Competing on the international stage for the past three years, Ericka Garcia has found a new home with the LSU gymnastics team.
Garcia, a native of Mexico City, Mexico, is a late but welcomed addition for the 2010 season, and head coach D-D Breaux and her coaching staff are excited to have her on the team.
“She brings a lot of international experience and her performance level and difficulty level is on par with the best kids on our team,” Breaux said. “Having lost someone who could potentially give us a 39-plus in the all-around with Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, the addition of Ericka gives us an opportunity to plug some holes.”
Garcia trained at Regio Club Gimnastico in Monterrey under coaches Antonio Barraza and Teresa Lopez.
Garcia brings with her to LSU a wide array of experience as she most recently competed at the 2009 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in London, England, in mid-October.
While Breaux was recruiting the international sensation, she had an opportunity to learn more about Garcia’s determined personality.
“When she was at the World Championships in England I had the opportunity to talk to her, and I was able to hear her calm demeanor and approach to that competition,” Breaux said. “The day after she got home from that meet I called her and said, ?What’s going on?’ and she said, ?I’m heading to practice. I’ll call you when I get home.’
“She took no time off and got right back in the gym and was preparing for the next thing. In her mind and her world at that point, she didn’t know if the next thing would be LSU, but she was hoping it would be. It turned out it is.”
Garcia has shown the ability to perform at the highest level as she competed at the Hungarian Grand Prix 2009 Artistic Gymnastics Championships Oct. 2-4, and she placed fifth in the all-around and on vault.
In 2008 she captured the vault title and placed third on beam at the 33rd Memorial Joaquim Blume Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Barcelona, Spain. Garcia also earned third place on vault and ninth in the all-around at the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, Calif.
Garcia has also competed on the Mexican national team since 2007, and she was a member of the Mexican team that competed at the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007.
Competing at the international level requires as much difficulty and as many skills as a gymnast can possibly perform in one routine, so Breaux anticipates making changes to Garcia’s gymnastics in order to refine and perfect her skills at the collegiate level.
“The first thing we will do when we get her here on campus is try to get her adapted to only training 20 hours a week and becoming more efficient in what she does,” Breaux said. “We will have the luxury of probably taking some difficulty out of her routine, kind of like we had to do with Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and a little bit with Susan Jackson.
“Because they are competing at the college level there is not such a demand that they do a tremendous amount of difficulty in their routine, but what you have to do is balance their best difficulty and put their best things in their routines so that you are building consistency and confidence.”
Coming off back-to-back NCAA Central Regional titles and Super Six appearances, LSU is striving to continue the excellence of the past two seasons, and Garcia’s presence will only increase the Tigers’ ability to attain their highest goals.
“She is a difference maker,” Breaux said. “She is an elite level athlete, and having her injected into this team will make us instantly better. She gives us the depth that we need in four events.
“She is a solid all-arounder and is right up there with Susan Jackson, Sabrina Franceschelli and Summer Hubbard in her ability to manage her gymnastics in four events. She has a real passionate desire to be an LSU Tiger, and we are excited to have her in the Tiger family.”