MISSOULA — The Olympics recently wrapped up this summer, a memorable run that brough the world’s top athletes to Paris to compete.

For one Montanan, that stage in 2028 is firmly in her sights.

Meet Reese Esponda, a Helena native who has been swiftly climbing the ranks in the gymnastics world, a sport from a young age she knew she wanted to pursue.

“I was watching Gabby Douglas in the 2012 Olympics, and I was doing, like, headstands,” Esponda told MTN Sports earlier this summer. “I was like, ‘Mom, I want to do that.’ And then I started.

“My biggest goal is to make the Olympics, hopefully in 2028, that’s my goal. But we’ll see.”

That was age 3 when she started. Now at age 15, the energetic and young athlete is one of the decorated up-and-coming talents in U.S. gymnastics.

And it all started in Montana, where Reese would train at Gym 406 in Helena before her and her mother moved to Missoula in 2020 to advance her skills. In Missoula she competed and worked at Roots Gymnastics & Dance.

It was a challenging dynamic with the rest of the Esponda family staying put in Helena, but the family saw Reese’s potential, so they did everything to make it work.

“People kind of looked at us and said, ‘What are you doing?’ recalled Lindsay Esponda, Reese’s mother. “It’s just a sport we couldn’t take away from her. She works harder than anybody I know, and day in and day out, puts in the hours. The frustration level sometimes gets high, but she always does with a smile on her face and just a great, great drive.”

In Missoula, Reese began to excel, and fly.

In 2022 she began to break through by competing at the Hopes Championships.

Then in 2023, it ramped up even more with appearances at the Winter Cup, the American Classic, the Core Hydration Classic and the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, with reappearances at most of those meets in 2024.

She made the U.S. Junior National Team late in 2023, and earlier this year competed in Azerbaijan, meaning she made the brief jump to the senior national team.

“Just like, getting to experience it all,” Reese said. “Not a lot of people get to experience what I’ve got to experience from their sport. So that’s super cool. I was like I can keep improving. I can keep getting better. And my coaches always told me, like, you can be good if you keep working hard.”

“She sets her mind to something, and she does it, and that’s really been her journey throughout the entire process of getting where she is right now,” Lindsay added.

Esponda has been climbing ever since, and earlier this year, Reese and Lindsay again relocated, this time to Texas as Reese joined the elite World Champions Centre near Houston, where she trains everyday alongside one of the greatest athletes of all time in Simone Biles along with star and Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles.

In the past she’s competed against them, and now, the Montanan gets to call some of the best gymnasts in the world her teammates.

“It’s really cool, because they know what they’re doing,” Reese said. “I can look to them and ask them questions. I’ve never been able to do that before. So having them is super nice. It’s super cool and inspiring because they’re doing like, the big skills, and then I can talk to them and ask them questions about when they were building up to those skills, like how to do it.”

The sky’s the limit for Esponda, as she aims to complete her goals to show a gymnast from Montana can make it on the grandest of stages.

“She’s still in there, working hard every day, and I think her goal is 2028 and we’ll see what happens,” Lindsay said. “It’ll be fun to watch.”

Clark girls golfer Alliah Jordan had the magic touch Aug. 28 in the girls 5A Mountain League match at Angel Park. Jordan ran away from the field, shooting 2-under 69 for the individual victory.

Bishop Gorman’s Moriah Wayman was a distant second at 4-over. Sierra Vista’s Nya Palmer was third at 5-over.

Bishop Gorman won the team tournament at 26-over 310. Clark finished five strokes back to take second. Shadow Ridge finished third at 100-over.

Mountain League action resumes Wednesday at Painted Desert.

In the Class 5A Desert League match Aug. 28, Faith Lutheran’s Maddie Perez shot 5-under 67 to win at Highland Falls.

Coronado’s Grace Oh placed second at 3-under. Teammate Sophia Medlin finished third at 2-under.

Oh and Medlin’s strong performances helped the Cougars win the team championship at 7-over 295. Palo Verde was second at 310. Faith Lutheran finished third at 311.

Desert League play resumes Sept. 25 at Anthem.

Boys tennis

Aug. 28 was a memorable day for Grant Lee and the Coronado boys tennis team.

Lee went 3-0 in singles play to help the Cougars defeat two-time defending Class 5A state champion Palo Verde 12-6. It was the Panthers’ first regular-season loss since 2022.

The doubles team of David Raiter and Anthony Polis also went 3-0 on the day. Coronado improved to 3-0 and is the only undefeated team remaining in the 5A Southern League. Palo Verde dropped to 2-1.

Boulder City had a strong week in 3A action, moving to 3-0 after defeating Sloan Canyon 14-4 and Cimarron-Memorial 10-9. The Eagles are the last unbeaten team in the 3A Southern League.

Girls tennis

The Palo Verde girls team defeated Coronado 12-6 on Aug. 24 to remain tied for first in the 5A Southern League with Clark. Both teams are 3-0 and will square off at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Palo Verde.

The Chargers defeated Shadow Ridge 12-6 on Aug. 24.

In 3A action, Pahrump Valley continued to dominate opponents by defeating Legacy and Chaparral. Boulder City also remains unbeaten at 3-0.

Boys cross country

Desert Oasis’ Kenan Dagge turned in another impressive performance Saturday, winning the Palo Verde Labor Day Invitational at Sig Rogich Middle School. Dagge, who also won the Red Rock Running Company Invitational on Aug. 24, covered the hilly 5-kilometer course in 16:24.

Green Valley’s Andrew Poirer was second in 16:43. Desert Oasis’ Jayden Jackson finished in 16:54 to place third.

The Diamondbacks had four runners finish in the top eight and claimed the team title. The Gators were second and Tech was third.

At Chandler, Ariz., Faith Lutheran’s Logan Scott covered the 5K course in 16:06 on Saturday to place fourth in the senior race of the Chandler XC Invitational. The race featured over 100 runners from schools in Arizona and throughout the Southwest.

David Azuelo of Shadow Ridge finished 15th in 17:33. Faith Lutheran’s Devin Hardin was 55th in 19:48.

In the junior race featuring almost 200 runners, Faith Lutheran’s Anderson Brady finished second in 15:37. Teammate Yeager Logan was 58th in 19:16.

Girls cross country

Green Valley’s MaryJane Gutierrez-Hess won the girls race at the Palo Verde Labor Day Invitational, finishing the 5K event in 20:45.

Palo Verde’s Katelyn Johnson was second in 21:15. Clark’s Vianey Toledo placed third in 21:40.

The Panthers had five runners in the top 16 to finish atop the team scoreboard. Western was second and Desert Oasis was third.

Cross country, golf and tennis coaches are asked to submit their top performances each week to jwollard@reviewjournal.com.

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – When you think of camping essentials, you probably think of a tent, a sleeping bag and cooking supplies. But what about a Wi-Fi connection?

For some, the thought of staying online defeats the purpose of being in the great outdoors. But for others, it’s an amenity they’d rather have while camping.

KOB 4 learned it’s a debate our State Parks Division is following closely. 

It’s not hard to escape everyday life in New Mexico. It’s estimated three-quarters of all New Mexicans live within 40 miles of a state park. For example, the Manzano Mountains, where some families spent their Labor Day weekend unplugged.

“We call it dinosaur camping,” said Sterling Williams, who prefers less connectivity while camping. “There’s no Facebook, there’s no social media. It’s really talking and spending time with your family.” 

For other families, camping isn’t so much of an escape.

“We can unplug anytime we want to, but we like to be outside. We like to hike, we like the scenery, but we still want to be able to watch Netflix when we’re tired,” said Jan Branham, who prefers more connectivity while camping. 

New Mexico state leaders want to make sure both families can have the outdoor experience they want.

“Wi-Fi in parks is definitely something that’s a national discussion,” said Toby Velasquez, director of the New Mexico State Parks Division. 

According to the Outdoor Hospitality Industry Trade Group, roughly 82% of U.S. campgrounds already offer Wi-Fi.

Nearly 40% of campers say it affects where they pitch their tents, including in New Mexico.

“We still see, you know, folks who are interested in remaining connected in different ways, and so that’s really going to be the challenge for state parks in New Mexico moving forward,” said Velasquez. 

Velasquez says there are discussions about expanding Wi-Fi capabilities to all 35 state parks.

“It’s going to be a balance of different locations. You know what we’re able to provide, for example, at Rio Grande Nature Center State Park in the heart of Albuquerque versus Pecos Canyon or Sugary Canyon State Park up in Colfax County might be a different menu than what we would see in other areas,” Velasquez said. 

Velasquez says the State Parks Division just wrapped up a five-year contract with Viasat, providing Wi-Fi service in 10 different state parks. His team is still reviewing the data to answer some important questions.

“How much is too much? How much is needed? What is not needed? And how’s that going to be provided? Is it going to be a user pay, user benefit option? Is it going to be something that’s somehow supplied by the government entity in order to maintain that connectivity?” Velasquez said. 

Velasquez says they’ll be relying on input from park users, but it’s clear there’s still a debate out there.

“We do like to have Wi-Fi for her phones and all that stuff,” Branham said.

“To do Wi-Fi for camping. That’s not really camping to me,” said Williams.