Lauren Dyson thought her gymnastics career was over after a massive knee injury immobilized her during her junior year at Mountain View High School. Through determination, she recovered in time to compete in the college-bound meet.

Junior year held the opportunity to showcase her talent to colleges, but with her busted knee, she was unable to prove she could compete at the college level. “No one could look at me,” Dyson said.

The 5-foot 4-inch gymnast wasn’t without hope for too long though. Her inability to compete only lasted for seven months. After this hiatus, she competed in just one college-bound meet in spring of her junior year, where Sacramento State spotted her.

Not only did she get a scholarship offer to Sac State, but to San Jose State as well. San Jose State was closer to home, but she said it was Sac State’s coaches and the gymnastics program that aided her easy decision to join the Hornets.

Dyson began gymnastics when she was eight years old, although it wasn’t her best sport. She competed in many sports when she was younger and said gymnastics was her worst.

“I liked the challenge, so I gave up everything and stuck with gymnastics,” she said.

Dyson injured her knee during practice and her parents wanted her to quit.

“They didn’t want me to get hurt again,” Dyson said.

Her parents were supportive of what their daughter wanted to do, but they didn’t want her to continue getting injured.

“We didn’t think she would continue with gymnastics,” said Janey Dyson, Lauren Dyson’s mother.

She has been injured five times, including a broken leg just two years prior to her knee injury.

“The doctors said it was a career-ending injury,” Dyson said.

Dyson competed level nine, which is two levels below the elite gymnasts.

Dyson was the level nine Western Bar Champion, Regional Bar Champion, state bar, and All-Around Champion in 2004.

In 2005, she helped lead her team to a level 10 state title and qualified for the level 10 Nationals in 2006.

Coach Kim Hughes said she moved up to level 10 during her senior year, since she had improved on the other events. Dyson’s injuries haven’t always brought her pain, as she had the chance to meet her gymnastic idol while training at West Valley after a broken ankle injury.

Amy Chow, a member of the 2006 United States Olympic team that won the gold medal, trained at West Valley, where Dyson recovered from her fifth career injury.

Dyson said Chow would encourage her from time to time.

Dyson is now a key component for the Hornets in the bars rotation and has competed in the beam and floor events.

Hughes knew the abilities Dyson could produce on the bars and kept a close eye on her during her high school career.

“I followed her success at a level nine,” he said. “She sets herself apart from the rest.”

Hughes and Junior Melissa Gonovese agreed that every women in the bar rotation brings her own style and tricks to make the rotation unique and not repetitive.

“We have a variety of skills with flipping releases,” said Hughes. “It’s entertaining.”

Hughes said that Dyson is just one who performs skills that are new to Sac State gymnasts. Hughes described Dyson’s unique trick as a twisting vault over the bar. Co-captain Gonovese said it’s exciting to see the girls doing different tricks, rather than a lot of the same skills.

“Bars is her event. She is going to go out and rock it,” Gonovese said. “She came in with her routine, and she’s very strong and continues to be that way.”

Junior co-captain Nicole Giao said that Dyson is “just one of those people who gets that event.”

“She’s so aggressive on the bars,” Giao said.

Dyson stands out from the other freshmen on the bars, but loves to hang with out her teammates outside of gymnastics.

Freshman Eryn Stubblefield said she Dyson love to watch One Tree Hill and Gray’s Anatomy every week in the community room of Desmond Hall.

Although the two live in two different resident halls, Stubblefield in Jenkins Hall and Dyson is Desmond Hall, they always manage to get together to watch the shows. “There’s a plasma flat screen in the community room,” Stubblefield said.

The couple is usually accompanied by the rest of the new crew.

“When you want one of us, you get all eight,” Stubblefield said.

During the meet against Boise State on Jan. 28, Dyson was unable to compete on the beam and floor due to pain in her knee, but she competed on the bars and finished second with a score of 9.8.

“I’m still getting used to college,” she said. Her former club only competed in seven meets, while Sac State competes in 15.

“We were thrilled she has been doing so well,” Janey Dyson said.

Another injury befell the talented gymnast. She left practice on Feb. 6 to go to the doctor after she fell from the bars. She was out for a week. Hughes said the doctors said this was a back sprain.

Dyson said she isn’t sure if she will continue with gymnastics after her time at Sac State.

“I think I’ll be done with gymnastics. I may coach,” she said. Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]