ISU gymnastics put everything they’ve got into their practices, but what drives a team with a season as long as theirs? From August to April, Iowa State unlocks eight phases that are key in becoming champions. These phases are represented by a gleaming sign in their Beyer practice facility.

Each phase represents a letter in the word “champion” and what it takes to become one. Cyclones, Hard work, Attitude, Motivation, Impress, Opportunity, and Nationals. These phases were unlocked monthly to keep the energy level up for the team, giving each practice a purpose.

When it came to using this motivation to its full potential, freshman Kelsey Paz said, “The fact that we broke the season up into different [phases] and that helped us keep motivated, so it wasn’t just one long season. [There were] short goals to get to the big goal, [nationals].”