gymnastics

It started as a gift for their daughter’s 9th birthday. Jennifer and Michael Reese wanted to surprise their gymnast-in-training with a trip to Westwood to see the UCLA women’s gymnastics team.

From that moment on, they became fans. They were captivated by the choreography on the floor and the balance on the beam, by the work each gymnast puts into their routine and by the thrills of the best show in Los Angeles.

Ten years later, while their daughter cheers from a distance at Oregon State, the couple remain loyal to the Bruins and are a staple of Section 103 at Pauley Pavilion as season-ticket holders. And their devotion isn’t grounded in Southern California. When the team travels for meets away from home, the Reeses often follow to cheer on the Bruins.

“They just welcomed us with open arms just as if we were a part of them just because we became so faithful and true fans,” Jennifer said. “They called us their super fans.”

Michael and Jennifer Reese, from Victorville, join parents and friends of the gymnastics team at a rally before the Bruins’ meet against Michigan at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 14.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

That sense of belonging has been their favorite part of supporting UCLA women’s gymnastics. The Bruin Bubble — an affectionate term for the close-knit, insulated community, culture and social scene among UCLA students, alumni and sports fans — added them to their email chains, inviting them to banquets and fundraisers.

“We just love it,” Jennifer said.

With every pike in midair, every perfect landing, every Yurchenko off the vault, the Reeses’ connection with each gymnast grows and their commitment to the team becomes deeper.

Watching it from the comfort of their Victorville home is an option, but the energy in Pauley is unmatched, Michael said.

“You have tons of people doing the same thing and being on the same accord for that one athlete,” he said. “Whether it’s Jordan [Chiles] or whether it’s freshman Ashlee Sullivan or whether it’s, back in the day, Kyla Ross, it’s just amazing to feel that thrill there.”

But if they must watch from their living room, they make sure to bring the same energy as if they were watching in person.

UCLA super fan Michael Reese gives high-fives to members of the Bruins gymnastics team at a send-off before a meet against Michigan at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 14.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

“We’re hopping and hollering in our living rooms,” Michael said, “but it’s nothing like being in person.”

Before every meet, the Bruins and their family members convene outside the arena a few hours early for a send-off. Think of it as a pep rally where family members hype the gymnasts. They cheer as the team makes its way to the arena.

“It lets us go into competition with a lot of energy,” coach Janelle McDonald said.

In 2018, during a meet in Michigan, their Bruins’ previous coach, Valorie Kondos Field, started chanting “We’re ready,” which Michael gravitated toward. As a former military man, he picked up the cadence of the cheer and started to hype the team with the chant. Now, anytime he’s available, he makes sure to be there and send off his favorite team.

Throughout the years, he’s added his own flavor to it by adding the acronym W.I.N. to the end of the rallying cry — Work, Intensity and Never quit.

“We just have fun with it, whatever pops at the time,” he said.

When the Bruin Bubble gets together to send off the team, whether it’s with the UCLA eight-clap, silly wigs or pom-poms, the energy passed sets the gymnasts up to be the best they can be, junior Katelyn Rosen said.

“Gymnastics is really hard to make it go perfect every single time,” she said. “So if you can kind of get similar pieces of each day to anchor to, to make you feel calm, to remind yourself that it’s still you, and you’re still in your own body, and you still have control over it, is something really helpful.”

Having familiar faces of friends and family in the crowd, even when they are competing away from Pauley Pavilion, means a lot to the gymnasts, McDonald said. Fans like Jennifer and “Big Mike,” as the team calls him, are part of the consistency they have throughout the season.

With the help of the Reeses, UCLA is breaking records. So far, the Bruins have been a part of four meets with record attendances in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington. Their Feb. 22 meet at Illinois had to be moved to State Farm Center to accommodate the larger crowd.

Bruins fans don’t see the travel as a sacrifice.

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

During home meets, the moment the UCLA women’s gymnastics team transitions to the mat for floor exercise, the crowd is hyped. The arena announcer further pumps up the audience. During each Bruin’s routine, their teammates are locked in on the edge of the mat cheering while mimicking key moves.

“The floor really is a show,” UCLA coach Janelle McDonald said. “It’s a performance. [Gymnasts] can use their own personality out there to perform for the crowd, put their own stamp on it, so to speak, more so than other events.”

Each routine displays the identity of each performer. Each jump, performed with personality, draws the crowd in. Anytime the gymnastics are dialed in and made to look easy, the crowd can focus on the performance. It is an incredible event to finish a meet at home, McDonald said.

“The team’s been putting in a lot of work because we know that that can be a really strong event for us and so it was great to see it all come together last weekend,” she said.

UCLA earned a 49.700 on the floor during its meet against Washington this past week, the highest team total in the event during the NCAA gymnastics season.

“I just think the energy that we all bring in our floor routines and how different they are really stands out for UCLA gymnastics,” Tiana Sumanesekera said. “Yes, the best show in L.A., and I think we really bring that to the table.

Sumanasekera earned a season-best of 9.925 on her routine during the meet against Washington. She attributes the team’s success to assistant coach BJ Das’ choreography.

“We’re so good at captivating the audience in the sense that we bring our own style throughout our routines,” she said. “I think every single one of our routines, BJ did an incredible and phenomenal job of individualizing them.”

UCLA competes at Minnesota on Saturday at a sold out arena.

“It really is just a show and that’s what we want to put on,” McDonald said.

No. 5 UCLA women’s gymnastics (6-2, 2-0) hosted Washington (2-4, 1-1) at Pauley Pavilion on Friday night for a prime-time Big Ten matchup. The Bruins continued to demonstrate just how hungry they are for a national championship by flexing their deep roster in 198.150-195.825 win over the Huskies.

Jordan Chiles earned another perfect score on her floor routine, capping off a night that would give her another all-around individual title.

UCLA established its dominance from the beginning. During their rotation on the vault, they finished with a total score of 49.425. Tiana Sumanasekera set the tone with a 9.875 performance.

Madisyn Anyimi followed it by earning a 9.900, her best score on the event as a Bruin. Katelyn Rosen and Riley Jenkins both earned 9.850 marks. Anchoring the vault was Chiles who closed with a 9.950.

The Huskies posted a score of 49.325 on the uneven bars.

UCLA added to their lead on the uneven bars. Ciena Alipio was close to perfect with a routine that earned her a 9.950. Keeping up with her teammate, Sydney Barros followed with a 9.925.

Sumanasekera and Sullivan, both freshmen, scored 9.825 and 9.875, respectively. Chiles earned a 9.975, which brought up the team’s total to 98.975.

Washington earned a 48.925 on vault, falling behind UCLA by .750.

UCLA extended their lead on the balance beam, with Rosen and Barros opening the third rotation with 9.850 scores. Jordis Eichman took it up a notch with a 9.875 on her only event of the night.

Chiles earned a 9.950, extending her all-around lead. Alipio added another 9.950, maintaining a Bruins lead of 148.450-147.525 going into the final event.

During their anchor event, UCLA continued to shine with a 9.925 floor routine by Rosen. Both Alipio and Sumanasekera added to the lead with a 9.900 and a 9.925, respectively. Sullivan earned her best mark on the floor with a 9.950.

Chiles saved the best for last, earning a perfect score on her performance bringing the rotation total to 49.700. Chiles had perfect scores on floor and vault against Michigan State on Sunday.