Junior all-around Kimberly Smith has had a challenging past few years as a Sun Devil gymnast. However, her eagerness to perform has guided her back to competing in all four events for the first time since starting at the University.
Now in the middle of the season, Smith has accomplished wins of all sizes, becoming one of ASU's strongest gymnasts.
She won her first all-around title early in the season at the Wasatch Classic and throughout the season she's set three new career highs on vault with a 9.825, bars with a 9.875, and a 39.350 in all-around. She's scored two 9.900s on the floor making that a total of three career 9.9s.
"I would want her to know how essential she's been to the team," said graduate all-around Jada Mangahas. "This team would not be the same without her."
Smith fell in love with gymnastics at an early stage in her life. After testing out other sports, she found being in the gym was her happy place. She said gymnastics has not only brought her lifelong friendships but is a great way to express her highly driven work ethic.
"Working towards a goal," Smith said. "That was a big part of it. Every day you're striving for perfection. Finally reaching there, getting close, it's such a reward after you look back on all the hard work and dedication that was put in."
Smith said she was constantly at her club gym before coming to ASU, where she would begin to practice as an all-around gymnast four days a week on her journey to make the collegiate level.
Unfortunately, her freshman year as a Sun Devil didn't go as planned. She battled through injuries that pulled her away from the gym, limiting her participation to beam and floor as an underclassman.
Transpiring through that experience helped form Smith into a better gymnast and a wiser person.
"It's not going to be this easy ride all the time," said Smith. "You're going to have a lot of hard times, whether it's injuries or mental blocks. A big thing from that is learning how to deal with it, not shutting down, but working on it head-on, and persevering through. That taught me a lot on how to approach problems and get through them effectively."
To have the season she's having now, getting back on her feet to compete all around, has a lot to do with the behind-the-scenes work she puts in and the support provided to her by staff and teammates.
While she was slowly recovering over the summer before sophomore year, Smith spent a lot of time with her coaches practicing and improving to find her best routines.
Her fellow Gym Devils continuously backed her through team bonding, self-reflection and positive reinforcement. She said this support gave her the confidence she needed and a helpful reminder of her talent during times of uncertainty.
Graduate all-around Emily White consistently saw the best in Smith. She said Smith is always one who seeks feedback and sets herself up for success.
"She never settles for anything less than her best," White said. "That's the reason she went from doing one event her freshman year to doing all around her junior year. That's not easy ... It's a testament to her character, to how badly she wants it and how driven she is ... She's younger than me, but she inspires and pushes me to be better."
The healing journey was a challenging one for Smith and one of the motivations that pushed through was her will to contribute to the team and find her way into a star-studded lineup.
With the departure of six veterans last year and the upcoming departures of more this season, Smith has found her way to become a staple piece in events such as vault, bars and floor.
"I'm trying to fill their shoes, but I'm also trying to make it like my own role," Smith said.
Smith said she uses her voice and mutual experience to hold the hands of the underclassmen and make sure she helps run a cohesive gym.
Mangahas is one graduate student Smith looks up to and who helped teach her what it takes to be a great leader. Now, Mangahas looks forward to seeing Smith take over and enjoy her senior year after all she's been through.
"I'm hoping that she can enjoy every moment of being able to compete out there because she's been shining," said Mangahas. "Her next year and a half, I hope she continues to grow and be confident in herself. I know she'll do great in her last year."
But before she gets there, Smith looks to continue this tone-setting season by continuing to work on herself.
"I'm always striving for that 1% better," said Smith. "I'm trying to reach that perfection, but at the same time, there are times when I need to step back. If something's not going my way, just take a deep breath and look at it from a bigger perspective of how much I've already accomplished. I am doing enough, and I am enough."
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at linunez@asu.edu and follow @laurentahuka on X.
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Lauren is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in digital audiences. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio Sports, WCSN and Sun Devil Athletics.
