Please excuse Reese Esponda from class – she’s on her first international assignment for USA Gymnastics

The gymternet took notice when 15-year-old Reese Esponda shared a video of her doing a triple back at U.S. national team camp in January.

Yes, it was over-rotated onto a mat in a pit, but to see a first-year senior throwing such a powerful skill – one that few men compete – is impressive nonetheless… And she was just doing it for fun.

“That’s just something I mess around with; it’s just fun to do,” Esponda told Gymnastics Now earlier this week.

Esponda has since traveled 32 hours from Missoula, Montana, to Baku, Azerbaijan, where she’ll compete floor at the Baku World Cup this weekend – the first international assignment of her young career… and her first international trip ever.

“I’m just like really excited that I get to go because I didn’t really expect it,” Esponda said of the assignment.

While getting an international assignment was one of Esponda’s goals, she has high expectations of the trip itself. After finishing fourth on floor and seventh in the all-around at Winter Cup just two weeks ago, the high schooler is hoping to finish top three on floor at the world cup. Bonus if she can communicate that she’s having fun while doing her routine – “My routine is so serious; I want people to know I’m having fun.”

That routine might not include a triple back, but it still packs a punch with a tucked double-double, double layout, full-twisting double back, and punch front through to double back direct to a superhero-inspired front toss to her kneeling finishing position. Not to mention the fun acro elements throughout.

The one area Esponda continues to focus on is the dance aspect of the set.

“I like floor tumbling passes by themselves, but I don’t love routines. But I don’t really think anyone does,” Esponda admitted.

Still, she knows floor is her best event, so she’s “worked really hard” on her dance, doing a lot of numbers and trying to pack even more of a punch with the added depth of emotion.

There’s clearly no fear of trying new things with Esponda, who puts bars up there with floor as far as her favorite events go.

“I think it’s fun. I will work on random connections,” Esponda said. “And I don’t know, I’m just fast twitch on a lot of things. So bars, it actually was my worst event for a really long time, and it still is not my best event, but it’s improved a lot. If you’ve seen it like three years ago.”

Full circle

It’s always a challenge being a first-year senior in an Olympic year. Yes, first years have made the Olympic team in the past, but that’s an increasingly harder task, especially with the depth the U.S. has this year.

For Esponda, the goal is one or two more international assignments and then the “top goal” is Olympic Trials – a career highlight in itself for all who make it that far.

An exciting aspect of the transition from junior to senior is going from looking up to the older athletes to competing alongside them. Of course, for the U.S., that list of inspirational seniors is long and includes the likes of Simone Biles, Suni Lee… and, now, Gabby Douglas, who inspired Esponda to start gymnastics in the first place.

Twelve years ago, when Douglas made history as the first African American to win the Olympic all-around title, a 3-year-old Esponda was watching at home. It sparked something in the preschooler, leading to her spending hours trying to emulate the then-16-year-old. Her parents started her in classes soon after.

Fast forward to November 2023, a few months after Douglas formally announced her comeback, and Esponda gets the surprise of her life:

“We were looking at the [November] national team camp list, and [Gabby] was rotating with me and my group. And I literally screamed. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!'”

At camp, Esponda got to meet Douglas for the first time – “And she just acted like one of my friends, and she was so sweet to me.”

Back to school

Competing at the elite level, being a first-year senior, and going on your first international assignment/trip is already a lot to manage at 15; Esponda has the added challenge of having just started high school.

She was doing online school but “struggling to keep up with all the work,” so in January, she enrolled at a physical school. Now she’s going to school from 8:50 to 11:30 in the morning Monday to Friday before heading to the gym for practice at 12. The change allowed her to cut back to just two online classes (so she can still get all her credit).

So far, Esponda is enjoying actually going to school.

“I like talking to people a lot. And like making new friends,” she said. “Sitting at my house doing school, I just get so distracted sitting there… So having other people with me, and doing the same thing as me, keeps me motivated.”

Understandably, Esponda won’t be joining any clubs or adding any other extracurriculars to her plate anytime soon, but her teachers have been “nice” and “understanding.” That’s especially important this week as she balances schoolwork and chasing her first international medal.