The alumni meet acknowledges former Spartan gymnasts for their dedication to the program and recognizes their accomplishments since graduating.

“I’m very, very excited when they come back into town,” head coach Kathie Klages said. “It’s just fabulous to see them all because they’re such phenomenal young women doing incredible things with their lives.”

Sophomore Taira Neal said it’s nice to see people who can relate to the team come back to support the athletes.
“At one point in their lives, they were in the same situation as us, so they understand how hard it is to be a student athlete,” she said.

For most of the girls — who started gymnastics early in their lives — the alumni meet provides a chance for them to see that there is life after gymnastics.

“I think that when these kids come to the end of their career, their bodies are definitely ready to be done, … but their minds may not be quite ready to be done,” Klages said. “I just think it’s so important for them to realize that they can go out there and be such successes and have learned from what they did in gymnastics … and carry it over to real life.”

Klages said that gymnastics teaches the girls discipline and teamwork, qualities that carry over into their lives after college.

Current and former Spartans alike agree that the bonds formed on the team prove to be some of the strongest relationships.

“We come back every year, and we make a point to — no matter how far we are — come together and spend time together,” Dawson said. “It’s the kind of friendship where it’s like no time has passed.”

Festivities for the alum included lunch at the Brody cafeteria and a trip to the gym with the alumni and their families.

After the meet, the alum and current gymnasts all celebrated the weekend — and their win against Southeastern Missouri — with a trip to Reno’s Sports Bar and Grill.

“A lot of people had their children with them,” Klages said. “It was fun to hang out together.”