“It takes everyone.” Danae Fletcher is dialed in on the details at OU and excited to leave a lasting impact

By Christy Sandmaier

Determined. Fierce. Undeniable. 

Those are just a few of the words that can be used to describe the Oklahoma Sooners as they captured their sixth NCAA crown in 2023. That’s six of the last nine NCAA titles that now sit in a trophy case in Norman, Oklahoma. Now, as the 2024 season loads and officially launches January 5, the word dynasty might be added to that list very soon.

As one of the clutch performers on an all-star lineup of Sooners, junior Danae Fletcher fully intends to be part of that dynasty alongside every member of her team.

Last season, Oklahoma left no doubt who was champion in Fort Worth, leading the event after every single rotation despite strong efforts from the Florida Gators – in particular on vault and bars in the third and fourth rotation where their star Trinity Thomas logged her 28th Perfect 10 (tying the all time-record) for her Yurchenko one and a half. It was a moment that breathed new life into the Gators but on this day, it wasn’t enough to catch an inspired and seemingly untouchable Sooner team who once again wouldn’t settle for anything less than the Championship (198.3875). 

As the Sooners took to the floor in the final rotation, their energy and scoring momentum simply could not be matched. All six student athletes put up scores of 9.9 or higher and by the time sophomore-now-junior sensation Danielle Sievers stepped on the floor, the deal was already sealed by Fletcher who rocked her final pass – a two and a half twist – putting up a 9.9375 and the Sooners out of reach.

That Fletcher was even on the floor in such a position is truly something that dreams are made of. Overcoming injury and adversity as an Elite, Fletcher was completely overwhelmed by the moment in Fort Worth. In fact, it’s still sinking in.

“It’s still sinking in because even when sometimes people tell me or ask me about it, I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess I did do that!’ To me, it was just like a routine that I do every day,” she said. “It was an amazing moment.”

Poised to take the title again in 2024, Fletcher and her Oklahoma teammates are focused on what they can control and who they are as a unit on the floor and off, as they always are. And once the official preseason coaches poll for 2024 on Road to Nationals is out, it should be no surprise to anyone to see the Sooners in the top spot. 

Even so, Fletcher sees the team as the underdogs – a theme head coach KJ Kindler continues to carry over season to season and instill among her student athletes despite the number one status the Sooners achieve year after.

“… Because we’re always fighting for that spot,” Fletcher said, “I think, yeah, we win, but I think we are underdogs. I think everyone is expecting us to always falter and always expecting us to not be as great as we are. And I think that’s what makes us an underdog, and keeping that mentality is also what makes us so great, because we never assume anything will happen.”

We chatted with Fletcher on Monday – Meet Week Monday! – as the team prepared for today’s intrasquad. Describing herself as spunky, outgoing, quirky and energetic, we learned not only what she thinks is in store for the Sooners this season but just what motivates her, why she’s excited to inspire the next generation, and how she’s dialed in to being the very best for her team in their quest for their seventh national title.

There’s an expectation now that Oklahoma is going to be in the Final Four at NCAAs and always have a chance to compete for the title. What do you think it is that really sets you all apart? What do you think keeps Oklahoma in the Championship year after year and performing so well?

Something I think that really helps keep us grounded is what KJ tells us all the time and that is nothing is guaranteed. It’s something that runs through our minds all the time. Knowing that nothing is guaranteed and anything could happen, like last year’s Regionals with two falls on beam, we never knew that could happen, and we were put in a position where we could possibly not even make Nationals. But we just had to keep thinking, ‘just do what you can and rely on your training.’ That’s what keeps us on top is the preparation that we do before. What we do outside the gym is also what matters sometimes even more than what we do in the gym. 

Obviously there’s incredible, intense physical preparation for anything in gymnastics, but talk a little bit more about what you were just referring to – the mental preparation that you do to have that belief in yourself. So when something does go wrong, you’re able to confidently say, ‘We’ve got this…’

I was just talking to one of my teammates about this the other day and I said, ‘Being here you automatically get the sense you can do anything, you can get through anything, and you can prepare for anything.’ I don’t know how we get that, because before [in Elite] I was always so nervous competing, and now I have a calm sense of just being and feeling very competitive, and I’ve never had that. It’s just being here and being around everyone else makes you better. 

(Associate Head Coach) Tom (Haley) always has something motivational to say, and that always helps you prepare. We have this little exercise where we hold both of our fingers up to our ears, and then we pull them away at the same time, and he told us, ‘That space is how much you have to get better. That’s what’s standing between your greatness, just the thing between your ears.’ So that’s a thing about how we prepare. We’ve just got to keep thinking about that. It’s all between our ears.

Even in the press conferences at NCAAs, KJ will mention, ‘Oh, we’re coming in as the underdogs…’ And everyone in the media looks at each other and smiles and mentions you’ve been ranked number 1 the entire season…

We never overestimate where we are, how good we are. We always know that there’s always something better to do. There’s always a way that we can get better, and that’s just the mentality we keep every day, and that’s something that the coaches instill in us consistently, and it really helps.

During the 2022 season when you competed at Utah early on and didn’t have the best meet and they won, I remember saying to a colleague of mine after that meet, ‘This is where they won the National Championship.’ Do you use those more difficult or unexpected moments to fuel you?

Yes, for sure. I think it fuels us more. When we lost versus Michigan last year, that fueled us to an unbelievable amount. When we got back into the gym that whole week in practice everyone was so dialed in, locked in. I’ve never seen it more intense or enjoyable because we knew, we knew what we could do better once it was over. We immediately knew the coaches didn’t have to say anything. My favorite part of competition actually is the floor huddle right before because Tom comes up and he’s always looks at us and he’s like, ‘Y’all already know what to do, just do it.’ 

Talk about building that camaraderie among your teammates. What do you all do to just kind of continuously build the momentum and team spirit?

We do a lot of team activities and it’s really fun. We had a team retreat this year and we had this really amazing activity – each person had to go around and write a positive characteristic about someone. After it was done, we would stand up and read all of the characteristics… [the words were] powerful, strong, determined, extremely hardworking. It was just so motivating to know that your teammates thought all these things about you. It really helped us come together as a team because we know that we’re such strong women and that we can do anything that we put our minds to. And that is also one of our greatest strengths.

When you were looking at schools, what was it about Oklahoma that you loved?

The family aspect. I think you can pull anyone from my team and they’ll say it’s the family aspect. I mean, the fact that the coaches have been together for over 15 years is unheard of. Even our athletic trainer and our floor coach knew each other before they worked here, it’s crazy because it’s like they are a family. We go to KJ’s house and we do team activities there and we interact with their children every day. It’s not even like a coach-business transaction. It’s a mother-daughter transaction with everyone on the team. That’s what set it apart and that’s what I looked for. That’s also how my mom also knew that she felt comfortable leaving me here because I’m so far away – I lived all the way on the East Coast, I’m 20 hours away. She was comfortable because she knew that KJ would always have my best interests. She knew that she would always look out for me no matter what.

Reading a little bit about your background and being raised with this tough-as-nails mentality, what challenges and obstacles have you overcome and what do you think you’ve learned about yourself?

I’ve learned so much about myself just being here! I think my biggest obstacle growing up was, or at least before I came here, my father passing in 2020. I just knew he wanted me here, he knew what I could do. My mom’s strength empowers me so much every day to get to where I want to go. And that’s what makes me who I am, is my mom. She is the person who gives me strength. She is the person who gives me the most love. I love her so much. She is the reason why I am what I am and where I am. She worked three jobs to put me through gymnastics and pay for school and help me with tutoring and stuff. It’s those tiny little things that make me better. It’s something that I want to do for my kids, and it’s something where you try to be that leader for your team also. 

Do you feel like you’ve grown into a leadership role among your teammates in your junior season? Do you feel like you’re becoming more accustomed to that role?

Yes. I feel like everyone describes me as a spunky, outgoing person. So I am definitely a leader in that way. I feel like I’m kind of the person to let other people lead. But I lead by bringing the energy. I lead by being myself. So I think I’ve definitely come more into that role and it’s really fun.

Coming up in your career, who did you look to for inspiration, whether in your own gym or athletes that you’ve looked up to in any sport?

Well, when I was younger, I never even saw myself being at Oklahoma. And I never even considered it until KJ came to my gym. She actually wasn’t even looking at me. She was looking at the two Elite gymnasts. So I always looked up to Oklahoma gymnasts, specifically Anastasia Webb, because she’s just a stunning gymnast! She is the sweetest human being that you could ever know. And she is the most motivating person. She leads by example and she’s always someone that I aspire to be and that I just want to be like. So I definitely look up to all Oklahoma gymnasts. That was just my thing. I was just like, ‘Wow, they’re just so empowering!’ Just to look at, just to watch, just to listen to, and I just love them.

4⃣4⃣ days…but who's counting? pic.twitter.com/LsTtNRFTQ1

— Oklahoma Women's Gym (@OU_WGymnastics) November 22, 2023

I love hearing that! So tell me a little bit about preseason. How are things feeling? How’s everyone looking?

We have our intrasquad this Friday, actually. So we’re in our meet week mode, our Meet Week Monday! I think everyone looks fantastic! Everyone is dialed in on the details. We’re honing in on the tiny, tiny little things, holding handstands, holding landings, tight legs and drilling vault landings. I think we have so much depth this year, like, more than last year. So I think we’re stacked, and that means a lot because you never know what can happen in postseason with injuries. For me, preseason has actually been my best preseason, I think, since I’ve been here. So I’m very excited. It’s been the most consistent gymnastics I’ve done, the cleanest gymnastics I’ve done. I’m really excited for my new floor routine! It’s super fun, it’s super energetic.  I got two new passes, actually, so I’m very excited to show that in season. But I think we’re ready. I think we’re ready for go time!

Do you have a theme or a motto this year for the team? 

Everyone. It takes everyone. That’s our big thing. That’s one of our biggest things that we’re talking about this year. Every decision that you make impacts the team. If you decide to not drink enough water that you need, that impacts the team because then you’re not at your best. So I think our biggest thing this year is for everyone, and we need everyone. 

And that’s how, again, you win championships, because anything can happen, especially in this sport…

Yes, and I’ve seen it happen! Multiple championships, even last year, no one can be checked out. That’s something KJ says all the time: no one can be checked out! Even if you’re in the 8th, 9th, 10th spot, you’re ready to go. You have the mentality that you’re in lineup. I wasn’t even projected to go in the floor lineup for Nationals last year, and look how that turned out. You’ve got to be ready.

Do you have any personal goals that you’ve set for yourself this season? Either the consistency or the scores or new skills?

Consistency for me is the biggest thing, at least. My goal is to be a staple in three lineups. So that is my personal goal. I’m not really one to hone in on scores or anything because if I do my best gymnastics, I know I’m going to get a great score. But consistency, hopefully being a staple in the lineups, hopefully being someone the coaches can rely on and my team can rely on, that’s my biggest goal.

How much do you all pay attention to what’s going on around the country with the other schools and scores? 

We don’t. That’s actually something that’s very important to us because it’s so easy to get distracted and so easy to let your mind wander on what other people are doing instead of focusing on you and what your team is doing. So we try our best. I mean, it’s hard because obviously it’s on social media. We’re on social media every day, and we follow people from other teams because they’re our friends, or old teammates. But we try our best to just stay within ourselves and just keep our heads down and just do our work.

If you’re writing a letter to your 10-year-old gymnast self, what advice would you give?

Be patient. I felt like I was always in such a rush to do everything. I also would say your journey is your own journey. I personally spent so much of my time focusing on what other people were accomplishing and what other people were doing that I wasn’t focused on getting myself better and getting to my personal goals. I feel like the big thing I would tell my younger self is just be on your own journey. Learn your own gymnastics, do what makes you happy, what gymnastics makes you comfortable. And I feel like that’s the key to my success – doing what makes me happy.

What’s your favorite skill in gymnastics?

I love twisting, so I’d say my triple full on floor has always been my favorite skill since I’ve learned it. It’s always been my favorite skill and favorite event. Floor, for sure. I love dancing and performing. 

And I think I might already know this, but do you have a favorite moment in your career so far…

Yes! Last year’s floor routine! That’s my favorite moment because I actually missed Big 12s because I had a little setback. And same with Regionals day one. I didn’t have the best Nationals day one routine or Regionals day two routine. So that was actually really rewarding for me because I finally did what I knew I can do! It was just so rewarding because it just felt so good that I did that for my team. It wasn’t even about me in that moment. It was just knowing that I was able to do that for my team. It was unbelievable.

What’s your favorite place on campus or your favorite thing to do?

I love watching other sports. I guess that is my favorite thing to do because it’s just an opportunity to just meet up with my friends from other sports and just to watch other people have their work pay off. So I love doing that. I love going on walks around campus because our campus is beautiful and it’s so open. Most of the time you’ll see a dog or two, and I love dogs, so you get to pet a few cute dogs (laughs). So that’s definitely my favorite thing! It’s a nice way to calm my mind down. 

What’s your favorite sport to go watch outside of gymnastics? 

Football, for sure! I love watching football, especially being in the Palace. It’s unbelievable. Especially the night games – when they get a touchdown and all the lights go out, it’s just like it’s amazing. It’s amazing to watch. And I just love the sport!

If you weren’t competing in gymnastics, is there another sport that you would have loved to have done?

Track. I did track in middle school. I love running, actually. I would have loved to do track. If I didn’t do gymnastics, that would have been really fun.

Your favorite thing about being an Oklahoma Sooner?

Knowing that I leave with the legacy, knowing that I’ll get to leave with leaving an impact on others is my favorite thing. Just because so many girls look up to us. Like I mentioned earlier about how we hang out with the coach’s kids, they look up to us and we have so much fun with them! Just knowing that they look up to us and they love watching us and they love being in the gym with us and mimicking our floor routines, it’s so fun.  I just love knowing that I could give happiness to little girls around the country.

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