With so many programs shuffling around these days, it’s no surprise when teams need to find a new place to land when their divisions start to dwindle. For Boise State, a member of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference from that first season to the very last, that search for a new home started when BYU left to make moves to settle into the Big 12.
The Cougars’ departure left a gap in that gymnastics mountain range, compounding the shrinking range left by Denver a handful of seasons earlier. Just three teams were still standing in the MRGC. And for those three remaining teams, moves had to be made.
From the MRGC to the Mountain West went Boise State.
Making that jump between conferences isn’t always an easy feat, some programs need to petition and apply year after year. Luckily, the Broncos didn’t face that uphill battle.
The Broncos looked right at home sliding into the Mountain West this season. With a new schedule and new faces but familiar old ones, they handled it like the pros they are. For head coach Tina Bird, although this season meant a little more travel as meets weren’t just down the road how they once were, it was a chance to really grow as a team.
In previous seasons, the Broncos faced off against opponents in head-to-heads, but this season held more tri- and quad meets. Which, although the round one didn’t quite go as planned, gave the team invaluable experience.
Emily Lopez and Adrianna Popp both echoed this sentiment, with louder gyms adding to the atmosphere of meets during the regular season. Louder crowds, more excitement. And who doesn’t love a regular season meet with all the vibes and feeling of the post-season?
On paper, however, the Broncos truly shined in their first Mountain West rodeo: Bird walked away as the head coach of the year, Lopez as the Gymnast and Bar Specialist of the Year, and Popp as the Beam Specialist. The Wild West should be prepared for the Broncos’ second rodeo to be even bigger.
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Article by Allison Freeman
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