Whether competing on the floor or cheering on her teammates, sophomore all-arounder McKenna Kelley provides “spunk” to the LSU gymnastics team.
“I’m a really big goofball,” Kelley said. “I’ve been like that since I was little. I’m just a goofy person. But I do think it helps the team, you know, in certain ways, keeping it light.”
NCAA gymnastics at LSU is full of entertainment with fireworks during pregame and fatheads in the stands. Each gymnast has her own distinct personality that contributes to the team’s overall mood.
LSU coach D-D Breaux said Kelley never needs to remove herself from all the excitement because she is always the one starting it. Both Kelley and the team feed off that type of energy in a sport that can sometimes be stressful.
“She’s a hoot,” Breaux said. “I don’t know how she can do what she does in that last event because she doesn’t stop. She does every routine with every person. She just doesn’t stop.”
Both powerful and fun, Kelley’s floor routine is a parallel to her personality. As a freshman, she averaged 9.836 on the floor, with nine scores of 9.85 or higher and six scores of 9.90 or higher.
This season, Kelley fine-tuned her floor routine, which includes more tumbling. She is averaging 9.867, with a high of 9.925 in the season opener.
Kelley suffered a small shoulder injury in the off season that took her out of the bars lineup and limited her training on vault.
“In her mind she’s ready to go, but in our mind she’s not,” Breaux said. “Somewhere between where I am and where she is, we’re gonna meet in the middle and she’ll be ready to vault whenever she can do them enough times in practice.”
Once fully healthy, Breaux said Kelley will be able to compete in more events.
Kelley’s 10.0 start value vault would contribute greatly to an already strong LSU vaulting lineup, ranked No. 1 in the country.
Throughout competitions, the team tries to stay in what they call the “purple zone”. In the “purple zone,” the team is focused on a specific goal and not bothered by the goings on around them.
Kelley said that being goofy and loose helps the team stay in the “purple zone,” which contributes to its success.
“D-D always looks at us like, ‘It’s not world hunger,’ and that really puts you in perspective,” Kelley said. “It makes you take a step back and take a breath like it’s okay. You’re going to make mistakes — it’s going to happen. But when you do, it’s not the end of the world.”