Apr. 5—The Northern Dreams Platinum Level gymnastics team had very little room for error at the Minnesota State Championships this season.
To earn a team score in the competition, a gymnastics program must have at least three competitors, as the top three scores on each event are added together to get the final team total.
Northern Dreams sent exactly three gymnasts to the championships March 21-23. That meant every girl's score would count towards the score, while many other teams had a bit more wiggle room with larger rosters.
But that didn't seem to make a difference.
The three competitors — Serena Stoebner, Mariah Johnson and Kaitlyn Craine — excelled in their respective age divisions, pushing the team to a top-10 finish.
Stoebner captured first place on floor, second place on bars, third place on beam and eighth place on vault, resulting in a No. 1 finish in the all-around for her age group. Johnson also came away with the top score in the all-around for her age division, capturing first place on vault, second place on bars, fourth place on beam and eighth place on floor. Craine was the runner-up in her group, placing first on vault, second on bars, fourth on beam and eighth on floor.
Together, the impressive individual performances amounted to a seventh-place finish (out of 44) for Northern Dreams, putting the small gym, located in Cass Lake, right up there with many of the larger programs across the state.
"We are kind of used to not being at the bottom of the barrel when we go to big meets like that state meet, but definitely not being towards the top," gym director and head coach Erin Reyes said. "It was really exciting to see our name in the top 10."
All three girls also qualified to represent Minnesota at the USA Gymnastics Regional Championships in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 25-27, taking on gymnasts from Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska.
"They could potentially do very well at regionals," Reyes said. "It's exciting to think about, as a small town gym, that we could go there. I mean, we've had individuals place at regionals before, but all three of the girls have every event really, really strong.
It's been a competitive season full of success for Northern Dreams, a program that just keeps growing.
Reyes wears a lot of hats at Northern Dreams. In the past couple of years, she's been able to take a few of them off.
Reyes opened Northern Dreams Gymnastics seven years ago. For the first few years, she was teaching every class and every team. More recently, however, Reyes has been able to fill more positions and bring in more support.
"I was spread so thin," Reyes said. "This season, there's so many things that helped our program. I've been able to fill much-needed positions and it's allowed me to focus on the teams and coaching side of things more. ... We have a passionate team. They're not only invested in the gym but the community as well."
Assistant gym director and team coach Jazzmin McGhghy, assistant head coach Sheri Humphrey and recreational program director Sara Stoebner are just a few of the key figures who form the leadership nucleus at Northern Dreams.
With more attention turned to coaching, Reyes has been able to really hone in on a few of the most important aspects of gymnastics. This season in particular, it seems to be paying dividends.
Nutrition and mindset have always been aspects of Reyes' coaching, but this year, it's been an especially large part of training, particularly for the older girls.
"The mental game of gymnastics is almost like another event in itself," Reyes said. "Every practice and every meet isn't going to go ...
