Yet another day in the office for Jordan Chiles? Well, on most of the sides, yes! And where was the office on February 7? In Seattle, Washington. Yes, this time, the UCLA Bruins moved from the home turf to land in Alaska Airlines Arena to appear in another gymnastics battle. The opponent, Washington, didn’t have a stunning record as the Bruins (1-6, 0-3 against 6-2, 3-0 Big Ten). Yet the Jordan Chiles-starred program witnessed several dramas on the day. Such as?

Perhaps the biggest one came in the vault warmups. How? As per a Twitter update, Jordan Chiles experienced a brutal fall in the vault warmups. The shared clips displayed her failing to stand on her legs after completing the vaults in the air. Because of the fall and thrust, the Olympian rolled off the cushion and away from the mat. In the meantime, the arena seemed to come to a standstill watching the scene. Horror took over the Bruins’ camp, fearing Jordan’s injury. However, the 23-year-old probably quickly shifted to the locker room. 

Later, Jordan Chiles came back with all guns blazing. She didn’t show a slight discomfort in her body language. And in the same vault event, she stood tall. She ended the event scoring 9.850, equaling Macy McGowan’s score in the same event. Remember, it was the second rotation of the match, and Jordan’s hearty effort in the rotation gave the Bruins an edge over Washington. At the end of it, UCLA had 49.325 in reply to Washington’s 48.550. Just a difference of 0.775! Now imagine what would have happened if Chiles had missed the event. But did she sit out in the next event? 

No. In rotation 3, the Bruins had the floor exercise scheduled, the event where the program sealed the nation-best score (49.800) in its match against Michigan State on February 1st. And Chiles scored her second perfect ten this season. So, expectedly, on Friday, Chiles had her entry in the floor exercise lineup for the Bruins. She didn’t show any sign of lethargy in the event. No, this time, the perfect ten didn’t come. But it was just 0.050 less than the coveted score. Ultimately, the Bruins stopped at 49.575. Again, a slight edge over the opponent (Washington scored 48.975)! Later, Chiles came back for the beam event and scored 9.90. But have you spotted the common link? 

On February 1, Jordan Chiles entered the competition, shaking off her fever. After the match, she let the story slip. Six days later, she shrugged off the effects of a brutal fall on the mat and continued to do what she does best. Last week she made the iconic day more special. But there was something special for Jordan Chiles & co. today as well.

Jordan Chiles finds the platform set beautifully 

After January 18, the UCLA Bruins came on the road on February 7. This time, the destination was in Washington, hundreds of miles away from Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins’ gymnastics home. But is Washington really an away place for Jordan Chiles’ team? Not so much. How? The connection with the roots! The program has deep-rooted links with Washington, not just from players but also from the coaching side. 

First, the lineup has Coach Janelle McDonald and Assistant Coach BJ Das coming from Seattle. Additionally, Das is an alumnus of the University of Washington. Now, the connection comes to the players. Jordan Chiles and Macy McGowan are also from the same region. The lineup, however, has a clear idea about the links. Even before moving to the match against the UW, McDonald let the fans remember the connection. 

In an interaction with Daily Bruin before the meet, the coach said, “It’s pretty exciting that we have a couple student-athletes and a couple coaches that have a lot of roots up in the Pacific Northwest. To be able to go back home per se and compete in front of our family and friends, it’s going to add a little bit more special feelings to the competition.” And on Friday, Chiles and the entire lineup showed up to make the day special. A memorable finishing? Let us know your thoughts.