Sierra Kondo has been a consistent competitor for Maryland gymnastics since joining the program in 2022. But the senior, after appearing in each of the Terps’ first six meets this season, endured an unusual month-long break.
Kondo didn’t miss any meets in the three previous years. She returned for the GW Tri Meet on March 14 and has reasserted herself as one of Maryland’s best bars performers.
“I was definitely struggling with feeling pressure and I was stressed out a little bit on bars,” Kondo said. “I took a step backwards and I really broke down my routine into parts.”
Kondo’s return to excellence has bolstered her team-leading national qualifying score on bars and coincided with the unit’s hottest stretch of the year.
Just eight days after she returned to the bars lineup, the Terps notched a season-high bars score at the Maryland Quad and a 49.225 at the conference championships. Kondo finished as a top-two scorer for the Terps at both meets.
“Not only is [Kondo] back like she never left, but she’s even better than before,” coach Brett Nelligan said. “[I’m] just really proud of her for staying the course and being patient with herself and letting the routine come back to her.”
[Maryland gymnastics scores 195.700 to finish last in session at Big Ten Championships]
The bars specialist returned in time for the all-senior bars lineup featured on Maryland’s senior day, something that Kondo says she’s never seen before in college gymnastics. Emotion pervaded the lineup during the Terps’ 49.325 on bars — an unforgettable rotation for Kondo.
Kondo needed to take a step back, though, before rejoining the bars unit. Her last meet before the hiatus on Feb. 14 against Washington came with an uncharacteristic mistake.
The senior’s feet collided with the lower bar during her release, forcing her to take an additional rotation on the high bar. The miscue led to her first and only major deduction this season.
She repeated the error a week later in warmups before the Terps’ meet against Iowa. Nelligan said the team took a cautious approach and decided to give her a break from bars.
While Kondo used the hiatus to correct her form, the root of the issue extended beyond her physical skills.
The coaching staff prioritized Kondo’s mental health, allowing her as much time as needed to work her way back into the lineup. Kondo said that mindset relieved the pressure she felt and expedited her return.
[Maryland gymnastics bars unit’s season-high score leads to win at Maryland Quad meet]
Nelligan gradually rebuilt Kondo’s confidence with the time off, focusing on the details of her form that may have been causing the error in her release. He slowly ramped up the pressure in practice by simulating elements of a meet, such as teammates and coaches speaking to Kondo during her routine.
The coach and Maryland gymnastics’ athletic mental health counselor Danielle Tulloch taught Kondo how to calm the nerves that contributed to her errors. Kondo began practicing visualization and breathing exercises and said she now feels a “wave of calmness” when beginning her routine.
Kondo felt comfortable enough to exhibition at the Yale Tri-Meet on March 9, scoring a 9.775. The event started a strong return the bars unit, with one final chance for success at the NCAA regionals.
“It’s almost like some things before the break were just expected of me,” Kondo said. “Now I’m just grateful, super excited every time I compete … I qualified to regionals as an individual, that’s super special to me, and I think that feeling wasn’t there before my break.”
