can finally watch her.”
Courville said she doesn’t consciously seek to be the first one to celebrate with Jordan. Rather, the two are drawn together as a result of a special bond two years in the making.
Jordan and Courville first met on the same recruiting trip to LSU. Jordan, a native of Houston, Texas, said she and Courville shared an unspoken knowledge of what they expected from themselves and the program.
The two started their college careers as roommates, and the bond between them grew stronger as they spent more time together. Courville, who hails from Baton Rouge, said she was drawn to Jordan’s “bubbly personality.”
“I had a car whenever I first got here, but I don’t think I drove it for two or three months,” Jordan said. “We were always together, going around and doing things with her showing me what Baton Rouge was like.”
Courville and Jordan caught on with each other as fast as they did with the gymnastics team. The pair instantly became an integral part of the Tigers’ rotation, as they competed in the all-around in every meet during their freshman season.
In just two seasons, Courville and Jordan combined to earn 10 All-America accolades, and Courville won a share of the NCAA vault title last year. Since Courville and Jordan arrived at LSU, they have used healthy competition to push each other to great heights.
“We’ve both always been extremely competitive and brought out the best in each other,” Courville said. “In-house competition is the best you can get because every time I see Jessie she’s super calm and very consistent, and that brings out the best in me.”
The duo have carried success into 2014, as Courville is tied for No. 2 in the all-around with a 39.519 average, and Jordan is ranked No. 8 with a 39.431. For all of the twosome’s accomplishments, perhaps no one is happier than LSU coach D-D Breaux.
“They feed off each other, and they know that the stronger their performances are, the stronger the team will be,” Breaux said. “It bodes well for what we’re trying to do and the culture we’re trying to create here.”
Now that they are upperclassmen, Courville and Jordan have also come into leadership roles for the Tigers. Senior Sarie Morrison said they have embraced those roles and are some of the most outspoken gymnasts on the squad.
“When they first got here, they really hit it off, both being the same age and being super competitive in the all-around,” Morrison said. “It’s easy for them to be friends being so competitive because you always want to do well, but having someone by your side doing the exact same thing as you makes for a better friendship.”
The two have always been side by side, even if it means Courville follows Jordan’s every move on the balance beam. Courville and Jordan’s bond was forged through hours of practice, and their friendship has helped elevate LSU to No. 3 in the country.
“We’ve talked about it so much,” Courville said. “We’ve had all these late-night discussions about what we can do to make [LSU] better, and what we can do to put ourselves on the map. We knew coming in freshman year that we wanted to make a huge impression, and we did.”
 “When they first got here, they really hit it off, both being the same age and being super competitive in the all-around…It’s easy for them to be friends being so competitive because you always want to do well, but having someone by your side doing the exact same thing as you makes for a better friendship.”