Freshmen Erica Brewer and Rebecca Clark are opposites in their approaches to gymnastics. Brewer is powerful and aggressive, and Clark is graceful and exact in all her movements, OU coach KJ Kindler said.

But opposites seem to attract in their case.

The pair preferred to interview together as opposed to one-on-one, and they played off each other’s answers, even finishing each other’s sentences.

They also didn’t hesitate to compliment the other’s style.

“Erica is really strong,” Clark said. “She’s a lot sharper and faster, I guess, than I am.”

Kindler said Brewer brings grit and quickness to the Sooners, qualities that strengthen her tumbling and bar routines.

But Brewer’s aggressiveness can sometimes get the best of her.

She said she goes too hard in certain situations and has to step back, take a breath and just do her gymnastics. Brewer gets encouragement from Clark, though, who stays calm and focused during meets.

Keeping a level head helps Clark with the minute, precise movements that give her routines a graceful quality Kindler and Brewer acknowledged.

“She definitely has the flexibility I don’t have,” Brewer said.

Kindler said Clark is smooth, and her technique and form are impeccable. But Clark said she doesn’t have the same confidence Brewer does, and she said she sometimes struggles to trust what she can do in a meet.

The benefit for them as teammates, though, is having strength where the other has weakness, allowing them to pick each other up and push each other to do more, something fans will get the chance to see when the Sooners compete for the first time this season in front of a home crowd during tonight’s Beauty and the Beast event.

The annual event, which showcases the women’s gymnastics and wrestling teams together at Lloyd Noble Center, helps prepare gymnasts for the volatile environments they will encounter on the road throughout the season, Kindler said.

“It’s a great test of our focus as athletes,” she said.

Because the teams compete side-by-side, Kindler said the event caters to all crowds.

“There’s so much going on during the meet, and it’s for every family member that you’ve got,” she said. “You can keep everyone happy and occupied, and there’s never a dull moment during the entire meet.”

The hectic nature of the event isn’t off-putting for Brewer or Clark, though. In fact, they both said they’re excited for tonight.

“I like the busy,” Brewer said. “We all love noise.”

Clark agreed, saying quiet is not good for gymnastics and noise helps them focus.

She also said she’s looking forward to their friends who are student-athletes in other sports finally getting to see the gymnastics squad perform.

“It’s really exciting that they’re going to get to come see us,” she said.

Above all else, Kindler said she thinks the event makes the crowd more electric, which she said is good for her gymnasts.

“It raises the energy level in Lloyd Noble, and I think our athletes respond to the energy level,” she said.