Ucla Gymnastics Super Fans Feel Special Bond With Bruins

It started arsenic a gift for their daughter’s 9th birthday. Jennifer and Michael Reese wanted to astonishment their gymnast-in-training pinch a travel to Westwood to spot nan UCLA women’s gymnastics team.

From that infinitesimal on, they became fans. They were captivated by nan choreography connected nan level and nan equilibrium connected nan beam, by nan activity each gymnast puts into their regular and by nan thrills of nan champion show successful Los Angeles.

Ten years later, while their girl cheers from a region astatine Oregon State, nan mates stay loyal to nan Bruins and are a staple of Section 103 astatine Pauley Pavilion arsenic season-ticket holders. And their devotion isn’t grounded successful Southern California. When nan squad travels for meets distant from home, nan Reeses often travel to cheer connected nan Bruins.

“They conscionable welcomed america pinch unfastened arms conscionable arsenic if we were a portion of them conscionable because we became truthful religious and existent fans,” Jennifer said. “They called america their ace fans.”

Michael and Jennifer Reese, from Victorville, subordinate parents and friends of nan gymnastics squad astatine a rally earlier nan Bruins’ meet against Michigan astatine Pauley Pavilion connected Feb. 14.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

That consciousness of belonging has been their favourite portion of supporting UCLA women’s gymnastics. The Bruin Bubble — an affectionate word for nan close-knit, insulated community, civilization and societal segment among UCLA students, alumni and sports fans — added them to their email chains, inviting them to banquets and fundraisers.

“We conscionable emotion it,” Jennifer said.

With each pike successful midair, each cleanable landing, each Yurchenko disconnected nan vault, nan Reeses’ relationship pinch each gymnast grows and their committedness to nan squad becomes deeper.

Watching it from nan comfortableness of their Victorville location is an option, but nan power successful Pauley is unmatched, Michael said.

“You person tons of group doing nan aforesaid point and being connected nan aforesaid accord for that 1 athlete,” he said. “Whether it’s Jordan [Chiles] aliases whether it’s freshman Ashlee Sullivan aliases whether it’s, backmost successful nan day, Kyla Ross, it’s conscionable astonishing to consciousness that thrill there.”

But if they must watch from their surviving room, they make judge to bring nan aforesaid power arsenic if they were watching successful person.

UCLA ace instrumentality Michael Reese gives high-fives to members of nan Bruins gymnastics squad astatine a send-off earlier a meet against Michigan astatine Pauley Pavilion connected Feb. 14.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“We’re hopping and hollering successful our surviving rooms,” Michael said, “but it’s thing for illustration being successful person.”

Before each meet, nan Bruins and their family members convene extracurricular nan arena a fewer hours early for a send-off. Think of it arsenic a pep rally wherever family members hype nan gymnasts. They cheer arsenic nan squad makes its measurement to nan arena.

“It lets america spell into title pinch a batch of energy,” coach Janelle McDonald said.

In 2018, during a meet successful Michigan, their Bruins’ erstwhile coach, Valorie Kondos Field, started chanting “We’re ready,” which Michael gravitated toward. As a erstwhile subject man, he picked up nan cadence of nan cheer and started to hype nan squad pinch nan chant. Now, anytime he’s available, he makes judge to beryllium location and nonstop disconnected his favourite team.

Throughout nan years, he’s added his ain spirit to it by adding nan acronym W.I.N. to nan extremity of nan rallying outcry — Work, Intensity and Never quit.

“We conscionable person nosy pinch it, immoderate pops astatine nan time,” he said.

When nan Bruin Bubble gets together to nonstop disconnected nan team, whether it’s pinch nan UCLA eight-clap, silly wigs aliases pom-poms, nan power passed sets nan gymnasts up to beryllium nan champion they tin be, inferior Katelyn Rosen said.

“Gymnastics is really difficult to make it spell cleanable each azygous time,” she said. “So if you tin benignant of get akin pieces of each time to anchor to, to make you consciousness calm, to punctual yourself that it’s still you, and you’re still successful your ain body, and you still person power complete it, is thing really helpful.”

Having acquainted faces of friends and family successful nan crowd, moreover erstwhile they are competing distant from Pauley Pavilion, intends a batch to nan gymnasts, McDonald said. Fans for illustration Jennifer and “Big Mike,” arsenic nan squad calls him, are portion of nan consistency they person passim nan season.

With nan thief of nan Reeses, UCLA is breaking records. So far, nan Bruins person been a portion of 4 meets pinch grounds attendances successful Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington. Their Feb. 22 meet astatine Illinois had to beryllium moved to State Farm Center to accommodate nan larger crowd.

Bruins fans don’t spot nan recreation arsenic a sacrifice.

It’s “the thrill of your life,” Jennifer Reese said.