Secret Powerhouse: OU Gymnastics Hurtling Toward History

The OU gymnastics teams are poised to be the first to sweep the men's and women's national titles, but few take the time to see them in action.

Wednesday, April 1st 2015, 5:57 pm

By: News 9


The Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center is an unassuming building. The facility doesn't tower above everything around it like Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium or resemble an underground bunker like Lloyd Noble Center across the street.

But its modesty masks something truly impressive.

On a March afternoon, the center is a hive of activity. Music blares across the gym as the women work on floor exercise, as well as balance beam and uneven bars; men practice on parallel bars and pommel horse. There's no chaos on the floor, however. The entire OU gymnastics program can practice at the same time and neither squad gets in the way of the other.

The building, renovated in 2010, is one of the best co-ed facilities in the NCAA, which is fitting since it houses the most successful athletic program on campus. The OU men's and women's gymnastics teams are both No. 1 in the country and have rolled over all competition they have faced this year.

Based on the teams' dominance this season, it would be a surprise if either team didn't bring home a national championship in the coming weeks. Yet, few are aware of just how good Oklahoma's gymnastics program really is, and fewer have seen the gymnasts in action.

These Sooners are the best-kept secret on campus, but they don't want to be a secret — nor do they deserve to be.

A Program on the Rise

On March 2, the women are preparing for a huge home showdown with Florida, the team with whom the Sooners shared the 2014 national championship. The rise of Florida and Oklahoma is the biggest example of the shift in the balance of power in women's college gymnastics. Before the Gators won the national title in 2013, only four programs had won a championship since the NCAA began recognizing the sport in 1982: Georgia, Alabama, UCLA and Utah.

Increasing the strength of Oklahoma's schedule has been the goal since coach K.J. Kindler arrived from Iowa State nine years ago. With top-10 teams Arkansas, LSU, Michigan, Florida and Alabama on the schedule this season, Kindler has accomplished that.

“As a coach, I have the power,” Kindler said. “Our conference doesn't do our scheduling so we have a lot of power in the strategy we use and how we set it up. I think we've been very fortunate to have a lot of tough competition. That's why we've gotten better.

And have they ever. The women's team had three All-Americans from the program's inception in 1981 until 2004. After some success under Steve Nunno from 2004 to 2006, Kindler arrived in 2007. Since then, the Sooners have had 50 of the program's 73 All-Americans. OU won five Big Eight conference titles under Becky Switzer in the 80s and early 90s, but the Sooners have won seven Big 12 titles under Kindler, all since 2008.

Outside of Kindler's initial season, 2011 is the only year OU hasn't won the Big 12.

And success at the NCAA championships isn't even comparable. Before 2007, the Sooners had six championship appearances, never placing higher than ninth. Kindler's first year finished with an eighth-place finish, and things have only gone up from there.

The improvement is rooted in a team-first mindset, Kindler said. Individual accomplishment is easy to come by in gymnastics, but OU is the only top-10 squad without an all-around competitor—and the program hasn't had one for several years. What the Sooners do have is a group of specialists who sacrifice for the sake of the team.

This mentality has proven attractive to recruits, who have come to Oklahoma despite a still-growing reputation as a national power.

“When I visited it was kind of more like a feeling,” senior Erica Brewer said. “When I got here I went around campus and met the coaches and team. I felt in; it was where I belonged.”

But despite the program's growth, the recognition has lagged. Playing tougher competition has taken the team to places like Alabama, where 12,000 supporters regularly attend meets. Needless to say, Kindler's Sooners competed in front of far fewer fans when she arrived in Norman.

“It was terrible; about 500 fans a match,” she said. “We were at McCasland Field House at the time, and that was one of the things I felt needed to change because when we were going to Alabama and all those big schools. They're competing in gigantic arenas and they're filling them.”

Attendance has increased during the past five seasons and has skyrocketed this year, with the Sooners claiming the No. 1 spot in the polls for nearly the entire season. After averaging 1,622 people at meets in 2011, the Sooners hovered around 2,100 for the next three seasons before jumping up to 3,375 this year.

Even though attendance has grown, it still lags behind other top programs. Oklahoma ranks eighth among top-10 teams this year and ninth in the top 25. Utah averages more than 12,000 fans per meet; LSU and Georgia both draw more than 9,000.

“I would love a bigger crowd,” junior Haley Scaman said. “It brings more energy which helps pump us up. We love to showcase our stuff for the fans. I wish we did have a bigger fanbase, but everyone we have so far is great.”

Few Olympic sports have much of a large following—12,000 fans for Alabama gymnastics is the exception, not the norm—but the No. 1 team in the country should be able to draw more than 3,400 fans per meet.

The athletic department has tried creative methods to enhance the environment at meets, pushing a family theme with face-painting and the Kids' Zone. The team has also spent time pushing its brand in the community and encouraging people to give gymnastics a shot.

“We've tried to hit it on all angles and we have the best team in the country. So what else could you possibly want?” Kindler asked. “You're going to have great athletics, a family experience, and just a great night out with your family.”

After a third place finish in 2011 and runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2013, the Sooners finally broke through with last year's national championship. Having that title has slightly changed the team's mentality, junior Keeley Kmieciak said.

“I think there is more confidence because last year not a lot of people thought we could win,” Kmieciak said. “Proving people wrong was great because it kind of gave us more confidence.”

Oklahoma is not lacking for confidence this year—it's national championship or bust—but the team has been careful not to let confidence lead to cockiness.

“We haven't been quiet about it, but at the same time, we're very humble knowing it takes the very best night on that very last night of competitive performance to win and it takes complete mental strength,” Kindler said. “You have to go out and hit it that night, just like anything else.”

The program is rising, poised to claim a second straight national title. The women want to be recognized and are more than worthy of it. Their recent success is unmatched in women's gymnastics, and their counterparts across the gym have been able to do the same on the men's side.

A Program Returning to the Top

When Mark Williams arrived in Norman as an assistant coach in 1988, the OU men's gymnastics team was already fairly well known. The Sooners had won back-to-back national championships in 1977 and 1978 with arguably Oklahoma's greatest gymnast, Bart Conner, who won All-Around national titles both years. But between 1979 and 1997, the Sooners had just one team title and four individual championships.

Williams took over in 2000 and immediately restructured the way the Sooners trained. He challenged the gymnasts to make the program better, not just themselves.

“From a guy that's a walk-on and is trying to make the team to the guy who's on full scholarship and has expectations of making the Olympic team, it's about the team,” Williams said. “Building the team, supporting the team, putting the team first.”

The Sooners took the country by storm. Oklahoma was better conditioned and better trained than any other program. The result was five national championships and six individual titles in seven years from 2002 to 2008.

But since then, the rest of the nation has caught up, resulting in more parity. OU hasn't won a national championship since 2008 and has finished as runner-up the past four seasons. Not every second place finish has been a disappointment—Williams said 2013 was quite a surprise—but consistently never getting over the hump has been frustrating.

“I think it definitely has fueled us, especially with the seniors leading it off,” senior Alec Robin said. “The younger guys look up to us and they see we're working this hard and know they need to keep up with us. So they're working just as hard.”

Whether it's the frustration, a senior-laden team or a ton of talent, the Sooners have been dominant this season, rolling through the regular season undefeated and setting the NCAA scoring record—twice. Oklahoma became the first team to break the 450 mark with a 456.400 score on Feb. 14 against Michigan. Less than two weeks later, the Sooners put up a 457.300 on Illinois.

“It's fun to go out and see the hard work you've been doing pay off at a meet,” senior Michael Squires said. “Again, it's not a surprise to us. I'm not trying to say we're going out there super confident or cocky; we're just going out there and performing what we do in the gym every day.”

Even though the Sooners are a national commodity, they suffer the same attendance issues as their female counterparts. In fact, the men may have it worse as they traditionally don't have as many home meets as the women. The team had just three contests in Norman this season and has averaged more than 1,000 fans at meets just once in the last five years—2012.

Just like the women, the frustration of not being recognized runs deep on the men's team.

“Obviously we're not one of the most-closely watched teams at OU but we're trying to get our message out there—trying to show people that this is something enjoyable to watch, whether or not you know the technical aspects of it and you're able to follow all the scoring and what's going on specifically,” Squires said.

Those chances of boosting attendance are slim. In fact, the possibility of them disappearing completely is not out of the question.

Oklahoma is the last of a dying breed, as there are only 17 Division I men's programs in the country. In the 1970s there were more than 100, but as schools have poured more money into the revenue sports of football and basketball, Olympic sports like gymnastics have been tossed aside. With cost-of-attendance scholarships and more expensive student-athlete benefits coming down the road, it's possible that number gets even smaller in the future.

“For sports like us, we're not going to bring in a whole lot of revenue but we're also not going be a big expense on the income statement,” Squires said. “I think now it's more of a problem trying to get the scholarships in the program. We have an 18-man roster, but I think we only have six or seven full scholarships available to everyone.”

Despite competing in a sport shrouded in uncertainty, the Sooners have a chance to win the program's ninth national championship. Oklahoma might be an overwhelming favorite to take home the trophy, but Williams is always there to give them a dose of reality.

“I'm telling them, ‘Yeah you may have gotten a big score this weekend, but here are the things you didn't do particularly well,'” Williams said. “I think that's part of my job; make sure they're not accepting that they've already got the championship won.

“They haven't given out any championships to the best team during the regular season ever.”

Oklahoma is a football school without question, yet the most successful programs on campus right now are gearing up for a possible sweep of the gymnastics championships, something that's never happened in NCAA history.

Football U is about to take a backseat for Gymnastics U for now. Simultaneous championships would leave no doubt about how wildly successful the Sooners' run is—even if the success never attracts the eyeballs the gridiron does.

Dominant, yet underappreciated. Record-setting but misunderstood. It's a tough thing to be the best at your sport and have few recognize it. But as much as the Sooners would like a huge following and lots of recognition, not having those things won't stop them from achieving history and bringing home a pair of national titles.

The women host an NCAA regional this Saturday, and the men host the NCAA championships April 10 at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners are favored at these two meets, but how many fans will be there to watch the teams?

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