Ashlyn Kirby’s senior year of high school didn’t go as she had planned.
In fact, her final season in high school involved rehabbing from a Tommy John surgery.
The now freshman all-arounder credited other members of the team for being supportive of her, especially since she dealt with a serious injury her senior year of high school.
“I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them,” said Kirby. “They’re so encouraging from the little pep talks to the long phone calls.”
While she competed at the Junior Olympic level, Kirby missed the bar during her bar routine.
“It was the first competition of my senior year,” Kirby said. “I missed the bar during my routine and came down on a straight arm and dislocated it, and when I did I tore my ACL. I had to have a Tommy John surgery.”
Even though she faced a potential career ending injury, she remained positive during her journey back to gymnastics.
“It was definitely tough,” Kirby said. “I remember getting here this summer and not being able to put weight on it, so the trainers and coaches have been phenomenal with working with it. They pushed me, for sure, but I needed it.”
Originally, Kirby didn’t look into LSU gymnastics, but now she says “this is the place for me.”
Kirby found herself at home when she toured LSU and felt an immediate connection to the team.
“The campus was beautiful,” Kirby said. “I told my mom jokingly that I was coming here because [LSU] had palm trees, and I love the beach. But, seeing the chemistry of the team and the way that the coaches worked with them [the gymnasts] was cool, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Kirby never followed LSU gymnastics until associate head coach Jay Clark joined LSU’s gymnastics team.
“I initially looked because of Jay Clark,” Kirby said. “He was at [University of] Georgia when my sister was there, and then he came here. So, I came for camp and loved everything about LSU.”
Kirby met Clark while going to multiple Georgia gymnastics camps. Her sister Whitney Kirby was on Georgia’s team from 2012 to 2014.
“As soon as I was born, my sister was already in gymnastics,” Ashlyn said. “Once I was old enough my parents put me in classes while she was training.”
Ashlyn began gymnastics at the age of three and her sister Whitney at the age of seven. Ashlyn’s first competition was at the age of six.
Although Ashlyn and her sister share the same love for gymnastics, Whitney encouraged her to create her own style for gymnastics.
“My sister was really encouraging about me creating my own gymnastics,” Ashlyn said. “She said, ‘Don’t follow after me. If you don’t want to go to Georgia, then don’t go.’ She was really supportive of my decision to come to LSU.”
She looked into Auburn University and Minnesota University, but said theydidn’t feel right.
“I toured Auburn, but I didn’t know,” Ashlyn said. “I came to LSU the next week and thought, ‘I don’t want to go anywhere else. This is the place.’”
The freshman was able to compete in her first floor routine and posted a score of 9.625 against George Washington and Iowa on Feb. 19.
“It was so exciting,” Ashlyn said. “It was great just to be able to go out and compete and get experience again.”
Although Ashlyn is from Claremont, North Carolina, she said Louisiana and North Carolina are very similar to her.
“It’s actually a lot more similar than people think,” Ashlyn said. “The town that I’m from is very southern. It wasn’t much of an adjustment.”

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Jordan Marcell

LSU all-around freshman Ashlyn Kirby embraces all-around sophomore Sarah Finnegan during the Tigers' 197.875-195.300 victory against the University of New Hampshire on Friday, March 10, 2017 in the PMAC.