This year, the gymnastics team was triumphant both on and off the beam. Although the team had only two wins, the girls’ team bond and support for one another made this season successful overall.
With seniors Donna Davidova and Olivia Nguyen, who served as captain this year and said goodbye to McLean gymnastics after the season, this year’s juniors look to build their leadership skills to ensure an even better 2026-27 season.
“There are going to be a lot of seniors next year, because we have a lot of juniors this year, including Delilah Tanner, Veronica Payne and Evie Klett, so we’re all going to step up and try to lead the team,” junior Leila Peleg said.
This season also proved to be full of skill improvement and the polishing of technique.
“I learned many skills this year, but my favorite ones are a backflip on the balance beam and a double back dismount (two backflips) on the uneven bars,” Nguyen said.
The team’s tendency to support each other and improve together makes practice rewarding and contributes to stronger performance at meets.
“Every year I’ve been on the team, everybody has put in their best effort. It’s amazing to see everybody support each other, especially when somebody may not be happy with their routine. Our morale always brings the mood up and makes the situation feel less serious and fun,” Peleg said. “I think we all improved so much in our skills, learning new tricks and trying to be the best gymnasts we can be.”
Another thing that made this season different was the unpredictable schedule due to multiple snow days and meet cancellations.
“A strength I immediately noticed about the team was our adaptability since we were flexible when lineups changed. I also saw how we consistently stayed calm and focused under pressure, and easily responded to feedback,” Nguyen said. “I think these qualities made us a great team.”
The team’s spirit was the main motivator of this season, but like with every sport, the ups came with several downs. Still, the team hopes to practice and come out stronger next year.
“Yorktown was the hardest school to go up against, and at some meets, we didn’t have enough people, but nobody ever makes another team member feel less than or inadequate. We work through all our obstacles together, especially because we have such caring coaches, Coach Chelsea and Coach Courtney,” Peleg said. “I improved on my switch leaps this year and next season I’m hoping to advance my tumbling skills.”
With the girls’ last meet on Feb. 11, Nguyen recognized gymnastics’ contribution to her personal growth and teaching of life lessons that will stay with her, as well as her teammates, forever.
“Gymnastics has taught me the importance of taking breaks and slowing down. Before the season, I actually took a two-and-a-half-month break due to extreme burnout. Returning to the sport after that helped me find my spark again,” Nguyen said. “As a team, we’ve learned how to have fun at meets despite being in stressful, competitive environments. Sometimes we’re so focused on trying to be impressive and perform well that we forget to enjoy ourselves and the sport.”
