Whether it’s tumbling on the mats of a local gym as a toddler or sitting in the back of a car on the way to practice, gymnastics follows its athletes through every stage of their lives.
For LSU senior Jordyn Lyden, one of those stages was entering the transfer portal as a junior at the University of Minnesota, where she put her trust in her faith as her sport led her to Baton Rouge.
“I really wanted to be in an area where the coaches could pour into me regarding Jesus as well as the team,” Lyden said. “Then the team was just so welcoming and loving. I didn't really get to spend a lot of time with them on my visit because they had off days, but they all reached out to me and texted me and were there for me with anything I needed, and it just really gave a family aspect that I was looking for.”
With LSU’s family and faith-based values calling out to her, the Stillwater, Minn., native found a home in not just a welcoming atmosphere, but also what she described as one of the most vulnerable programs she’s ever been a part of.
That vulnerability is shaped by LSU gymnastics’ culture as a team, a culture that drives its gymnasts to succeed both on and off the mat.
“I think it’s the best part of our program,” Lyden said. “Everyone is open and willing to listen and communicate, and knows that everything is coming out of a place of love because we all love and care about each other so much, and I think you can just see that in the way that we interact every day.”
Now that Lyden is wearing those purple and gold letters on her back as she prepares for her senior season, she’s become an official part of LSU gymnastics’ legacy.
While that responsibility is not lost on the gymnast; to her, there’s something she feels is greater than everything else when it comes to competing – something that drives her to be her best in and out of the gym.
That something is her faith, which aligns with her values as a Christian.
“I didn't know what Baton Rouge had to offer in the transfer portal,” Lyden said. “But coming down here, I’ve realized how strong their faith is, in absolutely everything. I've gone to so many different events and even games where they prayed before, and I was in awe. I was like, ‘God is on the move down here, and that was so cool to see.’”
In following her values, Lyden has found a home in the bayou, a home that she’s ready to honor this season while competing in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Carrying her devotion in her heart and hearing the roaring crowd of up to 13,000 fans, Lyden is ready to take the PMAC by storm and hopefully get the chance to showcase her skills on her most valued event.
“My favorite event is bars,” Lyden expressed. “I love everything that goes into it. There's a lot, and I just love flying. But I think the passion that I'm going to bring is just like bringing joy and being free on that event. It's something that I always just go up to, and I'm like, ‘I know I can hit this, and I know God's going to take care of me.’”
When it comes to team involvement outside of the gym, one of Lyden’s favorite parts of LSU’s program is the love each of its gymnasts has for each other, and the passion to watch one another grow in their sport, free time and faith.
“We have a slogan here that (associate head coach) Garrett (Griffeth) came up with, which is, ‘All we got is all we need,’” Lyden said. “So, the people who are here are all we need to be successful. And being able to really cherish that and not take it for granted every day is something that I think I see a lot in this program.”
As Lyden enters the next stage of her life and sport here at LSU, she’s confident that she’s in the right place and is excited to thrive alongside her teammates and coaches in all aspects of life.
“Whether you're in a lineup or out of a lineup, they [the coaches] value who you are as a human and care about you a lot deeper than that,” Lyden said. “Which I think just creates an amazing atmosphere here at LSU.”