CEDAR CITY, Utah - For Southern Utah sophomore gymnast Vinciane Le Pen, a trip home to France this spring became much more than a visit. It was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to a sport that has taught her valuable lessons and brought her all the way to Cedar City, Utah, to compete for the Flippin' Birds.

In May, Le Pen returned to her home country to compete at the French National Team Championships, representing a club team in a top-tier competition held in Amiens. The opportunity allowed her to reconnect with her roots in the sport that first sparked her passion for gymnastics.

"It was a big dream," Le Pen said. "Growing up in France, competing at nationals was always something I wanted to do."

The experience was unique in more ways than one. Le Pen joined a club she had never competed for before, meeting many of her teammates only after arriving for the competition. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, the group quickly formed a close bond.

"It was really friendly and really fun," Le Pen said. "I hadn't met most of the team before, but everyone was so nice. By the end of the competition, we had become really good friends."

The team's chemistry translated into success on the competition floor. Entering the event as an underdog, Le Pen's squad surprised the field and captured the title.

"The fact that we won was really special because it wasn't really expected," she said. "That's something I'll always remember."

While the competition took place in France, Le Pen credits much of her preparation and mindset to her experience at Southern Utah.

After spending the past season with the Flippin' Birds, Le Pen arrived at nationals with a noticeably different perspective than she had earlier in her gymnastics career.

"I think I was a lot more relaxed and not as stressed as before," she said. "This past semester made me realize that I'm doing gymnastics because I love it and because it's fun."

That outlook quickly became apparent to her French teammates.

"They told me I was kind of the sunshine of the team because I was always positive, cheering everyone on and not really stressed," Le Pen said. "I was just enjoying the experience." 

Le Pen also credited the support of Southern Utah's coaching staff and teammates for helping her return to competition at a high level. The Flippin' Birds coaches helped her rebuild her vault skills, which she had not competed in for several years, giving her confidence heading into nationals.

The competition also gave Le Pen an opportunity to perform events she missed during the collegiate season. While she competed primarily on vault for Southern Utah this year, she returned to beam and floor exercise in France.

"Competing beam and floor again made me realize how much I missed those events," she said. "It definitely made me want even more opportunities to compete them in the future."

The experience reinforced one of the biggest differences Le Pen noticed when she first arrived in the United States: the culture surrounding collegiate gymnastics.

"I think it's the environment," she said. "Everyone is cheering for everyone. Everyone is really supportive. My teammates and coaches have helped me become the best version of myself."

That support system has become one of the defining parts of her Southern Utah experience and one she believes young gymnasts from France should experience if given the opportunity.

"If they have the chance to come here, I would tell them to go for it," Le Pen said. "College gymnastics is unlike anything I've seen before. It has helped me not only as a gymnast but as a person outside the gym."

As Le Pen looks ahead to the future with the Flippin' Birds, her trip back to France provided more than a national championship and lifelong memories. It offered a chance to see how much she has grown during her time at Southern Utah.

Whether it was quickly building relationships with new teammates, embracing the joy of competition, or performing on a national stage, Le Pen returned to Cedar City carrying valuable lessons that will continue to shape her collegiate career as she prepares for her second season with the Thunderbirds.

And for a gymnast who once dreamed of competing at French Nationals, the experience was everything she hoped it would be, and perhaps just the beginning of what is still to come.

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Next Up

Head Coach Scotty Bauman and his staff are hard at work in the offseason. The Flippin' Birds have secured four straight conference titles and officially make the move to the PAC-12 next week on July 1, 2026. Southern Utah joins Boise State, Utah State and Oregon State in the renewed PAC-12, forming what should be one of the most competitive conferences in NCAA Gymnastics. 

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