UCLA gymnast Frida Esparza has no hesitation when naming her favorite Metallica song.
The bass line of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” rolls along, repeating then shifting then repeating again as a lone bell clangs in the background. The intro lasts about two minutes before the raspy vocals even begin.
Esparza’s journey back to confident gymnastics has a similar pattern. The senior battled confidence issues this year after injury kept her out all of last season. She rehearsed routines over and over and changed choreography before fully re-arriving as a Bruin — and has inspired other UCLA gymnasts in the process.
“I think it’s really lit a confidence within them,” UCLA coach Janelle McDonald told reporters Wednesday. “We’re seeing a lot of those athletes that have been kind of in and out of the lineup just really lock into their consistency and their confidence, which has been exciting to see. And I think Frida’s a big part of that.”
There’s a subset of Bruins this season who are “bubble athletes” that bounce in and out of lineups depending on the team’s needs that week and how consistent each gymnast has been. Lineups have looked different in nearly every meet and could change again Friday when No. 19 UCLA (5-9) travels to No. 24 Stanford (1-8).
Esparza has been in the uneven bars lineup for six out of eight meets this season, with scores ranging from 9.200 to a 9.950 in the Bruins’ last meet against Cal. She’s competed in the event in the past four meets.
She’s worked her way into balance beam, too, in the last two meets. She scored 9.150 after a routine that included a fall against Utah but bounced back to reach a 9.900 against Cal.
Being on the bubble can give a gymnast mixed emotions, according to Esparza.
“It’s stressful, but exciting,” Esparza said Wednesday. “If you’re there for a hot second, it does get a bit frustrating.
“But in a way, it kind of helps the whole team because they see how much those…
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