It was a Saturday in November, and Kyndal Robarts despised what she saw out her window. The green grass and cool air she had seen and felt the day before had turned white and frigid overnight.
“I was freaking out,” Robarts said of the first real snow of the winter.
Robarts’ reaction wasn’t a surprise. The freshman gymnast grew up in San Marcos, Texas and had experienced snow only a handful of times before moving to Utah to join the Red Rocks.
San Marcos’ weather is pretty predictable — hot and humid. Temperatures rarely plummet below 40 degrees in January and often rise above 70 degrees in February. So when the week of Feb. 24 recorded highs in the 50s, Robarts was excited about not having to wear a jacket for the first time in months.
Robarts has also been “freaking out” about her opportunity to contribute to the U gymnastics team. As she has become more and more a part of Utah’s starting rotation, she has experienced her fair share of excitement.
“It’s kind of nerve-racking,” Robarts said.
Since she arrived on campus, the expectations of her coaches and teammates have been constantly rising.
Robarts has competed in all four events at different times for the Utes and has been a three-event performer five times. Utah head coach Greg Marsden sees her as the next great all-around performer at the U.
“She is one of the athletes that will determine what kind of team we will have in the future,” Marsden said.
The freshman started in the gym at a young age at Texas State University as Robarts’ mother is a health and physical education professor at the school. Thanks to Robarts’ early start, her dreams of becoming a college gymnast flourished.
She said she didn’t dream much of the Olympics and didn’t get too far in that quest. She did compete for two years as an elite gymnast but didn’t enjoy it much.
“You have to be 100 percent (into) gymnastics, and you can’t have a life,” Robarts said.
That meant she spent a lot less time at the San Marcos river with her friends. The river winds through the town and serves as the primary source of entertainment. Robarts visited the river after school and during the summer as much as she could. The body of water was a refreshing 72 degrees — which Robarts called “freezing” — and was a great escape from the stifling Texas humidity.
What stifles Robarts now is the challenge of college gymnastics. But her teammates don’t buy into her claims that she is a nervous competitor.
“She does a very good job of hiding it if she is nerve-wracked,” Katie Kivisto said.
Robarts’ ability to hide her nerves was on full display during Utah’s meet against Minnesota. During her balance beam routine, she slipped and ended up sitting on the beam. After a moment of hesitation, Robarts waved her arm above her head in the most artistic move she could think of, receiving a chuckle and a round of applause from the Huntsman Center crowd.
“She has the ability to take things in stride,” Kivisto said. “I think in the future she’ll be a very good leader.”
If Robarts hadn’t begun gymnastics in a gym at Texas State as a child, she wouldn’t be in Utah now. She would more likely be with her older sister at the University of Texas. The life-long Longhorns fan is from a diehard football state.
“People here just don’t understand,” Robarts said about the intensity surrounding football in Texas.
The University of Texas may have spectacular football, but the U has spectacular gymnastics. Robarts has the opportunity — whether she’s nervous or not — to compete all-around for the most decorated program in women’s collegiate gymnastics.
“Ultimately, I think that’s what most people’s goal would be,” Robarts said.