Gymnastics | 1/5/2022 5:19:00 PM

DENTON, Texas – The life of a gymnast includes flying through the sky, flipping very high and doing what seems "impossible." As the 2022 season approaches for the Texas Woman's University Gymnastics team, three senior gymnasts relish their final moments in the life of a college gymnast, soaking in every moment with pure excitement.
 
The Pioneer Gymnastic team will open their 2022 season on the road at the University of Florida, competing in a Quad Meet against Florida, Northern Illinois University and Rutgers University.
 
For seniors Domi Bonzagni, Isabel Goyco and Mackenzie Balderas, the Florida meet contains a plethora of emotions and it represents a fresh start to what looks to be a special season.
 
"Last time we went to Florida was right when COVID hit," Bonzagni said. "We landed and we found out the meet was canceled, so it will be cool to go there and get to compete this time in their arena."
 
As she mentally prepares for her last first meet, Goyco, the reigning USA Gymnastics Floor National Champion, said she feels like a freshman again, extremely giddy to compete and perform.
 
"I have never been more excited to compete in my life," Goyco said. "It's the start of the lasts, which is hard for me to say, but it makes me even more grateful for every opportunity I have to train, to be with my teammates and to compete with this team."
 
After traveling to Florida, the Pioneers will stay on the road for their next meet against Iowa on Jan. 14. Then, in highly anticipated fashion for Pioneer fans, TWU will host their home opener Jan. 22 against the University of Pittsburgh.
 
For Balderas, performing in Kitty Magee Arena in TWU Maroon in front of Pioneer fans reminds her of the joy she feels getting to live out her dream for the final times.
 
"I grew up competing in KMA all throughout club, as well as for the past three years," Balderas said. "Knowing these will be some of my last times in KMA on the competition floor, I just want to really soak up every single moment with my coaches and my teammates."
 
The season will include several last moments for the seniors. While the sentiment is sad, Bonzagni said she is not focusing on the sadness of the lasts, rather she is excited for the opportunity to do it all one more time.
 
"One last time and one last season – to do what I love with the people that I love," Bonzagni said. "It's coming to an end, a chapter is closing, but I just want it to be good. It's bittersweet, because it is coming to an end, but it's just exciting to go out there and do it all one last time."
 
The Pioneers will host another home meet Jan. 30 against Centenary, before going on the road to the University of Oklahoma, West Virginia University, California State University - Sacramento, University of California – Davis to compete in several quad and dual meets throughout the month of February.
 
TWU will finally return to KMA March 6 to host a Quad Meet against Oklahoma, Air Force and Southeast Missouri State University. Then, the Pioneers will close the regular season on the road at Centenary, before returning home to host the Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) Championships.
 
"I am most looking forward to our postseason competitions, more specifically, the MIC Championship," Balderas said. "I just know the atmosphere in our home arena will be like one we have never experienced while at home and I am looking forward to experiencing that with this team."
 
Looking ahead to the season, the biggest strength of the 2022 TWU roster is depth. With 19 gymnasts (six freshmen, three sophomores, seven juniors and three seniors), Goyco said the Pioneers can flex multiple lineups, which all have the ability to score high.
 
"This is a special team this year and I think everyone has talked about the depth we have within the team," Goyco said, "but it's not just the depth we have in terms of bodies, but we have depth in terms of our lineups, who can all score well, which means a lot."
 
The Pioneers enter the 2022 season with their hashtag #1x1 (one by one). For each gymnast, the hashtag holds a unique meaning, but each person uses it to inspire them and push them to their ultimate team goals: qualifying for NCAA Regionals and winning a National Championship.
 
"To me, 1x1 means taking each day, each competition and each opportunity quite literally one by one," Balderas said. "It means truly being in each of those moments, while using them to continue to build on the moments before."
 
"I think it carries a bit of a unique meaning to everyone," Goyco said, "but to me it [1x1] specifically reminds me that our team is made up of individuals and every person brings their contribution. The work is put in by every single individual and our success as a whole comes from every single individual. The hashtag also reminds me that it's my job to bring my one – my effort and my consistency every single day in order that, one by one, we can create team success."
 
For each of the seniors, the 2022 season represents the chance to live out their dream, one last time, every single day with teammates and coaches who they love.
 
"I wanted to be a TWU gymnast as a little girl and I ended up here," Bonzagni said. "It's pretty cool, being here and getting to live out the dream that I wanted to as a kid."
 
Each gymnast repeated one word to describe this team and this 2022 season: special.
 
"This team is truly something special and unlike any other team I have ever been a part of," Balderas said. "We have all felt it since the first official day of practice and I am just so excited to see just how far this team will go this year."