AUreo

Yes, Skinner deserves this and worked very hard for it!

Suni is not done yet! "Beam finals up next !"

AU Swimming: 2x Gold (Zach Apple), 1x Bronze (Annie Lazor)

https://twitter.com/AuburnSwimDive/status/1419498408037998592?s=20

Short-term Outlook (provided both Texas and Oklahoma will join the conference next year): Swimming (Texas, Men): Texas with strong recruiting classes in 2020 and 2021 but UGA seems to be quite competitive with SEC stars Magahey, Downing, and Urlando + South Africa commit & swimming prodigy Matt Sates (next Michael Phelps) while Florida is somewhat regressing recruiting-wise. Auburn’s 2021 recruiting class is very solid, actually, but let’s wait and see with the new coaching staff. Gymnastics (Oklahoma): The Sooners have superstars Maggie Nichols and Ragan Smith but currently only one 5-star gymnast committed (Faith Torrez) + 4-star commit Ava Siegfeldt. The SEC is pretty tough with national powerhouses Florida and LSU as well as blue blood UGA (back on track in recruiting), rising Auburn and current SEC champs Alabama + Mizzou, and Arkansas, and Kentucky are pretty competitive as well. However, since nearby Texas is home to the best elite gymnasts in the country maybe Oklahoma will be able to boost its recruiting by joining the SEC (not sure this will have an effect though). Overall a strong addition but not the future powerhouse some people might think.

Let’s see but Suni already confirmed to a NY Times journalist that she is planning to join parts of the Simone Biles “Gold over America tour” later this year and Paris 2024 is definitely an option. Madison Kocian went straight to UCLA after winning team gold in Rio and also attended Golden Globes, MLB games, etc…(and she did not win AA gold which is the most prestigious medal), so I wouldn’t be shocked if Suni ends up attending these kinds of events and various Late night talk shows (Fallon, etc)…would be huge publicity for AU and technically still off-season.

This could be a Skinner type of situation in 2024. She might decide to defend her gold medal in Paris. In this case she most likely would have to take a year off during the olympic year. Anyways, we would still have current international elites Olivia Greaves and Lyden Saltness on the roster and be quite competitive in the SEC. I would love to see Suni to compete in Paris and win a few more medals - along with Konnor (who could be an incoming Auburn freshman in 2024).

We can move this thread to the other Auburn sports section now. Suni is coming to Auburn this fall…confirmed by an AP journalist. https://www.aufamily.com/forums/topic/177398-auburn-incoming-freshman-earns-spot-on-us-olympic-team/page/2/#comments

Some more info on Suni and NIL. She will earn some serious $$ signing deals with big global brands such as Gatorade, Revlon, Kellogg, etc (just examples), etc. Biles made $4M and Suni’s future market value is comparable. AU will also benefit tremendously from Suni’s NIL deals. She is also open to compete at World Championships and Paris 2024 (she could be the face of the Olympic Games in 2024). Suni coming to Auburn is a big deal for the athletic dept and university and probably the biggest event since Bo Jackson, Tim Cook becoming Apple CEO and the NC title in 2010, maybe even bigger. Auburn gymnastics will sell out arenas all over the country just because of her. She is the most famous incoming freshman in NCAA history (Michelle Kwan studied and trained at UCLA but obviously never competed in college). - - - - - ‘Let’s talk 7 figures’: How Olympic gold impacts Suni Lee’s NIL earnings potential at Auburn https://www.al.com/auburn/2021/07/lets-talk-7-figures-how-olympic-gold-impacts-suni-lees-nil-earnings-potential-at-auburn.html “Let’s talk seven figures,” said Bob Dorfman, the creative director at Baker Street Advertising and a sports marketing expert. “It’s — yeah, this is huge… It’s the biggest event of the Olympics. It’s the most popular event.” “You would think that all the sponsors would be jumping on her,” Dorfman said. “She could be the face of the Paris games if she sticks around…. There’s just lots of ways she can cash in right now.” “She has been in contact already with Auburn’s compliance department, and Graba acknowledged that Lee will certainly need an agent to work with her on endorsement opportunities.” “(It’s) probably bigger; bigger than that quarterback (Alabama’s Bryce Young) who hasn’t started a game — and I’m sure Nick Saban was kind of goosing that number just to get recruits,”

Annie Lazor wins Bronze medal! https://twitter.com/usatodaysports/status/1420957713102778374?s=20

Ok now I am getting nervous…lol… looks like she has changed her Twitter profile from “Auburn gymnastics commit” to “Olympic gold medalist”…

NBC Primetime most likely.

Will Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee still attend Auburn? https://www.al.com/auburn/2021/07/will-olympic-gold-medalist-suni-lee-still-attend-auburn.html

Posted on reddit> Suni has gained 230k Insta followers since being at the Olympics

This is quite interesting. Suni will elevate college gymnastics in general (first AA gold medalist ever to compete in college, right?). Technically, elite gymnastics is somewhat different from college gymnastics. Her strengths will benefit Auburn (beam and bars). She might even have to dumb down some routines (but she is planning to keep the Nabieva which would be a first in the NCAA). Floor will be interesting since many elites struggle with floor in college, initially (it’s more of a dance-type performance and less artistic in college). However, in the end they all enjoy it because it’s more fun.

+ she is earning some extra $$ in Tokyo: Gold $37,500 and Silver $22,500

Fortunately NIL is already in place, otherwise she would probably go pro now.

I don’t think it is pressure what got to her. There is an article (Washington Post) explaining what that certain super-advanced “twist” skill can do to your brain function and how scary and dangerous it is (brain and body being disconnected for a moment while flying through the air). It seems like this is what got to her and scared her. It messes with your brain. Apparently, Biles lost complete control while performing this skill and it could have ended very badly for her.

NY Times Sunisa Lee Stepped Up When Simone Biles Stepped Back Known primarily as an uneven bars specialist, Lee turned in a grace-under-pressure performance for the ages during Tuesday’s team final. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/sports/olympics/sunisa-lee.html