Olympic dreams are on the line this week for KC-area gymnasts Leanne Wong, Kara Eaker

Making it to the Olympic trials is a feat not many gymnasts will accomplish during their careers. But for the gymnasts competing at this weekend’s U.S. Gymnastics Trials in St. Louis, it’s not time to celebrate.

Not yet.

Top 10 finishes at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships two weeks ago qualified Leanne Wong and Kara Eaker, two elite entrants from GAGE Gymnastics in Blue Springs, for the trials. Al Fong, GAGE’s owner and coach, said both are where they’re supposed to be in the process, so no one is throwing a party just yet.

“You have certain mile-markers to see if you’re progressing: Are you meeting your goals?” Fong said. “So, here we are at this mile-marker, going into the trials. And it’s exactly where we want to be right now, so it’s not something that you celebrate about … because it’s not that, it’s just now we’re at this next step.”

Wong and Eaker will have had a quick turnaround with just two-and-a-half weeks between the U.S. championships and Olympic trials. But in Wong’s estimation, that’s a good thing.

There’s no time to fall out of routines or competition-level endurance, but it’s enough time to appreciate how far they’ve come while knowing the work is not finished.

“It’s kind of that mindset of knowing that you’ve accomplished this much, but you can’t allow yourself to celebrate fully yet,” Eaker said. “You can be proud of your accomplishments, but you still have to keep your mind focused on the next step ahead. You can’t totally just go away from the hard work and the discipline and the goals that you still have set.”

Wong, a recent Blue Valley High graduate, placed fifth in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth two weeks ago, just 4.8 points away from the top two. Wong has a legitimate shot at securing one of four all-around spots, and placing in first or second in St. Louis would guarantee her a spot in Tokyo.

The other two spots will be selected by the U.S. gymnastics committee.

There are two individual event roster spots available, as well, and one of them is still up for grabs (Jade Carey has secured one spot already). This year’s roster format — four all-around spots, with two individual event roster spots — is new for the Tokyo Olympics. There will also be several alternates named in the case of injuries or COVID-19 positive cases.

It’s the individual events in which Eaker, a recent Grain Valley High graduate, could find her pathway at Tokyo. She placed fifth on beam after a near flawless routine on day two of the U.S. Championships. She placed 10th overall, but that wouldn’t be a concern in securing an individual spot.

National team coordinator Tom Forster said after U.S. championships that the individual spot is aimed at winning those events specifically, and the gymnast chosen doesn’t need to be at the top of the all-around.

The key for both of them making the team?

“Make less mistakes,” Fong said.

Eaker’s first day on the beam in Fort Worth included some errors that weren’t up to her standards. But on the second day she cleaned up her mistakes. She said being able to adjust has been a “confidence boost” going into trials.

Wong and Eaker were “good enough” at championships and they made it to trials. Now they have to reach the next level physically and mentally. Then, if they make the team there’s another level, and another still if they get the chance to compete in Tokyo.

“So you get to peak upon peak upon peak upon peak,” Fong said. “It’s a real delicate balance between the right mix.”

On top of reaching the next level at every step, the margin for error is razor-thin: Every movement, every turn, a brief loss of balance — it all matters. For Wong, that’s where the consistent training comes in, knowing she has a strong foundation to rely upon.

Because of that, she’s not going to overthink the competition.

“I am in a good spot, mentally and physically, but I’m just trying to treat it as like any other meet,” Wong said. “So I’m not trying to overthink it, like, ‘Oh, this is the biggest meet in my life.’ I’m just trying to focus on my gymnastics and just do the same thing that I do any other competition.”

The Olympic trials are one of the biggest stages gymnastics offers, and knowing there’s huge interest in the sport is exciting to Eaker.

“In the end, there’s nothing that can be changed about what other people do, who the selection committee is going to choose,” Eaker said. “It really just comes down to you doing your job, and that’s really what you have to think about when you’re going into competitions like these. It’s just that switch of your mindset of just focusing on your own body and what you’re doing.”

With the St. Louis trials taking place so close to home, family and teammates are making the trip to support Wong and Eaker in person.

“I love that they get to be there for me and Leanne, and just being able to see them afterwards,” Eaker said. “I’m really excited for that.”

The first evening of the women’s competition begins at 7 p.m. Central Time on Friday. Day two is 7:30 p.m. Sunday. All four days of the trials will be broadcast on NBC Sports.