I have a BB 8100 (TMo) and notice that when I run the GMAIL app it will say it is "loading" for a long time, and then when I press the Pearl's "menu" button my list of emails become visible, but until then, it is a blank screen with just the GMAIL logo and "loading" indicator.

I have plenty of avail MB on the phone.

Any ideas as to what could help fix this?

The gmail app screen is blank until you press the menu key, correct?

If so, it may be an application bug, though I don't see that on my 7100t. Try a power cycle. Then try a hard-reset (remove battery for 15 seconds).

If the issue is with bandwidth, there's something you can do:

By default, the text of the first few emails are preloaded when you launch the app, or select a new label. That means a lot of data transfer. You can turn off preloading with:

Menu: More->Settings Uncheck Preload

I see a noticable decrease in load time.

Good luck.