Kindler And The Sooners Doing What It Takes To Be On Top
Kindler And The Sooners Doing What It Takes To Be On Top
Walking into the bright Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center, a whole new world opens up. It is one of excellence, opportunity, and promise. The 7,000-square-foot
Walking into the bright Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center, a whole new world opens up. It is one of excellence, opportunity, and promise. The 7,000-square-foot gym is the home of the Oklahoma Women’s Gymnastics team--a program that has been transformed over the past ten years by head coach K.J. Kindler.
Kindler joined the team in 2006 and brought with her an urgency and determination to develop Oklahoma into a perennial gymnastics powerhouse. Since that time, Kindler has coached the Sooners to a National Championship, five Super Six appearances, and eight Big 12 Conference titles.
Kindler after winning Oklahoma's first NCAA Championship in 2014:
None of this success has come easy and it is definitely not coincidental. It has come through an endless amount of hard work, a willingness to change where necessary, and an unending pursuit of excellence, all driven by Kindler and her staff. They understand that in order to be on top, it is essential to do what is best for the team at all costs. This means putting the team before the individual on every event at every meet--something that has resulted in Oklahoma having few all-around competitors over the years.
When putting together lineups, all-around is never a factor. “We don’t purposely keep people out of the all-around, it’s about making the top six on each event,” Kindler said. Decisions are entirely based on consistency and scoring potential, and who gives the team the best chance at being successful that particular week.
While this is pretty standard across college gymnastics, few follow this game plan as meticulously as Kindler. In addition to this, most teams don't have the depth the Sooners do, so gymnasts who might otherwise compete in the all-around may only compete two events at Oklahoma.
Unusually this year, Oklahoma has had two consistent all-arounders in junior Chayse Capps and senior Keeley Kmieciak, but you can bet they have earned every routine. They have been a dynamic duo, who at one point this season ranked first and third in the national all-around standings.
Kmieciak couldn't have asked for a better ending to her career:
Neither Capps or Kmieciak takes their all-around spot for granted. They know that if they are not one of the top six on an event, no matter the meet, someone will compete in their place, for the good of the team. “When you do make a line up, you need to prove yourself to the coaches every time you compete, because it's not your spot and the lineup can change at anytime,” said Kmieciak.
This culture, drive, and feeling of honor to be able to contribute on as many events as possible is exactly in line with how Kindler runs her program. This is what she has created at Oklahoma and it is what has allowed them to be consistently great over the past several seasons.
Something else Kindler focuses on is mixing up training, and working to develop their athletes in their four years at Oklahoma. Teams at the top are often full of former elites, who come in and maintain the same skill level throughout their college careers. Take a look at Capps, who is competing bars for the first time in her career. She was not competition ready when she came in as a freshman, but her coaches have put in the time and work necessary to help her be able to break into that lineup.
In order to continue a gymnast's development, it is important to keep things interesting. Each year the Oklahoma staff tries to do something new, to keep the athletes engaged and on top of their game. “Every year we try to change it up and keep it fresh. We don’t want a four-year career to be monotonous, so we always change our conditioning, always changing our themes, our motivations and our incentives,” said Kindler.
From the culture, to the work ethic, to the attitude of success, to the determining of lineups, Kindler has transformed Oklahoma gymnastics. She has made every detail an important detail and optimizes each one for the betterment of her team. The Sooners have come a long way since 2006, and this may just be the beginning.
Related:
Sooners win 5th straight Big 12 Championship
The Coaching Paradigm: What Does It Take To Be The Best?
Florida Gator Freshmen: Designed To Go Far
Kindler joined the team in 2006 and brought with her an urgency and determination to develop Oklahoma into a perennial gymnastics powerhouse. Since that time, Kindler has coached the Sooners to a National Championship, five Super Six appearances, and eight Big 12 Conference titles.
Kindler after winning Oklahoma's first NCAA Championship in 2014:
None of this success has come easy and it is definitely not coincidental. It has come through an endless amount of hard work, a willingness to change where necessary, and an unending pursuit of excellence, all driven by Kindler and her staff. They understand that in order to be on top, it is essential to do what is best for the team at all costs. This means putting the team before the individual on every event at every meet--something that has resulted in Oklahoma having few all-around competitors over the years.
When putting together lineups, all-around is never a factor. “We don’t purposely keep people out of the all-around, it’s about making the top six on each event,” Kindler said. Decisions are entirely based on consistency and scoring potential, and who gives the team the best chance at being successful that particular week.
While this is pretty standard across college gymnastics, few follow this game plan as meticulously as Kindler. In addition to this, most teams don't have the depth the Sooners do, so gymnasts who might otherwise compete in the all-around may only compete two events at Oklahoma.
Unusually this year, Oklahoma has had two consistent all-arounders in junior Chayse Capps and senior Keeley Kmieciak, but you can bet they have earned every routine. They have been a dynamic duo, who at one point this season ranked first and third in the national all-around standings.
Kmieciak couldn't have asked for a better ending to her career:
Competing all-around for my senior year is truly a dream come true.
Neither Capps or Kmieciak takes their all-around spot for granted. They know that if they are not one of the top six on an event, no matter the meet, someone will compete in their place, for the good of the team. “When you do make a line up, you need to prove yourself to the coaches every time you compete, because it's not your spot and the lineup can change at anytime,” said Kmieciak.
This culture, drive, and feeling of honor to be able to contribute on as many events as possible is exactly in line with how Kindler runs her program. This is what she has created at Oklahoma and it is what has allowed them to be consistently great over the past several seasons.
Something else Kindler focuses on is mixing up training, and working to develop their athletes in their four years at Oklahoma. Teams at the top are often full of former elites, who come in and maintain the same skill level throughout their college careers. Take a look at Capps, who is competing bars for the first time in her career. She was not competition ready when she came in as a freshman, but her coaches have put in the time and work necessary to help her be able to break into that lineup.
In order to continue a gymnast's development, it is important to keep things interesting. Each year the Oklahoma staff tries to do something new, to keep the athletes engaged and on top of their game. “Every year we try to change it up and keep it fresh. We don’t want a four-year career to be monotonous, so we always change our conditioning, always changing our themes, our motivations and our incentives,” said Kindler.
From the culture, to the work ethic, to the attitude of success, to the determining of lineups, Kindler has transformed Oklahoma gymnastics. She has made every detail an important detail and optimizes each one for the betterment of her team. The Sooners have come a long way since 2006, and this may just be the beginning.
Related:
Sooners win 5th straight Big 12 Championship
The Coaching Paradigm: What Does It Take To Be The Best?
Florida Gator Freshmen: Designed To Go Far