PROVO, Utah – Sadie Miner jumped up and down as she cheered on her older sister, Abbey, on the uneven bars in the 2019 season opener against Utah. The two sisters celebrated together after the routine for the first time as collegiate teammates. Standing as the first set of sisters on the team in over a decade, it was a moment that was years in the making.
Abbey and Sadie are the youngest of a troupe of six from Mapleton, Utah. At the age of three, Abbey watched as two of her brothers pursued gymnastics. She expressed interest to her mother, who enrolled her in the sport as a toddler. Only 14 months younger, Sadie quickly joined her sister in the artistic outlet while also participating in other sports.'
“I remember we’d be running down the field to get the ball, and there I was, doing cartwheels down the field,” Sadie said. “I would never stop moving when I was younger and gymnastics tired me out the most.”
For Abbey, it was the opportunity to learn new skills that initially attracted her to the sport.
“What draws me to gymnastics, then and now, is that you get to do all of these cool flips and tricks that a normal person isn’t able to do,” Abbey said. “When you get a new skill for the first time, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Former BYU gymnastics head coach Brad Cattermole coached the Miner sisters at the club level and watched the pair develop into talented gymnasts. During her freshman year of high school, Cattermole offered Abbey the opportunity to attend and compete for BYU. Because of the proximity to home and the special environment, she committed to the Cougars the following year.
When Abbey graduated high school and joined the Cougars, it was the first time in years that she and Sadie were not on the same team. However, the tight-knit sisters were united when Sadie joined the following year.
“The coaches were trying to figure me out and see how I was different than Abbey,” Sadie said. “They soon realized that we are actually very much alike.”
The two sisters’ favorite event is the beam and they both struggle with the uneven bars due to a number of shoulder surgeries that cause major discomfort while on the bars.
However, Abbey arrived on campus with a dream to compete in the all-around and BYU head coach Guard Young has pushed her to make her worst event into one of her best while motivating her to train on the apparatus more.
During her initial season at BYU in 2018, Abbey admitted that she had a lot to learn. In addition, her confidence in her abilities was at an all-time low, even in her best events.
“I knew I had the skills and could do it, but it scared me,” Abbey said. “I remember thinking, ‘I am literally never going to compete.’ It was frustrating to feel that way.”
She started off her freshman career primarily competing on vault and floor for the Cougars. Abbey entered her first offseason focused on competing in the all-around by the 2019 season.
“I just wanted to compete beam so badly and I worked my butt off,” Abbey said. “Last season, I was in the lineup every meet and I felt very accomplished.”
During her sophomore season, her hard work paid off as she competed in the all-around and posted career-high scores on all four events, including a milestone all-around score of 39.175. She was also named first-team All-Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference in the vault and second team on the beam.
“Abbey was my most improved gymnast from last year,” Young said. “She worked really hard in the offseason to get better on bars and it showed.”
Similar to her older sister’s freshman year, Sadie competed often for the Cougars on the floor and on the vault. The younger Miner sister’s best score of 9.850 on floor routine came against No. 21 Arizona State.
“The highlight of my freshman year was the Arizona State meet and it wasn’t even because of the routine,” Sadie said. “It was seeing my teammates after. One of the best feelings is running over to them and they’re so happy and jumping on top of you.”
Sadie hopes to use this offseason to follow in her sister’s footsteps and earn a spot in the allaround competition alongside Abbey. In the process, she wants to find her groove and develop her skills on the beam.
“I really want to compete beam again because I love it,” Sadie said. “It’s the most exhilarating thing ever. It’s just you and the beam. I’m a little too composed and my beam coach has tried so hard to get me to show my personality, but it’s hard because I’m constantly telling myself be calm and collected while I’m up there.”
Luckily, Abbey sees the strengths in her sister and stands as her confidence booster.
“She’s a really good team player and she never gets mad if she’s not put in the lineup,” Abbey said “She tends to downplay herself a lot, but she got scores in club that people score in college.”
It is nothing new for the two sisters to be there to push and support the other. Abbey’s and Sadie’s lives have consistently been intertwined both in and out of the sport, something that hasn’t changed since they’ve entered college.
“We have different majors, so we have different classes, but we do have the same group of friends,” Abbey said “We’re with each other probably all day, every day, unless we’re in class. We’ve been best friends since we were babies.”
As the upcoming season approaches, Sadie continues to hone in her routines for all-around while Abbey hopes to debut a new skill.
“I really want to complete a double layout with full twist on floor,” Abbey said. “If I did it, I’d be the only one in college completing it right now. I also want to get a 9.950 this year on floor or beam.”
Focused on their personal goals, the Miner sisters are ready to take on the 2020 season the best way they know how - together.