In Others' Words: How Powerful is AJ Jackson?

Powerful is a word that perfectly embodies Oklahoma women's gymnastics sophomore AJ Jackson, describing everything from her athletic ability to her performances to her personality. We asked Jackson's coaches and teammates to explain just how powerful she is.

Head Coach K.J. Kindler

“AJ is quick and explosive. It is the number one thing that stood out to me in the recruiting process. With very little acceleration she can pop into the air sky-high and come down with perfect precision. To have that kind of power coupled with amazing control is extremely unique.”

ASSISTANT Coach TOM HALEY

"AJ is so powerful, when she blows into her hand, smoke comes out!"

ASSISTANT Coach LOU BALL

"When I first met AJ, I knew she was special. She would do her tumbling passes and vault with so much ease. Since she arrived here at OU, she has really learned to harness and display her power in a more precise way without giving up the dynamic burst of energy when she leaves the ground. You might even say she swings bars with 'power' because of the aggressive nature with which she swings. She is always in attack mode. I love it."

Senior HALEY SCAMAN

“AJ, just her tumbling and everything, she's so aggressive. I think that's why she's powerful. But also, she also commands the attention of everyone.”

“AJ is so powerful. She's like a firework. She's very explosive and also beautiful to watch.”

FRESHMAN ALEX MARKS

“AJ is so powerful she actually has to control her run on vault. While everyone else is trying to run the fastest they can, she actually has to slow it down.”

JUNIOR McKENZIE WOFFORD

“I think whenever you first meet AJ, she's kind of quiet and shy, and then I think the first time I saw her compete, you saw a special spark about her, so that's when I noticed it.”

“AJ's so powerful. Whenever she hits the competition floor, it's like she flicks a switch and becomes Super AJ.”

SENIOR NICOLE TURNER

“AJ is powerful just in the way in which she holds herself. You can watch her walk across campus and she just looks like she's ready to go, ready to get stuff done and just ready to get after it.”

Junior KARA LOVAN

“She's powerful because the first time I saw her on floor and she was kind of dancing when nobody was looking, it really just lined up the mood on floor, and I think that's just powerful because it reminds everybody to just have fun and enjoy what they love to do.”

Freshman NICOLE LEHRMANN

“She just has so much energy in gym, in competition. If you watch her face during competition, she's just having fun. She's just out there doing her thing, it's no big deal, and I feel like it's her energy that gives her so much power.”

“AJ is so powerful. She just has so much natural power. She can do pretty much any skill, make it look easy. You watch her do a floor routine right after she's dancing like it was easy. It's just so amazing to watch.”

Junior CHARITY JONES

“She gets really hyped up before she goes. She's always dancing and just having fun.”

“AJ's very powerful as in her actions and the way she draws in the crowd. She really gets them going and it's just really fun for them to watch and for us to watch.”

Sophomore NATALIE BROWN

“AJ's so powerful on the floor, but she's also powerful minded. She has so much confidence and you can see that in all her routines.”

Junior CHAYSE CAPPS

“AJ is an incredibly powerful competitor, especially on floor with the height of her passes, and also on vault with the height of her vault. She's just incredible.”