The gymnastics team finished up its season in February, taking third place in sections and sending two girls to state. Coach Shelly Eklund won the Minnesota State Gymnastics Coach of the Year Award for 2017, and the whole team was awarded the Section 3AA Academic Award.

Ms. Eklund has been coaching gymnastics for 31 years and was a gymnast in her youth. She participated in gymnastics in high school and at Gustavus Adolphus College, in addition to getting coaching experience through community education.

Ms. Eklund says she’s drawn to gymnastics because “it’s an opportunity for you to express your own personality.” She admits there are challenges to working with teenage girls, such as dealing with winning and losing, the fear of performing new skills, and the anxiety of competition, but she still enjoys coaching and working with her gymnasts. She explains, “It makes me try to work on how to meet the needs of the kids so that they can be successful.” Ms. Eklund says the team has worked to improve its difficulty level of routines and skills, so it can be even stronger next year.

Ms. Eklund is pleased not only by her gymnasts’ talent but by their academic success and work ethic. She confides, “One of my main goals as a coach is not only to teach them to love the sport of gymnastics but to teach them life skills, so they can be successful.”

Lindsey Neumann, who was on the team for the first time this year, reveals that Ms. Eklund helped her overcome her fear of difficult skills and gave the team pep talks, which helped the girls bond. Neumann clarifies, “She’s really good at always motivating people and staying positive. She’s a great coach and a great person.”