Hidden jewel

SUU gymnast tumbled down unusual track to mat stardom

By DAVID DeMILLE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Three years ago, while watching one of the coaches of the Southern Utah Gymnastics Academy work out, SUU coach Scott Bauman knew he had something special.
Sandi Lyman quit competitive gymnastics when she was 13, but never lost the love or the talent for her sport. It wasn’t until she was in college that she was able to get back into competition.
“One of the other coaches told Scott to come watch me,” Lyman said. “He came and saw me do some things and told me I should walk on.”
After seven years of not competing, Lyman had a chance to be a collegiate gymnast, and Bauman had a fantastic athlete fall right into his hands.
Lyman is now one of SUU’s top competitors, especially on floor exercise, where she leads the team through six meets with a 9.883 average. She set a school record on floor last season with a 9.950 at the Western Gymnastics Conference, and set a new mark for SUU with a 9.841 average on the year, beating her own record of 9.760 set in 2001.
“It’s so rare,” Bauman said. “You find someone like that once in a lifetime. She’s just an incredible natural athlete. It’s rare to see so many qualities in one person: she’s smart, pretty, a great athlete. She’s been very fun to coach.”
Lyman had been a member of the basketball and track teams at Mountain View High School in Orem, but she never lost the desire for her first sport. Joining the T-Birds gave her a chance to get back into the game.
“I was really glad,” Lyman said. “I had to quit when I was 13, but I knew I still wanted to do this. I would watch other girls competing and wish I could get out there and do it.”
Now Lyman routinely puts up high scores and is a big part of SUU’s climb in the national rankings. The T-Birds lost their first meet of the year Friday at Cal State Fullerton, but started the season 7-0, including a win over Iowa on Feb. 22 when the GymHawks were ranked No. 17 in the country.
“I think we have a real shot at nationals,” Lyman said. “I really haven’t had a chance to say that before. It was always a hope, but now we have a great chance. We’ve put up some of the better scores the team has ever had, yet you can see that we have a lot of room to improve.”
Life away from the gymnasium is also going well for Lyman. The senior married Denim Lyman before the season, and having a spouse has helped in dealing with the mental
and physical demands of the sport.
“Things are more relaxing now,” Lyman said. “It’s nice to have Denim to come home to. He comes to every meet he can, and he’s very supportive. He’s a big fan.”
That kind of support has always been a big part of Lyman’s gymnastics history. She said her parents were instrumental in getting her into the sport, and they encouraged her in every area.
“I started when I was 3,” Lyman said. “I fell in love instantly. The club I was with was really good and I had a lot of fun. Then we moved to Idaho where there were no gymnastics, and that was pretty sad for me.”
She missed competition, not just the sport itself. Bauman callsLyman the best competitor he’s ever coached and said the reputation as someone who wants to win all the time follows her around.