Even though LSU gymnastics fell short of the national championship title by less than a tenth of a point, it still prides itself on a factor of its team that’s been present all season.
That factor is the joy it finds by being on the competition floor.
“I think it [the joy] started from last night,” sophomore Kailin Chio said. “We had our power circle, and it was the best power circle I’ve ever been a part of, and so just that energy carrying it over to today, I think, you know, we made it to the finals, and that’s honestly more pressure than coming in here and trying to win, for me at least.”
Chio was undeniably one of the team’s firestarters after delivering the first and only stuck vault of the afternoon, which pushed the Tigers’ energy to another level as they delivered a solid uneven bars set.
Before leaving for nationals, senior Ashley Cowan talked about how learning to find the fun while competing takes a great deal of pressure off her and her teammates.
“The pursuit of happiness, I think, is a big thing in our sport,” Cowan said. “Because as we grow up, you know, there’s not a ton of joy in it for a lot of people, just training at the level that we do when we’re younger just takes it away.”
The gymnast said that being part of a team in college plays a large part in restoring that love and faith in the sport, which takes shape on the Tigers’ team in so many ways.
Whether it’s embracing post-routine celebrations or bringing an electric level of energy to their routines, learning to embrace the joy on the floor transformed the Tigers’ season, and in turn, their national championship performance.
“I know the whole team kind of felt that too, but we just kind of came in here and just said to just do everything that you can,” Chio said. “It’s basically one more routine for seniors of their career, for us of this season. And so I think just having so much fun and joy through everything, and just carrying that momentum from yesterday.”
That joy also serves another purpose, one that allows LSU’s gymnasts to find love in one another and to turn the adversity that a particular gymnast faced into accomplishments this week.
When LSU’s Konnor McClain suffered a minor injury during the regional final after falling from the uneven bars, there were a lot of things that pushed her to return to the semifinal competition, but at the end of the day, it all came down to the love she has for her team and the joy they bring her.
“I had the time of my life just being here with this team,” McClain said on Thursday. “I love this team with my whole heart. So just doing what I can do in bringing whatever scores we need to the team is just so special to me, because I just love them, and I want to do my best for them.”
McClain’s love for her team is what continued to drive her to compete in the final round of the championship, even as she continued to face struggles from the injury.
As the gymnast answered her ‘call-to-action’ for the Tigers, she also honored a statement that Cowan delivered earlier this week.
“You can push through the pain in the hard days,” Cowan said. “If you have that level of joy.”
LSU head coach Jay Clark said that he intends to see his program back in Fort Worth, Texas, next year, and as long as his team remembers Cowan’s words, it’s likely they’ll have another chance at the national championship in the future.
