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Last season, the Pipers gymnastics team faced adversity, featuring a young team. However, the first-year gymnasts were rich in talent. The team was competitive at almost every meet, taking first at the UW-Eau Claire Invite, and finishing strong in each of the subsequent meets. Much of this was due to the balance of solid first year competitors and reliably consistent performances from thenčjuniors Caitlin Goodin and Katie Davis.

Of the 19 gymnasts on this year’s squad, only six are upperclassmen. Hamline’s team this year features four first-years, nine sophomores, one junior and five seniors. Nonetheless, players and coaches alike feel the team has the experience to be successful. When asked on how the youth of the team will affect the season, sophomore standout Alex Hughes said she felt the team was not only experienced, but in good hands with head coach Doug Byrnes. Hughes was Hamline’s lone All-American last season, receiving merit in the vault event.

“Youth will definitely play a factor, but a core of the sophomores were a huge part of our competitive team least year. They’re young, but as competitors they are experienced. The seniors have performed well and consistently over the years. We have a good balance for a college gymnastics team,” said Byrnes.

Only a month away from the beginning of the season now, the Hamline gymnastics team is raring to go. Though the team has not yet competed this season, their preparation goes back several months. Since November, the team has been working on their routines. This consists of floor, beam and bars, and vault. A combination of different events is one of the distinguishing factors in the sport of gymnastics.

One difficult thing to overcome going into the season are injuries. Already this season the injury bug has bitten. Senior Caitlin Goodin fell on her back last week in practice. The unfortunate event concluded with Goodin being loaded on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Thankfully, no significant injuries occurred and Goodin left the hospital on her own two feet that night.

“We are in a sport where we go upside down. We sometimes do flipping or multiple flipping accompanied by different moves and skills. Sometimes we get disoriented; gymnasts will say sometimes they get lost,” said Coach Byrnes.

Injuries aside, the Pipers team appears primed for a successful year. Their goal will remain the same week-in and week-out: be competitive at every meet and do the work required to be in good condition to make a run at nationals. Byrnes also has goals of a grander scale. He wants to make strides in improving the program itself, making Hamline an attractive and competitive environment for gymnasts.

One thing is for sure, the players and coaches have to put in hard work every day.

“In a lot of movies and real-life stories, you hear about the guy or gal that works up to that one shining moment. They go in and train for two weeks on the mountain and then they come out and make the knockout punch. In our sport it isn’t good enough to have that one magical moment where, by skill, luck and fate you score the winning touchdown. That doesn’t happen in our sport. You have to do it in practice, in competitions, and repeat it over and over,” said Byrnes.

The Pipers' first meet is January 5 at UW-Oshkosh.