Kari Lords

Brigham Young, 2004
First Season With The Thunderbirds

Kari Lords joins the Thunderbird staff this year after spending the past two seasons working with club programs as well as with the Brigham Young University team.

A 2005 graduate of BYU with a degree in exercise science, Ms. Lords spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant with the Cougar program following a successful career as a Cougar gymnast.

While assisting at BYU, Ms. Lords helped the Cougars to a pair of regional appearances and an 11th place finish at the NCAA National Championships in 2005.  BYU was ranked throughout the season with a season-high ranking of No. 7.  Her duties included choreographing floor and aerobic routines and as a coach and competitor she helped implement programs for beam which improved the team’s beam RQS from 48.56 in 2003 to 48.94 in 2004 and 48.81 in 2005. Ms. Lords also aided in the design and cutting of the Cougars’ floor music as well as helping with website maintenance and video uploads.

Ms. Lords competed for BYU for four years, typically on all four events.  The Cougars were ranked as high as No. 6 nationally during her senior season and were the No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA North Central Regional.  Lords earned a spot at the 2004 NCAA National Championships by finishing first on bars and third in the all-around at the regional meet, where she earned all-American status on floor.  Lords also earned academic all-America recognition in 2002, 03, and 04. 

Lords posted BYU’s first 10.0 score on the balance beam in 2003.  She was the second gymnast in BYU history to receive a perfect score.  Lords’ 10.0 remains the school’s highest beam mark and is only the fourth perfect score in BYU history in any event.  She also holds BYU’s second-best mark on floor with a score of 9.975, and on bars at 9.95.  She was ranked second in the Nation on beam all season with an RQS of 9.765 in 2004.

Coach Lords has also coached in the club ranks, at All-American and Air Time Gymnastics where she worked with level 5 thru 10 gymnasts, coaching and spotting beam, floor, and bars.

In addition to her work with gymnastics, Ms. Lords has worked as an aerobic and dance instructor at BYU and created/owned a private business, The Chocolate Font, the first chocolate-fountain fondue rental service in Provo, Utah