Friday, February 4, 2011

LSU Interactive Media Guide Available

Click the link below to check-out the 2011 LSU Gymnastics Media Guide - an interactive version.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

LSU vs. BYU Gymnastics still on tomorrow!

LSU officials announced this afternoon that Friday night's gymnastics meet is on.  BYU safely landed at the Baton Rouge airport this afternoon and judges are expected to be available for the 7pm meet inside the Maravich Center.

Posted via email from LSU Gymnastics

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Florida Meet Recap; Preview Metroplex

The LSU Tigers are in Fort Worth, Texas to participate in the 2011 Metroplex Challenge tonight at 7:30pm.  LSU will take on Missouri, Nebraska, and Alabama inside the Fort Worth Convention Center in front of, what we expect to be, the largest contingent of LSU fans to see a road gymnastics meet ever.  If you're not in North Texas and can't make the easy drive over to Fort Worth, you can catch all the action of tonight's meet LIVE and FREE inside the GeauxZone on LSUSports.net.  Here's a quick and easy link to the broadcast.

A Look Back At Florida
The first home meet of the 2011 season is one that this young LSU team has already put behind them.  In front of one of the largest season-opening meet crowds ever inside the PMAC, the Tigers were chomped by the Gators by nearly two and a half points.  It was the worst home loss for LSU in 14 years.  Injuries to key gymnasts kept the lineups thin with experience at the start of the meet for LSU. But the Tigers also hurt themselves with a disastrous bars effort - 48.1 - one of the lowest scores on the event in recent memory.  With 8 freshmen of 14 gymnasts on the roster, Head Coach D-D Breaux has worked hard this past week to rid the Tigers' memory banks of that night and focus them squarely on improving in tonight's meet, instead.

Hall of Fame Rocker Gene Simmons Greets Tigers At DFW
The photos on the blog here say it all.  Legendary rock star Gene Simmons was apart of the "official" welcoming party as LSU arrived at the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport on Friday afternoon.  In fact, Simmons was temporarily "stuck" inside a malfunctioning security carousel with LSU gymnast Gloria Johnson, who is currently using crutches to get around.  After the carousel began to move, Simmons made a beeline for the down escalator towards baggage claim.  He was "intercepted" by Tony Morrison (no, not the other legendary performer), rather the father of LSU gymnast Sarie Morrison.  Tony asked Gene (thinking he was just "some guy") to hold the end of the LSU banner in the photo.  The rest is history as Simmons posed for photographs with the LSU entourage.  The team was buzzing about the chance meeting well into the night.

Team Hotel A Part of History
The team is staying in the Fort Worth Hilton Hotel directly across the street from the Ft. Worth Convention Center, site of tonight's meet.  The hotel is the place where President John F. Kennedy slept the night before he was assassinated on November 22, 1963.  At the time, the hotel was known as The Texas Hotel.  The president spoke in the hotel ballroom at breakfast and then gave a press conference in the hotel lobby before departing for Dallas, and the event that would  stop the world.

Tigers Remain In Top 25
With the 194.000 score against Florida last week, LSU slipped one spot to #25 in the national rankings, according to GymInfo.com.  LSU's average score is 193.942.  According to research completed by LSU SID Jake Terry, the Tigers have been in the Top 25 for 142 consecutive polls.  That's a streak of 517 weeks, or nearly 10 years.  This is truly an amazing statistic and shows the consistency with which the Tigers have performed for the past decade.

Susan Jackson Back In Action
No, her collegiate eligibility is complete.  But former LSU gymnast and 3-time National Champion Susan Jackson begins her own coaching career today in Ft. Worth.  Jackson is coaching the team from the Louisiana Gymnastics Training Center, which is participating in the large age group meet taking place prior to tonight's collegiate event.  Good luck Susan!

Injuries Force Lineup Changes
Injuries have piled up against this young Tiger team to start the 2011 season.  This week, freshman Mckenzie Fox was lost for the season with a freak lower leg injury during practice.  Also this week, freshman Sarah Zoldos, already a 3-event mainstay for the Tigers, suffered a sprained ankle and will compete only bars tonight at the Metroplex meet.  LSU will look forward to the return of senior Sam Engle to the bars line-up tonight after a two meet absence.  She continues to rehab a sprained ankle and hopes to return to her normal 3-event routines within the next two weeks.

These injuries will thrust sophomore Janelle Garcia into tonight's vault line-up for the first time.  Should Zoldos not be able to go on bars, Janelle would also slot into the bars line-up.  Freshman Casey Duvall will see her first action as a Tiger tonight.  The Gretna, LA native will exhibition on balance beam.

Tonight's Lineup
Here is tonight's pre-meet lineup for the LSU Tigers (0-3, 0-1, ranked 25th).  LSU drew the traditional "home team" rotation order of vault, bars, beam, and floor.

Vault
Ericka Garcia, SO
Ashley Lee, JR
Kaleigh Dickson, FR
Maliah Mathis, FR
Sarie Morrison, FR
Janelle Garcia, SO

Bars
Ericka Garcia, SO
Shelby Prunty, SO
Sarah Zoldos, FR
Kaleigh Dickson, FR
Sam Engle, SR
Sarie Morrison, FR

Balance Beam
Shelby Prunty, SO
Janelle Garcia, SO
Maliah Mathis, FR
Kaleigh Dickson, FR
Sarie Morrison, FR
Ericka Garcia, SO
Casey Duvall, FR (exhibition)

Floor Exercise
Ashley Lee, JR
Janelle Garcia, SO
Shelby Prunty, SO
Kaleigh Dickson, FR
Sarie Morrison, FR
Maliah Mathis, FR

All Around
Kaleigh Dickson, FR
Sarie Morrison, FR (39.1 AA vs. Florida last week)

Posted via email from LSU Gymnastics