BATON ROUGE – The LSU gymnastics team will give fans a first look at the Tigers by holding the Gymnastics 101 meet inside the Maravich Center on Wednesday. The event will start at 7 p.m., and admission is free.
The event serves as a gymnastics showcase and an exhibition meet. The Tigers will run through expanded lineups on vault, bars, beam and floor, and judges will score the routines and performances as they would in a regular season meet.
“It’s called ‘Gym 101’ because we are using it as an educational opportunity to teach people what to look for when they come to a gymnastics meet and the ability to recognize the difference between a good routine, great routine and one that has some faults to it,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. “The other great thing about the event is the ability to put our team in the competition arena. To be able to set up the equipment and hold a mock competition really solidifies our preparation going into the regular season.”
Gymnastics 101 is the first opportunity for fans to see the preseason No. 3-ranked Tigers in action since LSU’s historic 2014 season that ended in April with a third-place finish at the NCAA Super Six.
Eleven letterwinners have returned from last season’s fantastic team, including All-Americans Rheagan Courville, Sydney Ewing, Ashleigh Gnat, Lloimincia Hall, Jessie Jordan, Jessica Savona and Randii Wyrick.
LSU also welcomes back Michelle Gauthier, Shonacee Oliva, Britney Ranzy, and Shae Zamardi from 2014, and newcomers Myia Hambrick, Erin Macadaeg, Kylie Moran and Scarlett Williams will be in the purple and gold for the first time at Gymnastics 101.
“This team had a great campaign last year and made a huge statement that they are one of those teams that could win a national championship. Our ladies see the goal and the prize, and they understand the process we have to go through now,” Breaux said. “Part of the process is Gym 101, so I know the team is looking forward to performing well.”
The event format calls for anywhere from seven to 10 gymnasts to perform on each apparatus, and the top five scores will count toward the team total while the others are dropped. Several gymnasts will have the opportunity to perform in front of judges and Tiger fans in a more live environment and pressure situation.
“This is a mature team, but one that will also rely on some freshmen to step in and replace last year’s talented senior class,” Breaux said. “This event serves as an opportunity to get Erin Macadaeg and Myia Hambrick in the competition arena, and that experience will help us tremendously. We know what Rheagan, Jessie and Lloimincia will do, but we really need to season up the new people that we are plugging into our lineups.”
After the event the Tigers will meet and greet fans in attendance.
Season tickets are on sale at $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 3-12. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.LSUtix.net, calling the LSU Athletics Ticket Office at 225-578-2184 or in person on the first floor of the Moran Family Center for Athletic Administration on campus.