by Jake Terry
LSU Sports Information
It was an historic night in many ways, one that LSU gymnastics fans won’t soon forget. The date was February 13; the place was Tuscaloosa, Ala. It was the night LSU gymnastics stormed into Coleman Coliseum and defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, 196.625-195.750.
It was the first time head coach D-D Breaux had ever beaten the Crimson Tide at Alabama in her 32 years as coach of the Tigers, and it was only the second time in program history that LSU had won at the Capstone ? the first win coming in 1976, two seasons before Breaux took over.
The night also marked senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney’s 100th career individual title, a magnificent and hard-earned accomplishment.
Something that may have been overshadowed was the clutch performances delivered by LSU’s three leadoff gymnasts in the four lineups ? Kayla Rogers on vault and floor, Staci Schwitkis on bars and Gloria Johnson on beam.
In front of a raucous crowd of 9,663 Crimson Tide fans, Rogers, Schwitkis and Johnson calmly and coolly hit their routines. Johnson was rewarded the next week as the SEC Freshman of the Week for her outstanding performance in the meet, but it was all three Tigers who sparked LSU to the “Win for the Ages.”
Rogers, Schwitkis and Johnson have led off in the four events for most of the season, so it is no wonder LSU is the No. 4 seed heading into the National Championships in Lincoln, Neb., with a National Qualifying Score of 393.635.
Since LSU’s loss at Auburn on Jan. 30 in which the Tigers only scored a 195.300, LSU has turned its season around, and there is no question that one of the biggest catalysts for the improvement has been the consistent performances from the top of the lineups.
Leading off on vault and floor, Rogers has seen her fair share of pressure with the knowledge that her performance will set the tone ? not only for the event but for the entire meet.
“When I’m in the gym it is not a big deal to me that I am first, but sometimes when we get out there and I actually step out on the floor, I start thinking, ?Oh my goodness, this is the first routine of the entire meet,’” Rogers said. “Sometimes I get nervous that it is the first spot, but the other girls are really good about making sure I know right before I go that they are confident in me.
“That takes a lot of the pressure off and takes the nervousness away.”
It is obvious that nervousness has been put away because Rogers has been steady throughout the season, especially in the last six meets. Against North Carolina and Illinois-Chicago, she captured her first career individual title with a 9.925 on floor. Not only has Rogers stepped up her performances, but she has done it while opening up the Tigers’ last two meets at the SEC Championships and the NCAA Regional.
Both times Rogers stepped onto the carpet of the floor exercise and delivered a 9.825 to get the Tigers rolling to an outstanding start, and that consistency is something she has developed in her three years at LSU.
“The biggest difference from my freshman year to now is confidence, really feeling supported by my team,” Rogers said. “As far as consistency goes, that is a maturity thing. I can’t say that there is any one specific thing that pushed it to where it is now, just time and experience in the gym.”
Rogers has scored a 9.825 or higher in five out of the last six meets on floor, including four in a row, and she has delivered a 9.85 or higher in four of the last five meets on vault, including back-to-back 9.85’s at the SEC’s and regional. That consistency comes as no surprise to Breaux, who has relied on the native of Liberty, Mo., to start the Tigers off with a bang.
“The fact that she is a junior and this is not her first rodeo, every time she comes to the table she comes with experience,” Breaux said. “She becomes more and more self-confident as the season progresses. I feel really good about her. She really steps up and does a great job for us.”
A sophomore from San Diego, Calif., Schwitkis has excelled on vault and bars both seasons at LSU, and the team has counted on her to lead them off on bars this year. Not only has Schwitkis been consistent, she has not scored lower than a 9.725 on bars all season.
In fact, Schwitkis has posted eight straight scores of 9.825 or higher in the event, including four 9.85’s in a row.
And if you would think she feels added pressure by being the leadoff gymnast in the event, you would be absolutely wrong.
“It doesn’t really bother me being first. I don’t feel any more pressure being No. 1 than at any other spot,” Schwitkis said. “I just look at it as one routine, one spot.”
Schwitkis’ quiet confidence has been brewed by the mantra of most gymnasts coached by Breaux, the notion that consistency is key.
“I just focus on consistency, and D-D always says consistency wins so I try to be as consistent as I can,” Schwitkis said. “I go out there and hit my routines.”
What’s more impressive about Schwitkis’ performances all season has been her ability to set aside the pain that constantly nags her in her lower back and focus on hitting her routines. It hasn’t been easy, but the pain cannot stop her from giving all she has every time she steps into the gym.
“I am able to overcome the pain because the crowd gets my adrenaline going, and I know I am doing this not just for myself but for the team. There are 12 other girls who are counting on me, and I want to come through,” Schwitkis said.
Despite the nagging injury, Schwitkis was able to compete four times in the all-around this season, including a career-best 39.350 against UNC and Illinois-Chicago. Her performance in the meet, including a season-high 9.875 leading off on bars, was a major reason why the Tigers posted a season-best 197.400.
“Staci has done a tremendous job for us, despite working in pain all the time,” Breaux said. “What she contributes to us in vaulting as a fourth person is huge, and then to be our leadoff person on bars, which has been one of our strongest scoring events, has been great. You can’t ask for anymore than that.”
When it comes to leading off on beam that can be scary for anybody. After all, a gymnast must do a variation of flips, jumps and other acrobatic moves while remaining on an apparatus that is only four inches wide. Add to that fact that you must lead off as a freshman, and the situation can be even scarier.
Not for Gloria Johnson.
“I have always liked going first,” Johnson said. “It is more pressure since I am starting out for the team and it depends on me, but I like the pressure.”
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Johnson did not have as much adjusting to do to LSU and collegiate gymnastics as many girls face, and it did not take her long to feel comfortable in her new environment.
“It was a change that I had to get used to at first, but it has been fine,” she said. “Once the season began is when I started to catch on, and it got a little easier.”
Johnson has been a steady competitor on beam, tallying four scores of 9.80 or higher in the event, including the 9.825 that helped her seal LSU’s victory at Alabama and her first SEC Freshman of the Week honor. The very next week Johnson posted her first two 9.90’s of her career on vault and floor, and she scored a 9.80 on beam to earn her second-straight SEC Freshman of the Week award.
Vault has been Johnson’s best event as she has only scored lower than a 9.80 once and she has recorded back-to-back 9.85’s at SEC’s and the regional. Even though vault is her best event, Johnson remains focused on helping the team as best she can on beam.
“I want to help the team by starting us off well. I have always liked beam, so if I could do that and do it well to help the team, then I am happy to contribute,” Johnson said.
From the moment Johnson first got on the beam at the Cancun Classic to open the season Breaux has counted on the young freshman to start the Tigers off on the right foot, but never more than right now.
“Gloria has proven that she can step up on beam and do great pressure sets at any time,” Breaux said. “We are going to work with her in having a stronger mindset and a more aggressive attack mode when she goes in the NCAA Championships. It’s our first event and she is our leadoff person, so there is a lot of pressure on our freshman right there.”
Fittingly for Breaux and the Tigers is that Johnson likes the pressure of leading off on beam, Schwitkis feels no pressure in leading off on bars and Rogers feeds off the pressure on vault and floor.
As well as all three gymnasts have competed all season at the top of the lineups and as strong as the rest of the lineups have been after, it is the other teams at the NCAA Championships next week who should be feeling the pressure to match what the Tigers of LSU are about to deliver.