When it comes to newcomer Sophia Thompson, Maple Grove gymnastics coach Shannon Hoover has just two wishes.
"My goals for her are to have her in a leotard and have her smiling the entire season," Hoover said.
Sounds simple. But staying in gymnastics tested Thompson's emotional, mental and physical strength. Knee injuries prematurely ended her past two seasons. Added drama came this summer as a family move from Bismarck, N.D., to Maple Grove upset her social circles.
Thompson lived in Minnesota on two previous occasions. But leaving friends and gymnastics teammates right before her senior year was not a welcomed change. She made trips back to Bismarck for the homecoming dance and to cheer Century High School's first football state championship team.
"September was a really hard month," Thompson said. "Letting go of friends, letting go of everything."
Forging new connections through gymnastics gives Thompson hope that an emotionally turbulent fall becomes a winter of contentment.
She placed second on the uneven bars in the Crimson's first meet last week. And Hoover noted Thompson's broad smile.
Thompson, a former Level 9 gymnast on the club circuit, has the ability to compete at the February state meet. The brace on her left knee, however, is a reminder to take things slow.