Name: Kayla Pardue
Club: 5280 Gymnastics
High School Graduation Year: 2022
NCAA Team: Southern Utah
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram
Personal Bests
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 9.900 | 9.425 | 9.050 | 9.375 |
Videos
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 2019 J.O. Nationals | 2019 J.O. Nationals | 2019 J.O. Nationals | 2019 J.O. Nationals |
About Kayla
Pardue is a 2019 J.O. nationals qualifier. There, she tied for third on vault in the Junior E division. She is also the 2019 Colorado state and Region 3 vault champion and was third in the all around at the 2019 Colorado state meet. She recently moved gyms from TIGAR to 5280 Gymnastics.
What She Brings to Southern Utah
Vault
- Skill: Yurchenko 1.5
- Results: tied third place at the 2019 J.O. nationals (Junior E)
- Margin of Improvement: This is her best apparatus. She performs a powerful vault, with only some minor leg and foot form issues.
- Impact on the Team: Southern Utah did well on vault in 2020, but the team did not perform any 10.0 vaults. As a team on the rise, it will want to increase its difficulty in the years to come, and Pardue is expected to be a game changer.
Uneven Bars
- Skills: Gienger, bail to handstand, double layout dismount
- Results: third place at the 2019 Colorado state meet (career high)
- Margin of Improvement: Pardue has potential on bars, but her form needs further work. She needs to hit her handstands and keep her legs together on her release moves. She is training a full-twisting double layout.
- Impact on the Team: Southern Utah is a team that can score over 9.9 on bars. Pardue will have to clean her form to challenge for a spot on the lineup.
Balance Beam
- Skills: BHS + back tuck, switch leap + switch leap half, 1.5 twist dismount
- Results: fifth place at the 2020 Denver Winterfest Classic (career high)
- Margin of Improvement: Pardue could work on her form here, too. She has some knee issues, more evidently on her back handspring, and she still does not reach 180 degrees on her splits. She is training a double tuck dismount.
- Impact on the Team: Pardue was not likely recruited for beam, but two more years of club gymnastics could help her with form and confidence. At Southern Utah, she could be given some exhibition spots to start.
Floor Exercise
- Skills: full-twisting double pike, front layout to front full twist, double tuck
- Results: third place at the 2019 Colorado state meet
- Margin of Improvement: Pardue is powerful and has a lot of potential here. Impressively, she does not perform a back handspring before her difficult passes. However, she needs to work on her form and her landings a bit more. She is training a solid double pike.
- Impact on the Team: Southern Utah was very strong on floor in 2020. Head coach Scott Bauman will expect Pardue to contribute. She has the potential to make the lineup but just needs to clean up her landings a bit.
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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