Growing up in a family with gymnastics in its blood may be intimidating to some. For LSU senior Sierra Ballard, it fuels her fire. Ballard hails from a family with rich lines in gymnastics–from her mother’s long list of competitive gymnastics accolades to her uncle’s successful coaching career. Looking at the whole picture, it’s clear she was destined for success.
Ballard started gymnastics early, encouraged by her mom who understood the sport’s positive impact on children. However, her mom didn’t want her daughter to stick with gymnastics; her preference was that Ballard would ultimately move onto something like tennis which is a bit easier on the body. That didn’t come to pass, her ties to gymnastics ran just too deep.
What many gymnastics fans might not realize is Ballard’s mom is Lori Strong-Ballard, who competed for Team Canada and was a GymDog at the University of Georgia. She represented Canada at both the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games and then competed for Georgia, where she was part of the 1993 national championship team. Individually, she earned the bars title at the 1994 NCAA Championships and the SEC all-around title in 1996.
Following her own success in gymnastics, Strong-Ballard helped lead her daughter to greatness.
“She didn’t really coach me until I voiced I was serious with gymnastics and I wanted to go to college,” said Ballard. “She started coaching me around level 8, I think I was in seventh grade.”
Although the mother-daughter duo look alike, they are completely different people in and out of the gym. For starters, they’re from different gymnastics backgrounds and grew up in different countries. Strong-Ballard grew up competing in elite gymnastics in Canada, whereas Ballard grew up competing in club gymnastics in Louisiana. In terms of gymnastics, Strong-Ballard was stoic, graceful, and reserved. Ballard is more outgoing and vivacious, especially when she’s cheering on her teammates during competitions.
Ballard has always been supportive of her teammates and uplifting in the gym. However, she wasn’t always the lead team cheerleader. After a rocky patch during her sophomore year at LSU, the cheerleader role found its way to her.
“In the gym, I was a little loud and supportive. In school, I wasn’t really known, like I was kind of the quiet kid. I mean I’d go around at night playing Pokemon GO,” said Ballard. “Sophomore year [at LSU] was a lot for me. Gymnastics was hard for me that year but I became the hype girl that everyone knows now. It helped me find who I was outside of being a gymnast and know that I can contribute in other ways, too.”
While Ballard enjoyed being coached by her mom, she acknowledged the struggles that came with having a parent-child relationship in and out of the gym.
“It was a difficult transition for sure, especially emotionally. We would occasionally come home from the gym talking about corrections, which is sometimes great, but if I had a bad day I wouldn’t want to talk about that,” said Ballard. “It definitely put a strain on our relationship. When I left for college I thought ‘Ah I’m free,’ but then I realized all that I’d learned and it was all worth it so I’m grateful for that.”
Despite that strain, Strong-Ballard loved coaching her daughter and seeing her develop into “Sierra the gymnast.”
Around the time Ballard started training more seriously, she contemplated taking a chance on elite. To follow in her mother’s footsteps, Ballard tried to get dual citizenship, allowing her to compete for Canada. While things didn’t go as anticipated, her drive and desire to do college gymnastics were stronger than ever.
The college recruiting process was unique for Ballard. Not only was she a “late bloomer” to the college recruiting process, but her top three choices were Alabama, LSU, and Georgia. She was originally inspired to try for college gymnastics after hearing her mom’s stories about college. Given her mom’s experience, it might seem like a foregone conclusion that she would choose Georgia. That turned out not to be the case.
“I grew up always going to Georgia. I didn’t really grow up an LSU fan, even being from Louisiana. I fell in love with Georgia and I fell in love with Athens,” said Ballard. “When I visited Georgia, the girls were great and the coaches were great, but I just didn’t feel like I was at home. The day I walked onto LSU’s campus I just knew it was right.”
Whether she chose Georgia or LSU, Ballard would be connecting to her family legacy. After all, her uncle is LSU Head Coach–former Georgia assistant coach–Jay Clark, who’s married to her dad’s sister, former Georgia gymnast Julie Ballard.
Ballard remembers former LSU head coach D-D Breaux doing most of her recruiting because Clark didn’t want her to feel swayed in any way. He also wanted her to look at all her options before making a final decision
While Ballard didn’t choose LSU because of her family connection, she has an opportunity not many other gymnasts get to have: she is coached by the same college coach as her mom.
“It’s super cool,” said Strong-Ballard regarding Ballard being coached by Clark. “I don’t see her in the gym anymore so I don’t always know what’s happening in the gym. But it’s a very good feeling knowing she’s with Jay. She’s in good hands.”
When Ballard first got to LSU, she remembers grappling with what to call Clark at practice. She was unsure if she should call him “Jay” or “Coach” since they were family. Ironically enough, Ballard experienced a similar struggle when her mom began coaching her.
“When my mom started coaching me, I had a hard time knowing how to talk to her. Like I didn’t want to shout mom or mommy across the gym,” said Ballard. “At first with Jay, I didn’t really know what I should call him in the gym because he’s always been Uncle Jay. Now I just usually motion to him or call him over if I need something like a spot.”
Clark didn’t coach Strong-Ballard too closely; her gymnastics was just outside the level of coaching he was comfortable with at the time. He said she was very independent and didn’t need much coaching. However, he has gotten the opportunity to coach Ballard quite a bit. He’s gotten the pleasure of seeing her not only grow up but flourish these past four years as an athlete and a person.
“She’s so full of life and positive energy. Her personality as an athlete is so different from her mother’s. She’s involved in everything and is so fun to be around. It’s neat to be able to coach her and see her grow,” said Clark. “She loves Louisiana and LSU. There’s been a whole bunch of her family that have gone here or currently do. I’ve been tickled to death to be able to coach her.”
Family has always been a big deal for Ballard. When she decided to get serious about gymnastics, she opted to stay in Louisiana despite it not being a state with powerhouse gyms like North Carolina and Texas. Ballard liked her life in Louisiana and wanted to stay close to her family.
“Going to college really let me just be free and be myself,” said Ballard. “Going to school in Louisiana means everything because my family is so close and I just feel like I’m at home.”
Strong-Ballard loves how positive the family aspect of being at LSU is for Ballard because it puts her in a good place mentally and physically. She said it allows Ballard to have her people around her and share her experience with everyone.
“She relishes in it. Family is extremely important to her, she feeds off of that. It’s important to her. I don’t really think it has anything to do with her mom but more that she gets to lead a legacy here,” said Clark. “It’s just great having family close by before and after meets. They’re just so engaged in what we’re doing here.”
A few weeks ago, Ballard got the honor of competing in Stegeman Coliseum in front of her mom and her mom’s former teammates. For the close-knit family, it was a heartfelt experience like none other.
“Growing up she was raised as a Georgia fan. She went to Georgia gymnastics camps in the summer. Her first gymnastics crush was Katie Heenan,” said Strong-Ballard. “She said to me one day ‘I want to do college gymnastics’. To see her compete in Stegeman was just so special.”
During Ballard’s sophomore year, LSU traveled to Athens for an away meet against Georgia. For Ballard, it was anything but glamorous. Ballard described that time as an emotional roller coaster. On top of her not competing much that season, it was a lot, emotionally, for her to be back in Athens. This year was a much different experience: both happier and bittersweet.
“Being in Stegeman was awesome,” said Ballard. “My sophomore year I literally cried in the hotel room. This year, I kind of felt like I was going home. It was cool to look around and know that there were people there to support me and cheer me on.”
The LSU Tigers have been building a legacy for the past few years, and Ballard has been key in that process. Clark said Ballard has worked her way into the position she’s in and has earned everything she’s achieved so far.
“She’s a pretty special person,” said Clark. “I’m just proud of her. Her good days far outnumber her bad days. I’m proud of how she can be a peacemaker and a voice of reason for the team. I’m proud of the leader she’s become, the athlete she’s become, and the person she’s become.”
By trusting her instincts, Ballard was able to find a university that gave her a family. LSU allowed her to stay true to her roots and true to herself.
“LSU is really a family experience. Like when I got here all six of my cousins were here too. And to be able to call my teammates and my teammates’ families family is just so cool,” said Ballard. “There’s really nothing like it.”
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Article by Jessica Brock
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