Feb. 7—BYRON — Like virtually all of these Byron gymnasts, Olivia O'Brien has an unquenchable thirst for being in the gym, working on her routines.

It's put the young Bears in an envious spot, as odds-on favorites to reach the state meet for the third straight year and with a chance of finishing even higher than the sixth place they managed last year and with even loftier dreams for the following three years.

Byron gymnastics, under longtime coach Charro Coleman, is ascending. For that, Coleman points directly to the work ethic with this bunch.

O'Brien, one of three prized freshmen on the team along with Norah Brown and Sydney Portner, is a perfect example of wanting to get the most out of herself.

"We have just 2 1/2 hour practices, so when I am there I always want to get the most out of them," O'Brien said. "Where I used to train, we had 5-hour practices."

To say "just" 2 1/2 hour practices makes some heads turn. Really, Coleman says those practices are closer to 2 hours as he is trying to preserve his athletes as best he can with all the wear and tear that comes in a gymnastics season.

But that is five days per week. And often on Saturday's he opens their training facility for any of his athletes who want to come in and tidy up their skills and routines under his watch. Pretty much the entire team shows up for those opportunities.

That all-for-one attitude is why this might be shaping up as Byron's best gymnastics team ever. Their team scores suggest that's the case. Byron recently set a program record, accumulating a 142.05 team score in a team dual with Kasson-Mantorville/Triton/Stewartville (129.62 points).

"Not every event went perfectly that day, but the girls just kept grinding and before you knew it, it ended up being our best meet ever," Coleman said. "The girls were excited about it. Going into the floor routine, I told them that we had an opportunity here. I think that made them a little bit nervous."

Those three aforementioned freshmen are joined in Byron's starting five lineup by sophomore Lily Moon and seventh-grader Lauren Pirkl.

It has largely fallen on Moon, a team captain, to keep this team a team and to level emotions when they rise.

A sophomore who comes across more like a senior with her maturity, Moon appreciates her guiding role.

"I just try to keep the team together, to make sure we are all being supportive of each other and being there for each other," Moon said. "When it's a young team like we have, I'd say that makes it a little bit harder to direct. Older kids know how to deal with their emotions better. Our freshmen can let their emotions get the best of them at times. But the people on this team still make it really fun. Some of my best friends are in gymnastics and I met them through the sport."

It is gymnasts like O'Brien who have the Byron faithful dreaming of big things, now and even more in the future. Coleman admits a state championship in the next three years isn't out of the question.

"That would be amazing," he offers with a grin.

Everything seems in place for O'Brien — her athleticism (she is also a standout sprinter and pole vaulter on the Byron track and field team), her work ethic, her drive and her passion for the sport.

This season, she has already tied the school record in the all-around with a 36.625. In Byron's record-setting team score of 142.05 on Jan. 22, the freshman won three events — the vault (9.425), the uneven parallel bars (8.95) and all-around (35.225). Brown captured the balance beam (9.35) and Portner the floor exercise (9.575) as the Bears swept their way to the win.

It's O'Brien's desire to work that Coleman says most sets her apart.

"She puts in the time," Coleman said. "When she has a gymnastics assignment to work on, it doesn't matter what else is going on, she is at the gym and focused on doing the best she can and adding things to her routine. She is focused and driven and is a very talented athlete. Plus, in a sport that is grueling and hard on the body (O'Brien admits her back hurts almost all the time, something that is typical for gymnasts), she has a personality that draws people. She's fun to be around and has a personality that tries to stay on the positive side of things all the time."

In other words, she is one of the easy ones for captain Moon to work with and keep in line.

O'Brien had looked forward to joining the Byron high school team ever since she was a little girl, hearing what a fun and productive ship that Coleman ran.

She hasn't been disappointed.

"I always knew I wanted to join the high school team," O'Brien said. "It's just really fun to come to practice and see each other every day. I always look forward to practice. And Charro is a great coach. He never stops believing in us and he always gives us all the opportunities that we need, like coming in on the weekends to help us practice. And he's never negative and he's always like got a smile on his face."

These days, the entire Byron gymnastics program is smiling. A golden era is upon them.