After appearing as a guest star on the Cosby Show when she was 13, sophomore gymnast Kelly Lea wants to star on the No. 5 LSU gymnastics team.
Lea said being on the show was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It was a great experience,” Lea said. “I spent three days in New York City and got to hang out with the cast members. It was a really great opportunity to get to do something that not many people get to do.”
Coach D-D Breaux said Lea is an important part of the team because she adds to the depth of the lineup.
“Kelly plays a major role,” Breaux said. “She’s a backup person for us on uneven bars and the floor exercise. Although she has not steadily been in the lineup, she has been a consistent backup for us and goes in when we need her to go in. She sets the tempo for the intensity in training.”
Lea said she wants to keep getting better toward the end of the year.
“I hope to keep improving with what I’ve been doing, making some lineups and just help the team out any way that I can,” Lea said.
Lea said she was OK with her 9.75 on bars versus Centenary last Friday, but she knows it could improve.
“I was happy because I hit,” Lea said. “It could’ve been better but not having competed for a while I was just happy to contribute.”
Lea said her parents were a big reason she stayed in gymnastics.
“As a little kid I was putting it by my parents and I enjoyed it thoroughly, and my parents inspired me to keep going and doing what I love,” Lea said.
Lea said she trained in a club before getting her scholarship to LSU.
“I trained at a very high-class club named Parkette in Pennsylvania and I had olympians and national team members above me and I trained along with them,” Lea said. “It was pretty intense workouts, but it made me a great gymnast and able to get the scholarship that I have today.”
Lea said the greatest competition will be when the Tigers travel to Duluth, Ga., this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Championships.
“I think SEC championships is going to be a great competition,” Lea said. “The top four teams in the SEC are in the Top 10. I think it will be one of the greatest meets of the year.”
Lea said the Tigers have a good shot of making the Super Six National Championship meet because of the intense training they have done all year long.
“We have the capability to make the Super Six and do very well at the Super Six,” Lea said. “We’ve worked very hard this year to get to that point and I think it’s a definite possibility.”
Lea’s teammate Lindsey Thompson said Lea has good work ethic.
“She’s a really hard worker,” Thompson said. “She’s always gives 100 percent in the gym. She keeps a positive attitude and pushes everybody in the gym.”