Oklahoma Sooners gymnastics coach KJ Kindler meets the press on Thursday, Feb 22, 2024.
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00:00 - Good morning, Coach KJ.
00:01 - Good morning.
00:04 - Faith Torres and Kiara Wells
00:06 were named Big 12 Gymnasts of the Week
00:09 and Special and Event Specialists of the Week.
00:12 How have you seen them step up this season as underclassmen?
00:16 - Yeah, well, Faith has just been remarkable.
00:21 From the get-go, you could see that she was
00:24 in a different place from the very beginning
00:27 in August when we came back.
00:28 She had worked hard on those two events,
00:31 bars and vault, that she wasn't competing consistently
00:35 last season and had really elevated her position
00:39 on the team in that way.
00:41 So becoming an all-arounder at Oklahoma is a very big deal.
00:44 You know, it doesn't happen that often
00:46 and certainly not for a sophomore.
00:48 So I'm really excited about her growth, gymnastically,
00:52 but as a competitor, just as last year,
00:56 she is cool as a cucumber, handles pressure remarkably.
01:01 This is gonna be incredibly beneficial to our team
01:05 in the post-season.
01:06 So really, really excited about her development.
01:09 And Kiara, you know, just kind of still getting her feet wet
01:13 finished her seventh meet.
01:15 Definitely has way more potential than we're even seeing now
01:20 but has really stepped up.
01:21 Vault is definitely her forte.
01:23 She's a three-time JO National Champion on vault.
01:27 I actually don't think she's come close
01:30 to reaching her potential on that event.
01:32 I think something that you may not know is that
01:35 when you are an age group gymnast in high school,
01:39 you get two attempts at the vaults.
01:42 And so two chances, if your first one fails,
01:45 you can go again and they give you the higher score.
01:49 So when you come to college, it is a big change on vault.
01:53 It's all the emphasis on one vault.
01:55 And so I think she is really still getting used
01:58 to that concept and really kind of has grown
02:02 over the course of the year, but that has been a change,
02:04 definitely for both freshmen on vault.
02:07 You know, there's no more mulligans.
02:09 You have to count whatever you do.
02:12 So I'm really excited about her growth on beam, of course.
02:15 And she can definitely do floor.
02:20 She's working on bars.
02:21 It's definitely not happening.
02:22 This year on bars, but for her,
02:24 but she's showing a lot of progress, love her attitude.
02:27 She's a huge asset as far as her demeanor as well.
02:33 Very similar to Faith, very calm.
02:35 And I will say, sorry, I will say that Big 12,
02:44 it's been very difficult to get Big 12 awards this year.
02:48 There are some really remarkable gymnasts in the conference.
02:51 So it's been very difficult to do that.
02:54 So very deserving and hard earned.
02:58 - Good morning, KJ.
03:02 Just wanted to talk about, well, you sort of touched
03:05 on the all around athletes and now with Faith getting
03:08 a 3.965 last meet and now all four of them having
03:13 at least 3.965 this season, what does that sort of do
03:17 to the momentum and the confidence level of a team
03:19 to have just such a solid group of all around athletes?
03:23 - Well, it does two things.
03:25 Number one, you have to be careful
03:28 with those all arounders.
03:29 You know, there's a lot of eggs in this basket right here
03:33 and they're performing 16 of our routines all by themselves.
03:38 So that's a lot of responsibility.
03:42 And at any time, you know, someone can come down
03:45 with the flu.
03:45 We've been seeing that with our team, a lot of illness
03:48 right now, a lot of allergies, like all these things
03:51 affect our athletes and our athletes' performances.
03:54 So we have to be very conscious of that
03:57 and still developing those athletes that have the potential
04:02 to make the lineup as well.
04:05 But at the same time, it's very rare to have four
04:09 all arounders of this strength.
04:11 I would almost say, I don't know that I've seen it
04:14 anywhere but Michigan.
04:15 Michigan had a year like this in 2021
04:18 where they had four all arounders, all of a very high level.
04:22 So it's proven to be successful in the past by other teams.
04:27 We have personally never done this.
04:30 So this is a work in progress for us.
04:33 We are learning as we go.
04:34 We are really paying attention to giving these athletes
04:38 the adequate recovery they need.
04:40 They're on a little different schedule than the rest
04:43 of the team in terms of recovery
04:45 because they are doing so much more on the weekend.
04:49 So we really do have to be cognizant of that.
04:52 So I would say that's the biggest change,
04:54 but I mean, it can be an incredible thing for our team
04:57 if we manage it well.
04:59 - This team is off to such a great start this season.
05:06 How do you keep a team that's so dominant motivated?
05:11 - Yeah, so this is not unusual for us.
05:13 We very often are number one throughout the entire season.
05:17 We have been in that position probably the last nine,
05:21 eight, nine years where we've been in this position.
05:24 So this is somewhere we've been before.
05:26 We know how to manage it.
05:27 We know how to keep them motivated, but I will say this,
05:30 in every sport, it doesn't matter the sport,
05:34 it's a long season, you know,
05:36 and you go through ups and downs during that season.
05:39 And that is normal.
05:41 If you want to peak your team at the right time,
05:43 there has to be a downswing.
05:46 And that may come with some people and not others.
05:50 It may come at different times with certain athletes,
05:53 but it will happen.
05:54 And so we fully expect that.
05:57 You can't perform at an elite level
05:59 in every single meet all the time.
06:01 It's not possible,
06:03 nor would we want that as a coaching staff.
06:06 So they're definitely going to need to come down
06:08 a little bit here.
06:10 That can be in terms of score.
06:12 That could be in terms of performance.
06:14 That could be in terms of the lineup.
06:16 So lots of different ways to manage that.
06:19 But you also don't want to get out of a rhythm
06:22 'cause we're in an incredible rhythm.
06:23 So it's really a science and a balance for us
06:28 and working hard to keep them at their, you know,
06:32 mentally focused on the big picture, you know,
06:35 instead of, you know, thinking day by day.
06:39 Because at the end of the day,
06:40 we've got to recover for the post season
06:43 and be at our very best there.
06:45 - So last meet at the Metroplex Challenge,
06:52 the team wore the commemorative leotards
06:55 from the 2019 National Championships
06:57 in honor of Dade Richardson's passing.
07:00 What were some of the emotions and feelings
07:02 that were going through the team that weekend?
07:05 And just what was the overall feeling?
07:09 - So in our team meeting, we addressed this
07:12 because no member of this team,
07:16 they knew Dave because they were recruited
07:18 when Dave was alive,
07:20 but no member of this team was on the 2019 team
07:23 for the first year.
07:25 Our seniors that graduated last year were the only ones,
07:28 were the last ones who were on the team when this happened.
07:31 So it was kind of a recollection,
07:35 bringing them to terms of what the team went through
07:38 at that time and what it means to this program
07:42 and the tradition that's involved in that
07:45 and the sentimentality that's involved in that.
07:49 It's a very special week for us.
07:51 That leotard's a special leotard for us, our program.
07:55 So I kind of brought them into the tradition of it all
07:58 and the values of this program
08:03 and where we were at that time.
08:06 And just tried to paint a picture for them
08:10 of what it was like.
08:11 Certainly our staff is a little more sensitive to it
08:15 because we all went through it together,
08:17 including Olivia Troutman, our student coach.
08:20 So we can bring perspective to it.
08:22 And it was, obviously it's always a special time
08:26 for our staff.
08:27 - And with Maggie Nichols coming to Norman
08:33 for her book signing,
08:34 how has this helped inspired the team this week?
08:38 - Yeah, I mean, Maggie, obviously an incredible gymnast
08:41 here at Oklahoma has set so many records
08:44 and went through so much.
08:46 She is an icon in sport of gymnastics,
08:49 definitely in NCAA gymnastics,
08:52 but not only for her athletic prowess,
08:55 but also for the incredible stance she took
08:59 against Larry Nassar,
09:00 standing up and being candid about what happened to her.
09:04 And I think in the book,
09:06 more candid than she ever was with me even.
09:09 And so it was,
09:12 some parts of it were very difficult for me to read
09:14 because they were even more in depth
09:17 than she could have shared at the time
09:19 that she was going through it.
09:21 So it means a lot, obviously,
09:25 not just that she was able to write a memoir of those times,
09:29 but also for her to come back
09:31 and share that accomplishment with us.
09:34 And we're just incredibly proud of the woman she is
09:38 and the things she's accomplished in terms of changing.
09:42 You know, she went to Congress,
09:44 she's changed the future of the sport of gymnastics
09:47 for all USA national team members.
09:51 And that is a huge accomplishment.
09:53 It's not an easy thing to do.
09:55 The USOC and all those people who are in control
10:00 have taken notice and made drastic changes
10:04 to make sure that this doesn't happen again in our sport,
10:07 but also in other sports.
10:09 So she's impacted women all over the country,
10:12 in swimming, in track and field, you just name it.
10:16 And so her impact,
10:18 you can't even really put a number on it.
10:22 And we're incredibly honored that she attended Oklahoma,
10:26 chose Oklahoma and had an incredible experience here.
10:29 So the team I'm sure is excited to have her in town.
10:33 I'm excited, love to have her up on the concourse,
10:36 signing all those autographs.
10:37 And, you know, 2020 was her senior year
10:41 and it was a COVID year.
10:43 And it was a very, not only, you know,
10:45 has this woman been through all this other things,
10:47 but her career was cut short
10:49 and the NCAA did not give her an extension on her career
10:53 or any athlete in 2020,
10:55 which I will still speak openly
10:58 that is a huge disappointment to those athletes
11:01 and really affected their lives
11:04 in the way that their career was cut short
11:07 without extension.
11:08 So, you know, she definitely went through it
11:12 and just happy we can be here
11:14 and celebrate her this weekend.
11:17 - Going back to the meet this weekend,
11:23 what are some of the weekly goals
11:24 that y'all have for this week
11:26 going into going back to the LNC
11:29 and also competing against West Virginia?
11:31 - We've had a couple illnesses and injuries.
11:34 So right now we're just shuffling around the lineup.
11:37 I'm not really sure what that looks like right now.
11:39 We have a meeting after this,
11:40 but I think you'll see some changes
11:43 in those people who are competing on each event.
11:46 Definitely want to give other people some opportunity
11:49 when some people aren't 100%.
11:52 You know, in gymnastics,
11:53 you really want your athletes to be 100%
11:55 when they go out there.
11:56 What they do is not only physically and mentally difficult,
11:59 it's also dangerous.
12:01 So you want them to be at their best.
12:03 So we're definitely going to be making some adjustments.
12:06 Regan Smith won't be doing floor for sure.
12:10 Just a little ankle deal after the Metroplex,
12:15 but she'll be back next week, no problem.
12:18 But definitely need to give her that break there.
12:20 So we're gonna see some new people on floor.
12:23 I think you'll see a couple new people on vault as well,
12:27 possibly bars, we'll just see.
12:28 But our goal this week is obviously
12:31 to give our crowd a great show.
12:33 Like that is number one for us.
12:36 Building this attendance at the university
12:38 has been a huge goal for this program.
12:40 I finally feel like I am seeing us chip away at it
12:44 in a way that will result in a sold out crowd next season
12:49 when we join the SEC, which is huge.
12:52 This program's had lots of goals
12:54 and has achieved lots of goals.
12:57 This is one that eludes us still.
13:00 So to see 8,500 people in there,
13:03 what is a huge accomplishment.
13:05 And our team is responding really well.
13:07 I want them to continue to build that relationship
13:11 with our fans because it's an incredible sport to watch.
13:14 So I'd say that is still one of our top goals
13:17 is to put on a great show for our home crowd.
13:22 - You said that there have been injuries
13:25 or illnesses spreading around the team.
13:28 How have y'all helped try and contain that illness
13:33 to not spread further?
13:35 - I wish we could contain illness,
13:38 but these women are like not only on a team together
13:41 in a tiny little locker room,
13:44 which is why we're expanding the building,
13:46 but they also live together.
13:48 Like it's just very difficult to do.
13:52 We try to tell them to keep their distance
13:54 and wash their hands a lot.
13:55 You know, probably the same things
13:57 you guys see in your classes.
13:59 A lot of coughing, a lot of sniffing,
14:02 even allergies this week have really ramped up.
14:04 So we have a lot of athletes that have allergies
14:08 and those things all affect like the congestion
14:13 affects balance a lot.
14:16 So balance beam can be affected by those kinds of illnesses.
14:20 Also endurance, stamina, you know,
14:23 things that you need in sport, you know,
14:24 and it can make you, you know,
14:26 be at 90% instead of a hundred percent.
14:29 So we're trying to contain it.
14:31 I don't know that that's actually possible.
14:33 I'm just hoping it runs its course quite quickly
14:36 and we can be well on our way in a few weeks.
14:39 But I do think it's gonna take a little bit
14:42 to run its course.
14:43 I think all teams are seeing this a little bit.
14:46 - You sort of already touched on SEC crowds
14:54 versus the crowds that we have here already right now.
14:59 There's only so much that the gymnast team
15:03 as well as the staff can do in order to get crowd engaged.
15:07 So what would you like to see just the fans
15:12 doing in order to sort of get SEC ready
15:15 and just meeting that goal for the team?
15:20 - So beside the point of filling the arena,
15:25 the crowd has to be impactful in their engagement.
15:28 And so some of the things that we're seeing at SEC meets,
15:32 it's the engagement after routines,
15:34 like the amount of applause and chanting 10
15:39 when you see a routine that appears like a 10.
15:42 And the team will indicate to you,
15:44 they start flashing their hands
15:47 if they know and feel it's a 10.
15:49 And so the crowd like taking those cues
15:52 and running with them, that's what the SEC does.
15:55 They're extremely loud and extremely impactful.
15:59 They're not rude to the other teams in terms of,
16:02 we are not a booing kind of sport,
16:05 but the amount of attention given to the routine
16:09 given a routine following floor, for instance,
16:11 while the next person's mounting beam can have an impact
16:15 and the loudness in the arena can have an impact.
16:18 And so we just really want our fans to be engaged
16:21 in every moment of the meet.
16:24 - Great, Kate, Darby, anything else?
16:31 All right, thank you so much.
16:34 Thank you, KJ.
16:35 - Thank you.
16:37 - Thank you so much, you too.
16:38 Bye.
16:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]