The LSU Lady Tigers are staring down two major tests in their gymnastics schedule, and things are about to heat up. First up, on January 11, they’ll battle it out with No. 6 Cal, No. 1 Oklahoma, and No. 4 Utah at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Classic in Oklahoma. Just six days later, on January 17, it’s a no-holds-barred showdown in Baton Rouge as the Tigers host their archrivals, the Florida Gators. After a strong season opener, LSU is riding high on optimism—thanks in no small part to some dazzling performances from their freshman phenoms last Friday night. But while the fans are busy dreaming of another national championship, Olivia Dunne has her eye on a different challenge.

Apparently, the gymternet is buzzing over NCAA scoring drama. On January 4, an account called @D.C.UTE fired off a spicy take, claiming, “Seems pretty clear @NCAA @InsideGym changes in NCAA Gymnastics scoring is still only affecting West Coast teams while these judges are still over scoring the @SEC.” The argument hints at the lack of universality of the NCAA Gymnastics scoring system. Furthermore, it also adds doubt to the judges because of their “over scoring” to a particular category of gymnasts. But Livvy isn’t here for the drama.

The LSU super senior made it clear in a press conference that she’s not losing sleep over debates about scoring policies. In LSU’s Gymnastics Week 2 Press Conference, she said, “Scores are always a tricky situation because they’re out of your control and you just got to go out there and try your best no matter what and just be present in the moment with your team cheering.” 

And speaking of being present, Livvy certainly showed up last Friday. She dazzled on the balance beam with a 9.825, but saved the best for last—on floor, she turned up the heat and earned a 9.875, delivering what was nearly a perfect routine. With that kind of momentum, she’s ready to keep the fire burning for the Tigers.

Livvy is all about staying in the zone, even when the scoring chatter gets loud. As she put it in the press conference, “You kind of just need to block that out if you don’t get a great score but I feel like if we just keep building off what we did Friday, we’re going to be in a great position for the rest of season.” That’s the kind of swag fans have come to expect from the superstar, and they’re eager to see her build on that confidence. But the real question: How are her teammates feeling about all the noise, especially when it comes to the new scoring system?

Konnor McClain, who sat alongside Livvy at the press conference, kept her thoughts on the matter pretty tight-lipped. The sophomore all-arounder had a solid showing last Friday, scoring 9.800 on uneven bars and 9.825 on balance beam, but the elusive perfect score was still out of reach. When asked about the scoring debate, Konnor wasn’t interested in getting caught up in it. Instead, she talked about what really matters: her team’s talent and their ability to hit their routines.

“We know what we’re capable of and we know what a good routine is when we see it,” Konnor said. “Just like looking around, we see practice every day and so when we go up there and we trust each other with our routines, like we know what a good routine is so the score doesn’t really matter at the end of the day, like we know what we’re good at and we know what we’re capable of.” So, while the scoring drama rages on, Livvy and Konnor are keeping their eyes on the prize: unity, trust, and flawless routines that speak for themselves. But what’s really behind the whole scoring fuss?

Olivia Dunne and her teammates are facing a tough grind on the scoreboard

The opening week of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season has already come and gone, and let’s just say it wasn’t quite what everyone expected. Olivia Dunne’s LSU Gymnastics and top-seed Oklahoma were ready to roll, and of course, Jordan Chiles’ UCLA made their entrance, but there were a few surprises. First, no gymnasts from any program managed to hit the elusive perfect ten—something that hasn’t happened since February 2021. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, several teams ended up posting some of their lowest scores in recent memory.

Then there’s Jordan Chiles’ UCLA—led by the Olympic champ herself. The Bruins scored their third-lowest mark in the last 15 years, which certainly wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card for the season opener. But what’s really behind these unexpected dips? Well, the new NCAA gymnastics scoring policy is shaking things up.

Back in May of last year, the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) kicked off the Collegiate Judging Issue, and by August, they brought in Jennifer Sampson to take the reins as head of officials. Her job? Overseeing the new Standardized Consistency in the Officiating of Routine Evaluation Board (aka SCORE). This board’s mission is to put judges to the test—evaluating how they assess each routine and how spot-on their decisions are.

After crunching the numbers from individual evaluations, SCORE will rank the judges. Those rankings will determine the judges’ postseason assignments, courtesy of the NCAA committee. The 2025 season is set to be the testing ground for this new policy, so expect judges to bring their A-game with more precise scales and a sharper eye for error-free evaluations. But will this shake-up really bring the consistency the sport needs? Only time will tell—what do you think?