Huge crowd cheers OU gymnasts to win
WNORMAN hen the top-ranked OU gymnastics team came out for warmups at Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners could tell something was different.
“As soon as we started warming up vault and bars, and you see the people filtering in, you could tell there were going to be a lot of people,” said senior Brenna Dowell. “We marched out, and the whole arena was filled.”
The Sooners are elite gymnasts. They've competed in major national and international competitions. They've seen big crowds. “We've competed in front of crowds of 10,000 people, but never 10,000 people cheering for us,” Dowell said.
Then came Sunday, when the Lloyd Noble parking lot filled like Wayman Tisdale was holding court against Kansas. When icy roads were no match for a caravan of gymnastics fans. When the seats, and not just the facepainting and animal-balloon booths, were filled with kids.
A crowd of 10,177 packed Lloyd Noble and watched the Sooners edge second-ranked UCLA 197.775-197.575, and the slowly-but-surelybuilding support for Sooner gymnastics exploded.
“We have never appreciated anything so much,” said OU coach K.J. Kindler. “For people to come out and cheer us on … amazing.”
This is Kindler's 13th season as the Sooner coach. OU averaged 600 fans per meet before her arrival. The Sooners were up to 2,000 in 2013. Last month, OU drew a school record 5,082 for fellow national power Florida. Then Sunday, the Sooners doubled that record. Even had the biggest crowd at
Lloyd Noble this academic year, besting a Kane Brown country concert, according to arena workers.
“From the moment we had the vision of taking our women's gymnastics program further than it ever had gone previously, we had this type of goal in mind,” said OU athletic director Joe Castiglione. “So we crossed a big threshold. We had a lot of first-time fans in there; hopefully they become long-time fans.”
Sure, the crowd was full of young, aspiring gymnasts. But this wasn't a mid-week morning crowd with thousands of bused-in schoolkids. This was a multi-generational crowd, going crazy over Sooner routines and even appreciating UCLA's excellence, too.
“Katelyn Ohashi is my idol,” read one sign, held by a little girl and referring to the Bruin star.
This was like the previous Sunday in Stillwater, when Gallagher-Iba Arena was filled to the brim with 13,811 wrestling fans for the OSU-Iowa dual.
A great reminder that sports other than football and basketball still can grab the fancy of a big chunk of the public.
A reminder that events like this can inspire little ones to declare for the mat, be it wrestling or gymnastics or some other grand adventure.
“Just amazing to come out and compete in front of that huge crowd,” said Sooner Maggie Nichols. “When I go out and hit my perfect routine, and hear the crowd cheering my name, it's so incredible.”
Such a scene could cause some nerves. And maybe it did in some. But not all.
“You see that many people, you hear the crowd roar,” Dowell said. “I think it was just the energy that the crowd brings in. It's not really like more nerveracking, necessarily. It's just like really exciting that everyone's there for you.”
When Emma LaPinta nailed her floor exercise, receiving a score of 9.875 that meant victory was likely for the Sooners, the OU freshman celebrated by high-fiving front-row fans at Lloyd Noble Center.
Too bad LaPinta couldn't have saluted every patron Sunday. But it would have taken all day.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.