Last season was a mixed bag for the Lindbergh girls gymnastics team. The year started strong when the Eagles knocked off long-time league powerhouse Kennedy; then things took a turn for the worse.

On back-to-back weeks, the Eagles lost gymnasts Aleyna Yamaguchi and Jahna Wang to severe, season-ending injuries.

Determined to prevent a repeat of the string of bad luck, Lindbergh coach Maggie O'Connor said the team is taking more precautionary and preventative measures to avoid injuries.

"I just want them to stay healthy," O'Connor said of her team. "You can't help freak accidents or random things. It's just really bad luck. I don't even want to think about that anymore."

Yamaguchi has returned from a torn Achilles tendon last season, though she won't compete on the floor or vault in order to prevent further injury. The team won't have the services of sophomore Wang though. Wang tore her ACL last season, then suffered another severe knee injury this summer. O'Connor said her gymnastics career is over.

"She's one of the most talented girls I've been able to work with," O'Connor said. "So I'm sorry that I won't be able to do that anymore and I feel badly for her."

The Eagles return their two strongest athletes in senior co-captains Louise Baker and Christine Yamaguchi. Both qualified for state last year, though Baker didn’t compete because of a time conflict with a club meet.

Christine Yamaguchi placed 40th in the all-around competition at the 3A state meet last year. She finished 40th (beam), 65th (floor) and 26th (vault) in preliminary contests at state.

Baker recently retired from club gymnastics, so she has been able to devote all of her gymnastics energy to the Lindbergh team.

"She's the powerhouse of the team," O'Connor said. "She's definitely the leader and the backbone of the team, I'll hate to see her go after this year."

For Baker, this season is all about having a good time.

"It's really nice to win, but I'm not stressed about it," Baker said. "I do it for the fun and to help out friends."

O'Connor said the team is basically a brand-one this winter. The Eagles lost two gymnasts to graduation, plus Wang to injury, and welcomed a host of new talent.

The star of the new group is Vika Porter, who should make an immediate impact. The freshman has competed in gymnastics and O’Connor expects her to be one of Lindbergh’s top competitors.

The bigger numbers give the team a good base to grow and alleviate pressure on individuals at team meets. Baker said the individual gymnasts don't have to be as perfect on all of their routines if there are more teammates to pick up some slack.

"It would still be nice if everyone did have a perfect routine, but we'll see how it goes," Baker said.

Lindbergh's first meet of the season is Dec. 2 against Evergreen at Highline. The Eagles have just one home meet this season, Dec. 9 against Mount Rainier.

"That's a team we've wanted to beat for quite a while now," O'Connor said.

Adam McFadden can be reached at amcfadden@rentonreporter.com or 425-255-3484, ext. 5054.

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