ON A THURSDAY afternoon during the college gymnastics season, the top-ranked Louisiana State Tigers are preparing for competition. The reigning national champions have turned their practice into a mock meet, ahead of the true test the next day.
As the program with the nation’s highest average attendance, it cannot quite manufacture the magic of its sellout crowds, but chatter and music mimic a meet-day atmosphere. Remaining focused through it all is Konnor McClain. While teammates talk between performances, the sophomore is warming up solo.
“She gets this glossed-over look on her face, and she goes to a place that is all about what she’s about to do,” head coach Jay Clark told ESPN. “She hears nothing. She sees nothing. She acknowledges nothing.”
Clark and the Tigers know better than to be concerned. Like many gymnasts, McClain has made sacrifices in pursuit of her dreams, suffered injuries and experienced heartbreak. She has since untangled her complicated…
