Livvy Dunne explains decision to return to LSU for senior season
After spending three seasons at LSU to start her college career — one that’s been as closely followed as any gymnast in America, Livvy Dunne had a choice to make: Return to LSU or move on to something else?
And while Dunne ultimately chose to return to LSU for her senior season of competition, it wasn’t always a guarantee that she would want to spend another year in Baton Rouge. From the stress of being in the spotlight, yet not being a top option on the team, to a number of other headaches, Dunne certainly considered other options.
But in the end, the chance to try and win another national championship was too much to pass up.
“I really wanted to come back — well, first of all, we won last year, our team made LSU history, first national championship. It was so exciting for, not only our team, but the whole university and that’s a feeling that I want to feel again,” Dunne said in an interview with the New York Post. “It was so special and the bond with the girls, and I really found my love for the sport again, last year, I would say. So that’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to come back.”
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Dunne also shared that her love of the sport waned in times during her sophomore and junior years, as the challenges of balancing sport, school and NIL obligations.
She also served as an alternate for much of LSU’s season, subbing in during some key spots during meets but otherwise mostly watching from the side on meet days.
“I think that position is super hard because there’s a bunch of people telling you that you’re not important or you’re not really part of the team when you are,” Dunne said. “There’s more people that aren’t doing things than are. It’s hard. The sport is competitive and being on a team is a healthy competition everyday to push each other to be better. There definitely were times where my love for the sport lulled. I mean, my sophomore and junior year was quite hard to balance NIL with school and athletics. It was just a hard balance and there was nobody I could follow in their footsteps, because nobody’s ever done it before. I kind of just had to carve my own path and find out what works for me.”