Sophomore Beka Conrad performs a routine on Jan. 9, 2015, at Wells Fargo Arena. (Andrew Ybanez/ The State Press)
Perhaps the most common motto in sports is that there is no "I" in the word "team."
Some athletes demonstrate this better than others by embracing the roleplayer role, truly putting the team's needs ahead of personal accolades.
For ASU gymnastics, one of those role players is sophomore Beka Conrad.
"Beka has probably been our most consistent performer this entire year," ASU head coach Rene Lyst said. "For the most part, she's started on bars and beams for us and every time has been rock solid. She's just a rock on the team, we can always count on her to hit her routines and get a good score for us."
Conrad has participated in every meet this season. Seven times she has participated in three of the four routines, twice she has competed in two routines and against Stanford she filled in as an all-around performer, scoring a 38.900.
In 29 routines this year, she has scored below a 9.000 only twice.
That's what Lyst said makes her valuable on the team.
"(It's) her consistency," Lyst said. "She's definitely strong; she doesn't get rattled by too much, and she performs day in and day out for this team."
Conrad probably isn't the most recognized gymnast on the team, but that doesn't make her any less important.
"I think anytime you're not doing all-around, people overlook you," Lyst said. "If you're doing multiple events and hitting them on a consistent basis, then you're playing an important role on the team, and she's vital to our success."
Conrad said she embraces the opportunity to be a go-to gymnast whenever the team needs her.
"I love helping out the team as much as I possibly can," Conrad said. "I only fill in when a girl is really hurting, so I'm glad I can help the team, but if she comes back and can perform a better routine than me, I'm perfectly fine stepping down so we can get the better score."
The team has struggled this season after being hit with an injury bug early in the year.
ASU won its first meet back on Jan. 9, then the Sun Devils were unable to capture any meet victories until their regular season finale on March 13 against Air Force.
On both occasions, Conrad stepped up and scored well, scoring at least a 9.575 on all five routines she hit.
On the bars against Air Force, she scored a 9.800 that came just 0.025 points shy of her season-high.
"I think I've been doing good for the events I've been working on," Conrad said. "As a team, we've hit some rough spots this season and a couple of girls have injuries, but I think we're doing a really good job of pushing through and staying strong throughout the whole season."
An important part of ASU now, Conrad almost never competed at the collegiate level.
"As a freshman in high school, I wanted to stop," Conrad said. "My parents wouldn't let me; (they told me) to keep pushing and keep going. On the rough days, it's always been nice to have the team to fall back on, because it's not just your team, it's a second family. Even though there were some rough patches, I can't imagine my life without gymnastics, because it's something I've always done and deep down I truly love it."
Even though her passion is with gymnastics as a whole, Conrad said her favorite event is uneven bars.
"It's a different feeling because in everything else you're flipping around," Conrad said. "But on bars, you're swinging. It's a lot of fun, and I've always enjoyed it because it feels like you're flying."
Conrad still has two years of eligibility to compete at ASU, but she said she has wondered what her future in gymnastics holds.
"I would love to coach gymnastics," Conrad said. "Maybe not as a club coach, but as a college coach, I would love it and would do it in a heartbeat."
At the same time, Conrad said she understands that may not happen right away, if at all.
"If I don't really see an opportunity for me then I have backup plans, so that's not my main priority," she said.
Conrad, a Parks & Recreation Management major, doesn't have a specific career goal in mind but she knows the decision will likely be between "going into the military or becoming a gate warden for a national park."
But before any of that, Conrad said her focus is on the Pac-12 Championships on March 21, and the possibility of making NCAA Regionals afterwards.
Even though this weekend's meet will technically be the postseason, Conrad said the team shouldn't treat it different than any other meet from this year.
"We've all been doing these routines all year long," Conrad said. "It's not like the routine changes ... so it's all in your thoughts. If you prepare yourself and put pressure on yourself every day in the gym there's no reason to be nervous. I think about that right before I get up and do a routine and remind myself that this is the same routine I've been doing, which is how I build my confidence."
Last year, Conrad scored a 39.200 at the Pac-12 Championships at California, scoring at least a 9.700 on all four rotations.
Now her focus is to improve the team's score by performing in whatever role they need her to compete in.
"Going in as a freshman I didn't know what to expect," Conrad said. "Now I know what the judges are looking for as an individual and as a team. Since we all have that experience right now, we all know what to expect. (That means) we can touch up on the little things and pay more attention to the little details and get better scores."
The Pac-12 Championships will be in Utah this year, in two sessions: Session No. 1 at 1 p.m. and Session No. 2 at 6 p.m. on March 21.
Conrad is expected to be on bars and beams as she has been all season, but she is prepared to be on the floor or even vault if needed.
Whenever and wherever her name is called, she'll be ready.
Reach the reporter at mtquesad@asu.edu or follow @mitchTquesada on Twitter.
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