Being on a varsity team is already challenging, and being the only athlete on the team presents a whole new host of challenges. As the only member on the gymnastics team, junior Libby Hopkins embraced the challenge and is looking to make the most of it. 

All SMSD gymnastics teams practice together at SM Northwest, and because of that, the teams all form a strong bond with each other. 

“I always say that since we all practice together, we’re all one family just in our separate teams,” Hopkins said. “All the girls have been very supportive, and if anything, I feel like I’m more supported by the other girls than by me not having other teammates from South.” 

Gymnastics is a small sport in SMSD with only four of the five schools having a team. SM West has three girls, SM East has seven and SMNW has six. Even with the small number of girls participating, two of the top seven teams from the Sunflower League meet were from SMSD. SME and SMNW were state qualifiers for full teams. SM West and Hopkins qualified as individuals.  

Hopkins has competed in competitive club gymnastics, and has to navigate the differences between club and high school. 

“So, coming out of competitive gymnastics, the scores are very important, and with high school, it’s more relaxed. So coming from that to this it’s a big difference and it definitely helps,” Hopkins said.

This season Hopkins competed in seven meets. She competed in all four events: bars, beam, floor, and vault, and improved in all four over the course of the season. In the first two meets Hopkins scored zeros on the bars but by the end of the season, she had scored a 6.5. For the whole season Hopkins was improving meets with her first two meets scoring a 24 and a 23. By the end of the season she was consistently scoring around 30. Then in regionals, she scored a 30.788 which was one of the highest individual scores, helping her qualify for state.

In a season with success and growth, there are those moments big or small that you look back on and remember as some of the best in the season.

“Some of the best moments were just like having to drive to away meets cause you just spend like an hour in the car tutoring or stuff,” Hopkins said. 

Gymnastics is a sport that can go under the radar, to the point where many students don’t know it’s an active sport at their school. 

“A lot don’t know that gymnastics is even a high school sport, but it is, and even if you’ve never done it that doesn’t mean you can’t,” Hopkins said. “Like we have some girls that have never done gymnastics before and they’re coming in and competing and doing well and  to try something new, it’s a great support system and it’s a lot of fun.”