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A spirit that is not afraid

Suni Lee makes Auburn debut in gymnastics preview meet

<p>Dec. 3, 2021; Suni Lee does a routine on beam while participating in a preview meet from Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala.</p>

Dec. 3, 2021; Suni Lee does a routine on beam while participating in a preview meet from Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala.

Suni Lee’s first appearance in Auburn Arena was an energetic return to full capacity and a tone-setter for the team’s season on Friday. The preview meet was essentially a scrimmage, where the team splits into halves, forming one team of orange and one of blue. No scores were kept, which kept the tone of the night light. 

With restrictions easing from the pandemic, other sports have reaped the rewards of a returning crowd. The Auburn gymnasts were the last athletes to see their crowd return to full capacity. Friday night’s meet was ticketed, but free to the public and featured lots of families getting an eye on the action.

Senior Derrian Gobourne was the 2019 National Champion in the vault and has established herself as a team leader. She emphasized how important the meet was for both old and new members for getting settled and prepared for their season. 

“Tonight, we wanted to just go out and show what we could do. We wanted to go big. We weren’t trying to be perfect,” Gobourne said. “[The fans] are going to love you either way. You’re allowed to make mistakes.”

The Tigers have many upperclassmen returning after COVID-19 issues forced them to withdraw from regionals, abruptly cutting their postseason short. Their focus this season is making up for that finale. 

Olympic All-Around gold medalist Suni Lee showcased her beam and bar routines for the first time in Auburn Arena, to roaring applause from the fans. Lee recently returned from Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles, so her practice time in Auburn has been limited. 

She took a slight fall off the beam but recovered quickly and finished out the routine. On her specialty the uneven bars, there were no such mishaps. Coach Jeff Graba hinted that a little frustration only served to bring out the best in Lee. 

“She does well when she’s a little bit frustrated, so I was pretty sure bars was going to go well after beam didn’t,” Graba said. “We joked around a little but that she needs to be frustrated on Thursday so that Friday, everything hits.”

With the Olympics being hosted in much-restricted Tokyo, Lee’s biggest moments came in front of small crowds with little support. She expressed appreciation for having her first vocal support in quite some time.

“Tonight was the most crowd I’ve had since Olympic Trials. At the Olympics, there was like nobody on the floor,” Lee said. “I’m definitely somebody that thrives off the energy and it really helped me tonight.”

Gobourne also expressed appreciation for the crowd. A no-score meet may sound unattractive to fans, but they kept things loud, and the senior said that is something that allows the athletes to keep their energy up. Meets last season were notably quiet and empty.

“I really, really missed the crowd. It was kind of hard last year,” Gobourne said. “When I’m tired or if I’m hurting, the crowd really helps me get through and that’s really what helped me get through tonight.”

The Tigers open their season on Jan. 7, 2022, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when they take on the University of North Carolina in the North Carolina Quad Meet. 


Callie Stanford | Sports Writer

Callie Stanford is from Springville, Alabama and is currently a sophomore at Auburn. She has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.

Twitter: @Stanford1Callie


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