Step into ISU gymnastics practice these days and it’s easy to tell gymnastics season is in full swing.

Near a cabinet, sophomore Ashley Kent stands performing an arm workout, looking far different than you’d imagine someone with a season-ending injury and a day away from surgery would look.

At 5 a.m. Jan. 23, however, she went into surgery to repair a torn ACL, an injury she suffered while landing a dismount off uneven bars on Jan. 19.

“I’ll be in a leg brace for three to four weeks, I think, and rehab from there,” Kent said.

Not even showing the slightest hint of discomfort, Kent feels as if she should be tumbling with her teammates during practice.

“Actually, it’s not painful at all,” she said. “After I did it, it was a little sore, but since then I haven’t had any pain. It’s kind of weird going in [to practice] because I feel like I could be doing stuff, but it’s not safe I guess.”

Senior Ashley Alden understands what Kent is going through. Laying on a long, rectangular trampoline with her leg encased in a bulky black cast following a tumbling injury in practice, Alden is disappointed she is not allowed to work out at all.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be out for yet,” Alden said. “I don’t have to get surgery. I think it’s just a sprained foot for right now.”

Both Alden and coach Jay Ronayne expect to see Alden return to action by the end of the month.

“She’s tough,” Ronayne said of Alden. “She’s very tough and she’s determined to be back. I would be surprised if, in a couple weeks, she’s not back. I would be shocked.”

Behind the glitz and glamour of gymnastics presented on TV, as Alden points out, dealing with injuries is common practice during a normal season.

“It’s business as usual,” she said. “Every single year we have girls that get hurt. That’s why we have alternates and people to back us up. Our alternates are just as good as our girls in the lineup, so we should be ready to go.”

The alternates on the team, especially on balance beam, will have plenty of work cut out for them this Friday against No. 20 Missouri (2-6). With both Kent, the anchor on beam, and Alden, Iowa State’s highest-ranked beam performer, out of action, the Cyclones (4-1) turn to a mix of inexperienced underclassmen and veteran seniors to cover the losses of Kent and Alden.

Currently ranked fifth in the country on beam – Iowa State’s highest ranking on any event – Ronayne sees no reason why the Cyclones can’t continue their high level of success on the four-inch wide platform.

“I think we have the personnel right now to step in and cover the loss,” Ronayne said. “We have freshman that are doing a great job and they’re impressing the heck out of me right now in practice.”

Senior Jade Kvach agrees with Ronayne, noting she’s still very confident about her team’s future beam performances.

“They [Alden and Kent] put out great scores every single time, but we do have a lot of girls that have worked really hard on beam all season and I think there’s a lot of people that can really step in,” Kvach said.

Luckily for the Cyclones, Missouri has proven to be the weakest team, statistically, in the Big 12 this season. In fact, the Tigers’ season-high team score, 195.000, is lower than Iowa State’s average team score of 195.150. Ronayne, however, isn’t one to go strictly by statistics.

“I wouldn’t say they’re the weakest,” he said. “Every team in this conference is very good. Missouri has had a couple weeks where they were struggling a little bit but they’ve always been the kind of team that puts it back on when it counts, so I wouldn’t say they’re weak at all.”