IN TEXAS, THE FLAMS of Houston call their collection of parents, three kids, in-laws, and assorted pets The Flamily.
And when sophomore Rachael Flam looks into the stands at Maples or Burnham, or anywhere else the Stanford gymnastics team performs, she feels a sense of reassurance. Her parents, Gary and Annalea, have attended every meet since she arrived on The Farm.
To Rachael, "Flamily" extends beyond family. In the high-intensity, high-pressure environment of collegiate gymnastics, she has forged bonds with her teammates that will never be broken. Flamily indeed.
Jeff Bartee Photography.
As an undergraduate, Tabitha Yim experienced the team building under coach Kristen Smyth that helped develop friendships that she continues to treasure. Now, in her second season as head coach, Yim has continued to emphasize a positive team culture.
Flam, an all-arounder who is especially strong on the vault and floor exercise, has thrived in it.
"I really do feel like each and every person on the team is one of my sisters," Flam said. "It's really a great feeling. It's a great family."
Home for Flam not only is Houston, but the family ranch 50 miles northwest, near Hempstead. The cares of big city life fade away under the Texas sky, on a property adorned with lakes stocked with bass and catfish and populated by deer, rabbits and even bobcats. This is where the Flams host holiday gatherings and summer retreats for extended family. Everyone is welcome.
Rachael has found another version of it at Stanford, with SWG, as the program refers to itself. It means more than simply a sports team. It stands for alumni and unity, through generations of Cardinal gymnasts.
Jeff Bartee Photography.
"It's my home away from home," Flam said. "I genuinely look forward to going into the gym each day, to see my family and to see my friends, and to do the sport that I love. SWG is definitely a huge part of me and I'll keep that with me forever."
Perhaps in no other Stanford sport is there more boisterous, loud and encouraging support among teammates than with women's gymnastics. This is where the team closeness is best illustrated and where it flat-out aids performance. Many a Cardinal gymnast, Flam included, feels the rush that boosts a routine to another level.
For Flam, it's the vault that draws the most attention. Flam learned early in her gymnastics life that her greatest strength was strength itself. She brings a measure of power to her events, and great elevation to her vault.
Through her club coach at Stars Gymnastics, Dan Baker, Flam developed a half-on front pike that takes her high in the air and into a blind landing that can be tough to stick. The level of difficulty is one of the highest in the country, but Flam has found consistency nonetheless.
"I can see myself really perfecting it to a new level," she said. "And, hopefully, win a national title in the future, and help the team."
Jeff Bartee Photography.
She's been on an upward track since midseason of her freshman year. She scored a collegiate career best 9.925 on the vault at Washington last year and won the vault at the team's tri-meet against Sacramento State and Seattle Pacific last weekend.
Among Flam's qualities is that "she really cares a lot about the team," Yim said. "She really pushes herself to be the best inside and outside the gym," and is considering declaring a major of mechanical engineering.
"We preach a consistent and persistent effort, because that work over time will build into a big payoff," Yim said. "That's what we're seeing with Rachael, the growth from being one of the hardest workers on the team."
Flam also carries an overarching motivation that goes beyond results.
"I love the feeling of flying through the air," she said. "It's hard to explain. Getting up on a four-inch balance beam and doing a flip and landing perfectly … it's a feeling that you can't get doing anything else."
The gym … the ranch. Both evoke feelings of family, though in different ways.
The feeling of flight?
"It will never get old," she said.
Neither will Flamily.
This photo, taken during Flam's club days, illustrates the height she can achieve on her vault.