Ironically, the first must-have on Utah associate head coach Carly Dockendorf’s checklist of essentials for a Red Rocks beam worker is something she didn’t possess as an athlete herself: a love for the apparatus.
“To be honest, I was terrible at beam as a gymnast,” admitted Dockendorf. “It was my worst event. I probably stayed away from that event as much as I could.”
Yet, in just her three and a half years at the helm of Utah’s beam lineup, she’s begun a dynasty. The Utes haven’t finished the regular season ranked lower than third on the event in her tenure, and last season their beam NQS was the highest in the NCAA on any apparatus—a feat they’re in the process of repeating with their 49.670 leading the nation currently.
Dockendorf, the former Washington gymnast and international pole vaulter for Canada, was essentially a stranger to beam when she took over the event for the Utes after legendary coach Megan Marsden retired following the 2019 season. Titles and perfect 10s on bars and floor highlighted Dockendorf’s gymnastics career, and her pre-Utah coaching career at Seattle Pacific focused primarily on vault and floor. But, an intuitive character evaluation by Farden prompted him to take the gamble assigning her to coach beam, receiving one of the most promising event coaches in the country as a payout.
“[Dockendorf’s] resume speaks volumes. To be a world-class athlete in multiple sports, what does that tell you about a person? It tells you that they’re a risk taker, that they’re competitive, that they’ve got a good sense of who they are, and they’re confident in themselves. She’s got the it factor,” Farden lauded. “Her hunger to be a mentor and coach superseded her experience, and what she’s done over there is perfection in terms of coaching.”
Perfection is familiar territory for the Utes’ lineup, with four current gymnasts boasting a career high of 10.0 on the event. Their standout anchor Maile O’Keefe, who’s Utah career started when Dockendorf’s beam regime began, recently set a new program record for most perfect scores on beam, with an astonishing seven to her name (and a bonus one on bars). While O’Keefe was certainly a beamer before her NCAA career, she credits Dockendorf for helping her translate that prowess to the collegiate level thanks to her ability to coach people and not just gymnastics.
“She takes the time to learn us as a person and as an athlete,” said O’Keefe. “It’s amazing to have a coach that’s so intuitive to your individual needs. It helps us be the best in the nation.”
Amelie Morgan, an Olympic bronze medalist for Great Britain, shared similar sentiments. Bookending the Utah lineup with former international elites, she stars opposite O’Keefe as the leadoff, consistently setting a high bar to start the rotation.
“[Dockendorf] takes the time to get to know the individual and their needs,” Morgan said. “Everyone needs different things on meet day. She knows I don’t need much, just a little reassurance.”
Dockendorf’s people-first coaching philosophy may be seen best in the routines themselves, as every set showcases some form of uniqueness to celebrate each athlete. O’Keefe’s heartfelt 22-tribute to late friend Aaron Lowe, Makenna Smith’s signature moonwalk, and Grace McCallum’s coy counting of her wolf turns are all examples of how Dockendorf capitalizes on her gymnasts’ love of beam. Rather than exclusively coaching, she says she collaborates with the gymnasts to craft routines that won’t just score well but that they’ll actually love competing.
“When athletes have control and responsibility over what they’re doing, they’re more invested. If they want to do it, they’ll give 100 percent,” explained Dockendorf.
A key in loving beam for Utah has been embracing their roles, as Dockendorf aims to keep the lineup as consistent as possible throughout the season. While adjustments usually have to be made—like how Smith is now the mainstay after the injury to McCallum—Dockendorf begins crafting her lineup in the fall to try and minimize the anxiety and uncertainties that shuffling a lineup can bring. Morgan, who serves a critical role as the first routine of the rotation, appreciates the stability.
“It’s such an honor to be the leadoff,” said Morgan. “Obviously, it’s a lot of pressure, and I want to set the team up right. But, I know I wouldn’t be put in that position if they didn’t trust me in the position, and I take on that challenge and use it to do my best.”
Curating a culture of trust has also been a focus of Dockendorf’s, with plenty of mistakes and setbacks of her own—like narrowly missing the Olympic team for pole vault—to relate to her athletes with. Having dealt with adversity and struggles herself allows her to recognize when it’s happening with her athletes and step in to find solutions to overcome difficulties.
“They know that if they make a mistake, it doesn’t define them,” Dockendorf said. “It’s part of being an athlete. They believe it, and it usually allows them to do their routines without hesitation.”
With several remarkable totals this season, including a school-record-matching 49.775, hesitation-free beam is what the Utes do best. Knowing you’re going to hit the event O’Keefe herself describes as “make or break” in navigating the postseason provides Utah with a colossal edge.
“The advantage is confidence,” boasted Farden, who’s done an outstanding job working with Dockendorf to ensure that confidence isn’t lost among the gymnasts.
“Our beam team does a really good job at doing Utah gymnastics’ beam. No matter what adversity we face, we stay in our own bubble and do what we know how to do,” said O’Keefe. “The beam lineup is competitive in practice. Everyone is pushing each other, and they want to be the best.”
Despite the Utes’ nation-leading beam NQS, beam average, and beam high score, both the coaches and athletes believe they still have room to grow on the event. Morgan aims to start a 9.9 streak, O’Keefe thinks the lineup can still garner more confidence, and Dockendorf would love to see extra amplitude and sticks on dismounts while Farden focuses on the “little things” as the postseason looms.
But, the prevailing theme of loving beam continues to give Utah its X-factor and vital lifeline in the quest to end its championship drought. On track for a 41st-straight nationals appearance, the Red Rocks’ pedigree and standout event could be enough to elevate it to title No. 10, which would tie Georgia for the most in NCAA history. With history on the line, Dockendorf is doing all she can to make sure beam is ready for a magical moment.
“All we can do is focus on our training: putting in the work, letting the gymnastics happen, and enjoying the moment,” explained Dockendorf. “We’ve yet to put a whole meet together to maximize our true potential.”
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Article by Brandis Heffner
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