The start of a new NCAA gymnastics season means new floor routines, and the music many gymnasts are performing this year may sound familiar if you’ve been watching Netflix or listening to chart-topping pop songs.
From TV hits to top 40 hits, here are some must-see routines that have the perfect mix of choreography, confidence, and star power to go viral this year.
(L to R): Minnesota’s Mya Hooten, Florida’s Trinity Thomas and Michigan’s Gabby Wilson perform floor exercises.
Mya Hooten: Brad Rempel/University of Minnesota | Trinity Thomas: Erin Long | Gabby Wilson – Michigan Photograph
UCLA freshman Brooklyn Moors, who represented Canada at the 2020 Olympics, caught the attention of Bruins fans with a dramatic routine backed by a medley that includes a piece from The Godfather and the theme song Succession. In his collegiate debut, he nailed his first somersault pass, an extremely difficult double front somersault, earning a 9.875.
“I do my best to get involved, and it’s more of an act rather than just going through the motions,” she says. “I like to give people goosebumps.”
Moors isn’t the only gymnast to pull tracks from TV shows. Florida star Trinity Thomas uses music from the Netflix hit squid game. She earned a perfect 10 for her performance in the Gators’ game against Alabama on Jan. 16 and says the routine makes her feel “safe and definitely a little intimidating.”
The secret to his “mysterious” style, he says, is the eye contact and fierce facial expressions.
“You can use your eyes to draw people in,” explains Thomas, adding that he always looks at the camera when performing on the floor. “People say, ‘Wow, I felt like you were looking into my soul!'”
Michigan’s Gabby Wilson went for a television throwback with her mix, which includes the theme songs of The prince of Bel Air Y Everybody hates Chris. The reigning champion Wolverines are the highest-ranked team on the floor, and Wilson has anchored Michigan’s lineup the past two weeks with consecutive 9,950 scores.
NCAA gymnasts are also borrowing songs from the big screen.
BYU’s Sadie Miner-Van Tassell performs a mix of pieces from Rocky Y Creed while 2019 NCAA runner-up Lexy Ramler wears Aloe Blacc’s “I’m Comin’ Home” from the Fast and Furious cleave hobbs and shaw. With the help of assistant coach Geralen Stack-Eaton, Ramler says she and her teammates at Minnesota try to fit the college catchphrase, “Ski-U-Mah,” to the beat of their music so the crowd can sing along. .
Commanding an audience with choreography or music can elevate a floor routine, and Nya Reed says she keeps that in mind when choosing her music and dance moves. He sent Florida choreographer Jeremy Miranda “a playlist of 50 different songs,” and the two eventually created a raunchy hip-hop routine with a mix of tracks from Missy Elliott, DMX, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and more.
Reed scored 9.950 the first time she performed the routine on Jan. 7, but she bested herself a week later, becoming the first gymnast to earn a 10 on the floor this season. It was the first perfect score of her career and a goal that she made real. tweeting about it the day before the Gators’ contest against Alabama.
Lynnzee Brown, who was the 2019 NCAA co-national floor champion, brings a similar energy that she describes as “upbeat” and “over the top” when she does her routine, which is based on Beyoncé’s “Bootylicious,” “Naughty Girl” and Destiny’s Child. “Bills, bills, bills.” The Denver grad student says her favorite part is the opening choreography before her first flip pass because it’s straight from a Beyoncé music video.
“I really want to be Beyoncé,” she laughs. “I feel like I’m living my dream for those two seconds.”
Queen Bey is quite popular among college gymnasts, as Mya Hooten was inspired by the artist’s 2018 Coachella performance. He debuted the routine on January 17 and posted a 9.900 after perfectly landing his second somersault pass.
Hooten, a Minnesota sophomore who scored the show’s first perfect 10 on the floor last season, chose Beyoncé’s “Freedom” for her music. The point of acting, she says, is to “scream at girls who look like me. I want them to not be afraid to do their thing and not hold back.”
With more NCAA gymnastics meets televised this year than ever before, fans will have the opportunity to watch these routines live throughout the season.
More gym coverage:
• 2021 Athlete of the Year: Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee
• Simone Biles is already the GOAT, but her true greatness is yet to come
• The medals keep piling up. But at what price?
www.si.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.