“My very first coach I ever had moved her and her daughters to Dallas, and she told me and my family that If I wanted to be the best I could ever be, I should move to Dallas. So, we decided that it was best that my mom and I should pack up and move to Texas,” This gymnast from Alexandria says. So at 9 years old, she and her family made one of the biggest decisions of their lives as they landed 300 miles away from their hometown.

By fifth grade, she had already turned out to be a Level-9 Texas Dreams gymnast and a top five for the 2014 International Gymnast Magazine Gymnast of the Year. “My biggest accomplishment was back in 2016 when I won the Junior Olympic Nationals as a 12-year-old. That jump-started my career.” At 15, she found herself committing to LSU, and in 2020 she grabbed her first perfect 10 on her floor routine. “It has taken so much dedication. This sport is all I have ever known to do, and the opportunities that I’ve gotten and still receive outweigh anything,” said the then-15-year-old, Annie Beard.

In Texas, for 10 years, Beard trained under former Olympic and world champion Kim Zmeskal, who started Texas Dreams Gymnastics in 2001. The gym eventually became a subject of national criticism for overworking its athletes to the point where they suffered major injuries. In fact, Beard’s time with LSU was plagued by injuries that even kept her sidelined during the last season. That scare even haunted her at the LSU Gymnastics 101 event last month.

17 seconds into her beam routine, the audience skipped their beats as Beard fell off the beam. She took a few seconds to get her composure back but ultimately decided to walk away. A week after that, Beard shared a carousel of pictures that has put ideas of the worst kind in her followers: retirement. It had pictures of her in Tigers’ leotard and alongside a few snaps from childhood. Now a fresh development has fanned the retirement speculations even more. On January 6, the gymnastics fans couldn’t spot Annie Beard on LSU Gymnastics’ roster. That again started the discussion on what could have happened to her. And why not? Look how loyal she was to the team.

She was not a regular competitor in LSU’s national championship winning squad. But she was there throughout with Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant to support the team. “My role this year was to be the best teammate I could be,” Annie said the day after the champions’ parade in Baton Rouge. “Coach always emphasized we are a team. We represent LSU. We win together. Nothing is ever about an individual. No matter what role we play, we are a part of the team.”

“Our generation’s perception is how can you better yourself, what’s best for you,” Annie said. “On this team, it was all about ‘we.’ Everybody played their role and committed to each other. We represent the team and the university.” The gymnastics enthusiasts were not ready to let go of such a gymnast, so dedicated to the team and the sport.

Gymnastics fans make attempts to explain the reason 

On Instagram, the gymnastics fan handle, Planet of Gymnastics shared a snippet of her beam performance from last season. The post had the caption, “forever a national champion”. Meanwhile, the post broke the news of her absence from the LSU Gymnastics roster. The fans penned several comments beneath the post. Also, Annie Beard marked a love emoji in the comment box, without spilling any words.

However, the fans added several lines, guessing the reason behind the actual issue. One such fan noted, “Difficult elbow surgery and at least nine instances of injuries; fell on a BB mount just 17 seconds into her routine. I’m thinking medical retirement. Regardless, she will be missed.” Chances are there for her to retire medically. Her Instagram story also points out her engagement in attaining her physical fitness. 

Nonetheless, the LSU authority has yet to share any word about that. The lack of an exact reason opened the gate for further debates. In the meantime, another gymnastics enthusiast penned, “Does this have anything to do with the lsu gymnastics 101 meet where she walked off after falling on her series?” While her ouster might be because of her performance in last year’s LSU Gymnastics 101 meet, after her fall in the event, no updates came on her injury.

However, on Reddit, several fans welcomed her decision to retire from the roster. One such fan wrote, “unbelievably sad for her, but I definitely understand her decision. she’s been through so much in her career, I hope she can be proud of her gymnastics career.” Notably, Annie’s career includes her achievements as a junior elite gymnast. Also, in Baton Rouge, she gained the Scholastic All-American and Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll last year. 

Those achievements will remain with her throughout the years. Those feelings led another fan to post on Reddit: “She should be so very proud of all she accomplished in her gymnastics career. College didn’t pan out but that shouldn’t diminish any of her other goals. Glad she listened to her body. Congratulations on your retirement Annie! Best of luck in the future.” At 20, retiring from gymnastics might feel odd. But Annie Beard won the national gymnastics title last year. She repeatedly proved herself in the bar routines.

Things like these might keep her name relevant in LSU Gymnastics. But at the same time, for some, she is still the girl from Alexandria, who dared to dream big. A native from Alexandria commented on that. “I hate that she went out like that. She’s so sweet. Really wanted my hometown girl to shine 😭,” the user wrote. Ultimately, Annie Beard left the roster after an illustrious athletic career, and becoming a national champion. The fans understand that and have good wishes for her next goal.