The U.S. men’s gymnastics team left for Paris on Thursday. This summer, they’re looking to win their first gold medal since 1984. Two of the athletes train at EVO Gymnastics in Sarasota, Florida, and one of them is the world’s best pommel horse rider, Steven Nedorosic. Growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, Nedorosic’s nickname was “Spider Monkey.” It suited him well, as he would climb walls to scare his babysitters. By the time he was 4 years old, his parents knew they had to get him into a gymnastics gym. “On my first day at the gym, I climbed all the way up the ropes,” Nedorosic said with a laugh. “Then they asked me to join the gymnastics team. We accepted, and that was it.” The rest, as they say, is history. Nedorosic went on to win multiple Massachusetts state and youth national championships. But Steven didn’t really believe in himself until his senior year of high school, when he won the Junior Olympics and was inundated with college scouts. “That was definitely the moment I thought, ‘Okay, I can do something with this,'” Nedorosic said. Nedorosic went on to Penn State and specialized in the pommel horse, which requires a different skill set than other events. “He just circles beautifully,” Team USA assistant coach and former Olympian Sheik Ceasar said while describing Steven’s abilities. Nedorosic won two NCAA championships while at Happy Valley and had a chance to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But when the lights were at their brightest, Steven struggled. “I failed,” he said. “I felt the pressure and I was crushed by that pressure. So it wasn’t a surprise to me that my name wasn’t called, but it was still sad.” Not making the team in 2020 didn’t discourage Nedorosic. Rather, he used it as motivation to work even harder. “There have been so many times in my career where I’ve been able to turn a negative into a positive,” Nedorosic said. “So I quickly redirected that energy, got back in the gym and just started working.” The hard work paid off. Steven will head to Paris with Team USA for the 2024 Olympics and make history along the way. Nedorosic is the first American gymnast to make the Olympic roster as a single event specialist. “Watching him do the pommel horse against someone else is art,” Caesar said. That art is about to be on full display for the whole world to see. The team will also get to see Steven’s fun, quirky side. “During the competition, while the other gymnasts are hanging out or concentrating on their next competition, Steven might be solving a Rubik’s cube in the corner,” Caesar said. “That’s the quirky part that makes Steven Steven.” Steven Nedorosic is an Olympian. This spider monkey never expected to be an Olympian. “I don’t think anyone in the world expected that I’d be an Olympian,” Nedorosic said. “It was my dream to be here and I’m so honored to be a part of this team.” The men’s gymnastics competition begins on July 27th.
SARASOTA, Fla. —
The U.S. men’s gymnastics team left for Paris on Thursday, hoping to win their first gold medal since 1984 this summer. Two of its members train at EVO Gymnastics in Sarasota, Fla., including the world’s best pommel horse rider, Steven Nedorosic.
Growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, Nedorosik’s nickname was “Spider Monkey” – a fitting nickname for a boy who would scale walls to scare babysitters – and by the time he was 4, his parents realized they needed to get him to a gymnastics gym.
“On the first day we climbed the ropes to the top,” Nedorosic said with a laugh, “and then they asked us to join the gymnastics team. We accepted and that was it.”
The rest, needless to say, is history.
Nedorosik won multiple Massachusetts state and youth national championships, but it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that Steven truly believed in his abilities. When he won the Junior Olympics, college scouting really started to pick up steam.
“That was definitely the moment when I thought, ‘Okay, I can make something out of this,'” Nedorosic said.
Nedorosik went on to Pennsylvania State University and specialized in pommel horse, which requires different skills than other sports.
“He has a really beautiful circle,” Sheik Ceasar, an assistant coach on the U.S. team and a former Olympian, said of Stephen’s abilities.
Nedorosic won two NCAA championships during her time at Happy Valley and had a chance to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But during her brightest moments, Stephen struggled.
“I messed up,” he said. “I felt the pressure and it just crushed me. So I wasn’t surprised when my name wasn’t called, but it still hurt.”
But missing out on a spot in the 2020 national team didn’t discourage Nedorosic. Instead, he used it as motivation to work harder.
“There have been so many times in my career where I’ve taken a negative and turned it into a positive,” Nedorosic said, “so I quickly redirected that energy, got back in the gym and just kept working.”
The hard work paid off: Stephen will head to Paris with Team USA to compete in the 2024 Olympics, and make history in the process: Nedorosic is the first American gymnast to be named an Olympic event specialist.
“When you watch him do the pommel horse with someone else, it’s like art,” Caesar said.
The artwork will be available for the whole world to see, and it will also showcase the fun, quirky side of Steven that his team loves.
“While other athletes are hanging out or concentrating on the next competition, Steven might be in the corner solving a Rubik’s cube,” Caesar says. “It’s the quirks that make Steven Steven.”
Steven Nedorosic is an Olympian, a title you never thought a spider monkey could hold.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who expected me to be an Olympian,” Nedorosic said. “It’s been a dream come true to come here and I’m so honored to be a part of this team.”
The men’s gymnastics competition begins on July 27th.
