HELENA — At 10 years old, Reese Esponda will be the youngest competitor at the Level 9 Western Gymnastics Championships in Spokane.
Despite her youth, Esponda’s coach, Denny Allen, says her actions indicate she’ll be a team leader for a long while.
“Reese is that up-and-coming young competitor that’s going to be the leader of the program for years,” Allen said. “She already demonstrates that just in the way she practices, the way she competes, and the way she interacts with her teammates and coaches.”
Regardless of how long anyone has been competing on a national stage, it’s easy to be nervous. If you were to ask Esponda if she’s nervous headed into this competition, she would say, “Not really.”
If you ask her ask her a second time? You might get a different answer.
“Excited mostly, but I am a little nervous, though,” Esponda said when asked what emotions she’s feeling.
With nerves peeking through, Allen has been trying to tell Esponda that this meet “is, really, just another meet.”
Esponda will compete in the Western Nationals with events starting on May 10 at 9:35 a.m.
