A high school senior’s life is already filled with uncertainty. So when Mailee Roberts heard the news that Shawn Thurston was stepping down after 22 successful years as Stafford’s gymnastics coach, it immediately hit hard.
Trying to ensure as much continuity as possible, the Indians named Ashley Dingus, a former Stafford gymnast and volunteer assistant coach, into the lead role.
“It was sad to hear that the coach you’ve known from your freshman year is leaving,” Roberts said this week. “It was a little scary. But once we learned coach Dingus was taking over, it was all okay. All good things must come to an end.”
While Thurston’s tenure is history, the Indians hope their run of success isn’t. Thurston led the Indians to 17 district or conference championships, 10 regional titles, the 2017 state championship and four state runners-up finishes.
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“It’s definitely some big shoes to fill,” said Dingus, a 2014 Stafford graduate. “Shawn built the program over 20-plus years into an absolutely incredible program. There’s definitely a lot to live up to. I do try to keep a lot of her practices in place, because they worked.”
Dingus inherits a high standard, but also a strong senior trio of Roberts, Tina Beggs and Lauren Doty, who helped the Indians place second in Class 5 last winter in Thurston’s final meet as coach.
They’re all back and expecting no letdown.
“Dingus has done extremely well at keeping things going smoothly [in practice],” said Doty, who has been competing in gymnastics since age 3. “The vibe is kind of chill. We can all work on our individual stuff.”
Building a bond with their new coach hasn’t been difficult.
Not only did Dingus compete for one of Stafford’s state runner-up teams, but she also served as Thurston’s volunteer assistant in 2019 and 2020, as well an assistant coach for the Indians’ cheer squad, which recently earned state runner-up honors. Roberts and Beggs were part of that team.
This is Dingus’ first head-coaching position, and it doesn’t hurt to have an experienced group to serve as mentors to young gymnasts like freshmen Nyra Foosness and Abigail Randall, who will look to carry on the Indians’ proud tradition.
“It’s very important that we have to step up as much as [Dingus] has to,” Beggs said. “We’re doing our best to be leaders for the younger ones, to make sure that our knowledge of gymnastics gets passed on to them.”
A multi-team meet scheduled for Wednesday night at Stafford has been postponed until Jan. 13. The Indians now open their season Dec. 11 at the Patriot Invitational in Nokesville and will host the combined Commonwealth District/Region 5B meet on Feb. 5.
The Indians know that the retirement of a coaching institution doesn’t mean the end of a successful run. Stafford’s field hockey team went unbeaten until the state semifinals this fall under first-year coach Bryce Barnes, who succeeded Robin Woodie.
And if Dingus runs into any issues, she won’t have to go far for advice. She works at Dixon-Smith Middle School with Thurston, who is still teaching.
“It’s pretty comforting,” Dingus said. “If I have questions or concerns, she’s a great sounding board. She’s definitely someone I would go to.”