We spoke with Smith proper earlier than Thanksgiving – her pleasure for the season lighting up the room. Smith’s an athlete we love to look at and can’t wait to see assist lead her crew again out on the ground this season able to show to everybody the GymDogs are again, and prepared for glory. There’s no if this 12 months with regards to her targets. There’s solely when.
“We all know that we’re able to a lot extra this 12 months, and we’ve completely different coaches and stronger freshmen that got here in and stronger transfers,” she mentioned. “It’s pushed us to work lots tougher, and simply know that we are able to accomplish much more this 12 months.”
Leaping again to postseason final 12 months, your crew overcame such unimaginable adversity with accidents, and, I do know plenty of stress from so many individuals to do nicely on so many ranges. Take me by way of that Regional since you had been so near the ultimate, and I don’t assume lots of people anticipated that. How has it motivated you coming into 2025?
First, simply combating so many accidents final 12 months simply exhibits how robust our crew is. We needed to adapt, and we needed to prepare additional exhausting and push ourselves day by day, maintain one another accountable. And we did that. We confirmed that by way of our season. Though we didn’t make it to the second day of Regionals, we had been so shut, actually, so shut. It was heartbreaking as a result of, I imply, it was the final time competing with that crew. We had superb seniors, but it surely additionally motivated us and pushed us this 12 months, figuring out how shut we had been final 12 months, with all of the struggles we had.
I do know you’ll have cherished to be in Fort Price at Nationals along with your crew. How was the expertise competing as a person and what did you stroll away with as motivation shifting ahead?
Properly, since I went alone, it’s virtually like I can educate everybody else and provides them recommendation and recommendations on the right way to deal with that state of affairs and being there – if we make it – which we’re! However, I feel I’m capable of be there for my crew this time round when we make it, and simply assist them by way of this, as a result of we’ve such a younger crew. Clearly, I want my crew was there with me final 12 months, however simply being there as a freshman was an important expertise, and I realized plenty of classes and the right way to deal with myself in that state of affairs. For me, it was completely completely different from every other meet. I didn’t have my teammates there, and the prep of who I’m going to comply with, what we are saying to one another within the lineup, and cheering one another on and all of that, so I positively needed to adapt, which I did. LSU was there cheering me on, which was nice. However, I did put plenty of stress on myself.
There was plenty of dialog about Georgia and what would occur, clearly, with the teaching change, which I’m certain was troublesome in so some ways for you. There was a lot social media hype and so many rumors. What was the environment among the many crew throughout that point and main as much as the official announcement?
Properly, initially, our crew stayed actually collectively, which was actually good. We had been all right here for one another. We simply needed to know who it was. And, clearly we did learn all of the Twitter [X] feedback and every part. We actually didn’t know what to anticipate, however our athletic director did a very good job of protecting us within the loop and reaching out and telling us, ‘we wish you guys to succeed. We’re going to do no matter it takes. We’re going to get you the very best coaches.’
It was very nice figuring out that they care about us, they need us to do nicely. They needed our enter. It was positively a loopy time!
Have been you stunned about Ryan and Cécile being named co-head coaches and the way that developed?
Our athletic director reached out to me and requested, ‘What are your ideas about Ryan?’ And I gave him trustworthy enter and let him know that I like Ryan as coach. He’s superb. I work nice with him. I feel he can do plenty of nice issues for this crew. So we had an concept that Ryan could be staying. However then once they mentioned he’s going to be co-head coach with Cécile, I used to be so excited as a result of I used to be like, ‘Oh, we’re going to be in the very best palms!’ This mix is the 2 greatest coaches on the market, I really feel.
Speak concerning the dynamic now within the health club, what these first few days had been like, and the way you’ve all settled into the teaching change…
Clearly, we’re all used to Ryan being our coach, and Cécile didn’t come till late August due to the Olympics. I put plenty of stress on myself, as a result of she’s the very best on the market. So, I needed to be good for her. However then I truly bought to know her and realized she’s very straightforward going, and needs the very best for you. She cares about her athletes.
Cécile is extra, ‘let’s discuss by way of it. In case you’re struggling, let me know. I’ll discover a means that can assist you.’ And Ryan’s decided, like, ‘let’s get it completed. Let’s get out and in. Let’s do what we do. Let’s do our job.’ That’s why they work so nicely collectively, as a result of they stability one another out and are such completely different folks.
Are there specific focuses within the health club in every day assignments, both including issue or simply being extra constant, for instance, that you just all are actually zoned in on this 12 months?
Positively being extra constant day by day and elevating our averages. Our coaches monitor our stuff and on bars we’ve to trace our sticks, what number of routines we hit out of what number of, simply so the coaches can see how everybody’s doing and put the very best folks in lineup – who deserves to be in lineup — and who’s doing nicely at observe. We’ve to get our tumbling passes accepted on ground. I feel it’s actually good, as a result of then they may give us extra corrections. I feel that’s going to actually assist us in the long term, in order that’s superior.
