RAPID CITY - Kippy Udehn made the 3-hour drive from Sturgis to Kadoka 3-4 times a week last winter for her love interest.

"(Gymnastics) gets into your heart and soul, and it is part of who you are," said the Kadoka gymnastics coach, whose daughter, Skye Lindquist, was a senior in the program. "It does become a part of every gymnast."

But Udehn will no longer make the drive. She is stepping down as Kadoka coach, which leaves the Class A program with an uncertain future. Not only is the school's gym closed, but Kadoka will have a tough time finding a certified coach to replace Udehn.

"One of the colleges (in the state) needs to offer a coaching certification program," said Udehn. "That has to happen. We are growing older. There have been people that have been coaching for years, and our time is running out."

Hot Springs gymnastics coach Dana Nachtigall knows the sport has been pegged for extinction before.

"I think there's always rumors," Nachtigall said. "Every year, when I was a gymnast, they would talk about it. I feel like we've always had to fight for the sport, but as long as everyone has a part in that, we'll be all right."

There have been challenges for gymnastics before, especially in Class A. In 2002, girls volleyball was moved to a fall sport and competed for some of the same female athletes.

"It was a tough blow to gymnastics," Udehn said. "That's what hit the small schools more than anything. Last year, I had the girls to make a competitive team, but they chose to play basketball."

And once you have recruited gymnasts, one of the challenges for a small program is maintaining their interest, said Nachtigall.

"I can't speak for other people's program, but in our program, we try real hard to keep the excitement up," Nachtigall said. "We work on goals, and we work on the family atmosphere. I just don't feel like there is time to focus on the negative when you have a four-month season."

The expense of gymnastics is also difficult on small schools, where families generally subsidize the sport, not the district.

"I suspect in the future, all schools in the future will have to do what Kadoka does," said Udehn. "I suspect that is the way it is going to be with all activities with the way the economy is going."

But finding quality head coaches and assistant coaches is far and away the toughest issue.

"We just really do not have qualified coaches," said Udehn. "It takes a lot of work, skill to get people to spot the girls. We can't take someone who hasn't safely spotted before."

"It's harder to find coaches and officials," said Rose Dubois, a gymnastics official. "There are no feeder programs in the state," DuBois said, referring to colleges and universities that have gymnastics teams and train coaches. She said the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University no longer offer programs.

"That's a big part of it," she said. "To find qualified coaches, its getting harder and harder."

It will be as tough as ever to keep the state's 15 Class A programs going.

"We are going to lose teams in the coming year," Udehn said. "It's a beautiful sport. It's sad to see what is happening to it."