On the face of a Division-1 college sports program, the athletes of any sport are some of the best of the best at what they do. But for Iowa athletics, especially women’s gymnastics, competing isn’t all they care about.

“We try very hard to put our kids in the community,” said head coach Larissa Libby. “I want our athletes to give back to the community that gave them [this] opportunity. In the beginning, years ago, it was just me doing it. But now, it’s never on me. They come to us with all different kinds of things they’d like to do.”

Since the beginning of the postseason, the team has rolled back the service a bit so that the GymHawks can keep up with class while preparations are at their peak.

But during the regular season, projects can range anywhere from helping with breast-cancer awareness to Day of Caring.

“We’ve done Habitat for Humanity or Women’s Build every year for the past three years,” said senior Nikki Youd. “[Women’s Build] just means a lot because we’re helping local women in the community, very strong, very independent women. We can drive by the houses that we helped build and just see how we can affect our community, so that’s pretty powerful.”

And their projects aren’t just local.

When traveling, the team can happen across a service opportunity with pronounced effect for both the served and the servers.

“While we were in southern Utah, we drove over to Las Vegas and worked with Project 150, which was pretty amazing, gratifying, and humbling,” Libby said. “It was so cool that we had alum in the area come and join us, [as well as] the I-Club, the Las Vegas edition. All with donations and things. The whole thing about us preaching about Iowa’s family, it truly does extend across the nation. I’ve never quite seen anything like it. It’s a pretty amazing thing, and I was so glad that our team got to actually witness how many people came just because they had Iowa on.

“That’s a very cool thing to know that you are connected to all of these people across the nation, without knowing them, because of the school that you went to, the character that they represent, the integrity behind the program. Those are all things that are crucial in our program.”

The life lessons go beyond the strength of community values.

For the GymHawks, it’s also about perspective and gratitude.

“It just gives a little perspective on life in general,” junior Nicole Chow said. “A lot of people have it harder than us, and we’re really lucky to be in the position that we are. I think it’s really awesome to see that side of things. We did the Special Olympics, and it was just amazing to see how those athletes were supporting people on other teams. I think that we can really take that in and try to do that as well in our competitions.”

The lessons taken from their service have influenced the program, the athletes, and the fans, with strength and momentum that will carry through for years to come.