Alex Eisen/MDN Seventh-grader Haley Conklin leaps into the air off a balance beam. Conklin is the only gymnast on the Minot High School gymnastics team this season.

What was once a thriving dynasty at the start of the decade is essentially starting over from scratch.

Not long ago, the Minot High School gymnastics team racked up five state championships in seven years, with four consecutive titles won from 2009-2012 and the last one coming in 2015.

In total, the program has stockpiled 12 state championships.

Now, the Majettes have dwindled to a single gymnast: Haley Conklin, a seventh-grader who attends Jim Hill Middle School.

“We are rebuilding our program from the ground up,” MHS head coach Robbie Werchau said. “We had some graduations, and we had some girls decide they didn’t want to do gymnastics anymore for whatever reason – gymnastics is hard, it takes up a lot of time, or they want to try other things. So, yeah, we lost a lot of kids. But I think we are starting with a good foundation.”

Albeit it’s a small foundation.

While Conklin is the only one competing on the high school team, she isn’t the only gymnast spending countless hours practicing each week inside the relatively new gymnastics center.

Gymagic opened its new building, located south of Nedrose High School, in September 2017.

“We have younger girls who aren’t old enough to be on the high school team yet or don’t quite have the skill set yet to be on the high school team,” Werchau said. “They really do look up to (Conklin). She is a good role model for them… So, if we were going to start over, (Conklin) is a great gymnast to start with.”

Conklin was first introduced to gymnastics around the age of 5 by her mother and was hooked ever since.

“I remember the first time coming to practice, and it was just a whole bunch of fun,” she said. “I got to meet new people and improve my skills.”

Her commitment to the sport and the desire for continuous improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed. Werchau described the young athlete as a hard worker, receptive and always wanting to do well.

“She has grown up in the gym, and she is continuing to grow up in the gym and be a part of our program,” Werchau continued. “She kind of knows the ropes and how things work, which is helpful.”

Being the only person on the team, Conklin enjoys hanging out and getting to know gymnasts from other schools during meets. The camaraderie between competitors is inspiring.

“I like that it’s a team atmosphere, and everybody supports each other,” Conklin said. “We help each other reach our goals.”

So, the goal this season for Conklin?

“I don’t really have a specific goal,” she said. “I just want to do my best and learn new skills.”

Werchau would like to see and believes Conklin could qualify individually for the state meet this season.

Conklin had a strong showing at the Bismarck Invite this past weekend – her second-ever high school meet – with a fifth-place finish in the All Round with three top 10 event finishes: third (bars), sixth (floor) and seventh (beam).

Practice is paying off.

Practice, in general, is unique given the circumstances.

“I also coach at Gymagic, so technically Haley (Conklin) doesn’t get all of my attention,” Werchau said. “But she does get a lot of it. It’s a little different. I think some days are kind of hard for her too. I give her credit for being the only one. Maybe her plan for practice that day is a little different than the other girls.”

Younger girls at Gymagic are making their way through the USA Gymnastics levels. A group of them are projected to move from compulsory gymnastics to optional gymnastics this season.

Compulsory meaning all the gymnasts in the same level must do the exact same routine, while in optional gymnastics they are permitted to do different routines.

“Little by little, we are building our younger girls to eventually have the skill set and the age requirement to be on the high school team,” Werchau said.

Obviously, adding to the talent pool would be beneficial.

Werchau would like the Minot High gymnastics team to have at least four gymnasts on the roster in the next couple of years so they could register a team score.

After that, wait and see. She is hopeful the Majettes could get back to having seven or more gymnasts in the next 3-5 years.

“Gymnastics is a great sport that teaches you many things,” Werchau said when asked to make a pitch for why someone should consider trying gymnastics. “A lot of things about body control and body awareness, and that helps in other sports. We have had girls who are divers, played volleyball and run track because gymnasts know how to run, jump and those kinds of things. I think it’s a good sport (to help in) other sports as well.”

Werchau continued: “It teaches you how to be disciplined, mentally strong and confident. That’s what we want our girls to be, and know that they can accomplish difficult things.”

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.