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OU women's gymnastics: The power of K.J. Kindler's shoes in winning national title
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- OU women's gymnastics: The power of K.J. Kindler's shoes in winning national title
FORT WORTH, Texas — K.J. Kindler convened her closest confidants Friday with an important question.
"What do I do with the shoes?" the OU women's gymnastics coach asked a group that included her assistant coaches and trainer.
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Like Ted Lasso 's "Diamond Dogs," Kindler needed to lean on the people she trusts to help make a very important decision.
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Apr 15, 2023; Fort Worth, TX, USA; The University of Oklahoma Sooners celebrate with the trophy as confetti falls after the Sooners win the national championship at the NCAA Women's National Gymnastics Tournament Championship at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Kindler knew what she wanted to do but she needed validation.
"I feel like I should go with the gold standard, what I picked at the beginning of the year, stick with 'em, and they're like, 'Yes,' so that's what I did," Kindler said after the Sooners won the program's sixth national championship Saturday at Dickies Arena.
Nearly a decade ago, Kindler had a good thing going.
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The Sooners were on the upswing, entering the NCAA Finals ranked second, with a shot at the program's first national title.
That's when she decided to change things up for the championship round.
"I found these great red shoes, so I'm like, 'I'm going to wear 'em,'" Kindler said.
The team revolted.
Kindler's shoes had become something of a lucky charm, a symbol of stability as Kindler had worn them throughout the season as the Sooners morphed into a national power.
Eventually, the team came up with a compromise.
Kindler would place the heels of the old shoes into the new pair to "transfer the power" from the old ones into the new.
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It's become a routine whenever the Sooners win a national title to pass the baton to the new pair of shoes by nesting the shoes together.
"This is no joke, OK," Kindler said. "This is how crazy I am."
Maybe not crazy but definitely superstitious.
"If the shoes the year before didn't have any power, then they don't get that," Kindler said of the transfer. "I don't need 'em."
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Kindler had started to wonder if this year's gold shoes held the power from the pair she wore all of last season, when the Sooners stormed back from a big deficit early in the finals to edge Florida for the title.
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Two falls on the balance beam — Kindler's signature event — in the regional finals put the Sooners' streak of making it to nationals in severe peril before OU bounced back to win and advance.
Then in Thursday's semifinals, the top-ranked Sooners' landings faltered a bit. OU advanced but finished second in the semifinal for the first time since 2013, as Utah posted monster scores in the third and fourth rotations to overtake the Sooners.
Maybe she should switch back to the pair she wore in 2022?
But Kindler doesn't like giving up.
That approach has served her well during her coaching career as she's developed some of the sports' best athletes.
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"Her really pouring into each and every one of us helps us build our own confidence," said sophomore Danielle Sievers, who started and ended the Sooners' championship run in Saturday's final — leading off the vault lineup and anchoring on the floor. "Her special personality really builds this team up."
Kindler is a steady presence, and that unwavering approach extends to her wardrobe.
While many coaches at other programs vary wildly from meet to meet, Kindler picks a pair of shoes before the season and sticks with them.
The outfit Kindler wears might change from meet to meet, but it's always black. Kindler has worn a cream top under a black jacket a couple of times but usually the whole outfit is black.
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Her assistant coaches also wear all black.
The black outfits accentuate the chalk that winds up all over them all as they embrace the gymnasts after each routine.
"It's our thing," Kindler said. "Wearing black makes you feel confident, makes you feel invincible — at least me."
That feeling of invincibility is contagious.
"She cares about us. Every single person on the team she knows so much about," junior Audrey Davis said. "If we're having a hard day, she knows exactly what to tell us to be able to get us back on track. She just does everything in her power to let us succeed. She is incredible at what she does."
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Perhaps Kindler's unwavering approach armed those in her circle of trust to back up Kindler's notion not to abandon the shoes after one or two signs of adversity.
After the blue and white rain from the confetti cannons had settled to the floor at Dickies Arena — a couple pieces held tight onto the shoes during the celebration and subsequent press conference — Kindler lingered on the arena floor.
"I stuck with 'em," Kindler said with a smile, looking at her feet. "I was thinking about it. I had two pair in my bag — last year's magical pair or the pair which I've gone with all year long."
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Oklahoma fans cheer on the team, foreground, after Oklahoma won the NCAA women's gymnastics championships team title Saturday, April 15, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: The power of K.J. Kindler's shoes in OU winning national title
