Rides high in the saddle
Nedoroscik eyes pommel horse crown
For many men’s gymnasts, there is one event that evokes more dread than any other. Be it a high school gymnast competing in the MIAA championships, or an Olympian representing the USA, it is test of strength and endurance that just mocks them from the corner of the gym — the pommel horse.
Unless, of course, you are Worcester’s Stephen Nedoroscik. Then what causes everyone else dread is your calling card.
The Penn State sophomore competes in the first day of competition tonight at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at the Garden, where he is expected to vie for the national title on the horse.
How exactly did Nedoroscik discover that he could master an event that everyone else avoided like the plague? Through an opposing coach.
“It was always one of my favorite events,” said Nedoroscik, who trained at Sterling Academy of Gymnastics in Sterling. “During my sophomore year of high school, one of the other coaches in the area came into my gym and told me I had great skills. He said, ‘You’re going to be Junior Olympic champion.’ ”
Nedoroscik was not convinced. “I said no way,” he laughs now.
What happened a few months later? He was the Junior Olympic champion. A year after, he defended the title. Besides earning national titles, the Worcester Tech grad earned a spot on Penn State’s Division 1 team.
His freshman year, he became just the fourth Nittany Lion rookie to win a NCAA title in his first try, scoring a 14.9 at that year’s national championships.
This past spring, he one upped himself, winning the pommel title in the Big Ten Conference — the most loaded men’s gymnastics conference in NCAA — and then defended his NCAA crown. It was the first time a Penn State gymnast won national titles in consecutive years, a huge achievement, given that the program has been around since 1942.
Both national titles have earned him an automatic berth to the national championships. Last year, he finished seventh at the meet, but has improved since. He clinched third place at the recent National Qualifier, and comes into this weekend with podium hopes.
“I have worked as hard as possible for this competition,” said Nedoroscik. “I feel pretty confident in my abilities for this meet.”
Pommel horse is the only event he will compete all weekend, but that’s not nearly as much of a detriment as it seems. The new Olympic qualification system will limit the Team USA’s 2020 squad to just four gymnasts, but holds spots for event specialists to qualify independent of their national squads. If Nedoroscik could cement himself as the nation’s best on pommel horse, and earn international assignments, who knows what the future could hold?
But Nedoroscik isn’t thinking of that. The modest engineering major just wants to show off this weekend in front of his 15-25 fan deep cheering section. His focus is securely on the event that causes so many heartburn, but gives him joy.
“When I do my turns, I just focus on doing every single one perfectly,” said Nedoroscik.
“And if I don’t, my coaches will yell at me to.”