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ASU gymnastics exemplifies the importance of teamwork

Gym Devils relying on freshmen to help boost team scores.

ASU senior Carissa Kraus performs on the bars during a gymnastics meet against the University of Washington Huskies at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Monday, Jan. 18, 2015. The Huskies posted a 194.650-192.450 victory over the Sun Devils.
ASU senior Carissa Kraus performs on the bars during a gymnastics meet against the University of Washington Huskies at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Monday, Jan. 18, 2015. The Huskies posted a 194.650-192.450 victory over the Sun Devils.

Gymnastics is a sport that is often viewed with an emphasis on individual accomplishments, but the ASU gymnastics team shows how teamwork is a crucial component of success.

Head coach René Lyst stressed that even though the girls compete individually, the support and trust from the team is essential.

“The most unique thing about this team is they have continually been learning and growing almost every practice as a unit,” Lyst said.

Team chemistry is an important aspect in developing growth, especially in the young gymnasts. Freshman Eileen Imbus has noticed this already, despite the season being only a month old.

“Our team dynamic is really strong and we all really have each other’s backs,” she said.

She's one of six freshmen on the team. With such a large group of incomers, the team is counting on them to step up in competition. They've adapted well to the collegiate stage, showcasing their talent across all events.

Lyst said that they have a strong work ethic and and set the bar high for themselves as a group. The freshmen understand their role in helping the team move forward from a slightly rocky start and are ready to make improvements as a whole.

The team currently sits 1-5 despite consistently scoring high. Several falls throughout the first part of the season have cost ASU against elite talent.

“There have been some bumps so far, but we have a ton of potential and we’re all capable of doing our job,” Imbus said. “I think once we figure everything out it’ll be great.”

Freshman Heather Udowitch said the way meets have turned out so far is motivation to get better and train harder as the team approaches midseason.

Senior Allie Salas said this season has reminded her of her own first season when she was one of seven freshmen, and notes the importance of this year’s young members.

“(We’re) trying to get them adapted to the different atmosphere, staying confident in their skills and trusting what they know how to do,” Salas said. “They’re very important.”

Lyst said the team has tried to make the transition into the new environment as easy as possible, but the change from high school to college is a challenge. Freshman Katelyn Lentz was surprised by the difficulty.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be this hard going into college, but I think it helps a lot with the support from the team," she said.

Beyond the initial adjustment, though, balancing school with gymnastics hasn’t been too much for the first year students.

“I truly love gymnastics and have such a passion for it.” Udowitch said. “It’s kind of my release from the day. It doesn’t really feel like a balance, it’s just time management.”

The Gym Devils have been on the road for the past two weeks and will head into their third away meet Monday at Stanford.

Udowitch said it's a different feeling being at away meets, but she doesn’t let it affect the way she competes.

“You can’t really let the different environment change your mental processing of the competition,” Udowitch said. “It is different, but it’s the same routine, same skills, same equipment. It’s more of a mental challenge than physical.”

As the Gym Devils approach the middle of the season, they are beginning to look toward regionals.

The Gym Devils will have three home and three away scores that count to their total regional qualifying score. Any bad scores can be dropped, Salas said.

“If we hit clean and do our job, we have the potential,” Salas said.

Related Links:

Gym Devils continue to struggle on bars, record two falls

A Sun Devil's guide to gymnastics


Reach the reporter at haley.stesiak@asu.edu or follow @haley_stesiak on Twitter.

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