SPA Day Q&A With Stephen Nedoroscik

The world watched Stephen Nedoroscik at the Paris Olympics and America watched him on “Dancing With the Stars.” On Jan. 23rd, Penn State students watched him recall his Olympic journey and reminisce about his time at Penn State.

The event was moderated by Randy Jepson, Nedoroscik’s former coach, and hosted by the Student Programming Association as a part of “SPA Day.” The Q&A took place in Heritage Hall in the HUB, which has a capacity of 500 people, and students began lining up two hours early.

Pommel Horse at Penn State

Nedoroscik found success early in his time at Penn State when he won the NCAA National Championship for pommel horse his freshman and sophomore year. His junior year, he became the first specialist to make the national team.

During his senior year, the rest of the NCAA season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For me as a senior, that broke my heart because that meant that my journey with Penn State was over, Nedoroscik said.

Despite the season getting cut short, in 2020, Nedoroscik was the first specialist to win the Nissen-Emery Award, an award for outstanding senior collegiate male gymnasts. He said he was surprised that he won.

“It’s the Heisman Trophy for men’s gymnastics,” Jepson said.

Nedoroscik spoke about the disappointment of not making the team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and how in response, he decided to focus on the World Championships where he managed to win with a broken wrist.

Handling Internet Fame

Although he competed well, throughout the years, Nedoroscik faced negativity from the gymnastics community for being a specialist because if another gymnast got injured, he wouldn’t be able to do the other events. Nedoroscik said that going viral at the 2024 Paris Olympics and having support was a stark contrast to the commentary he used to receive.

“It was so black and white compared to what I had when I first made that Olympic team because the community when I first made the Olympic team was so negative and hateful,” Nedoroscik said. “Suddenly, we get the job done, and it was so positive and everyone was falling in love with this men’s gymnastics team.”

After the U.S. men’s gymnastics team won the bronze medal, Nedoroscik still had the individual pommel horse event to complete while he was a trending topic online. He ignored it for the few days he prepared the last event because it was a distraction.

When I say, like, it was a journey of its own navigating social media and this sort of internet fame that I received, it was overwhelming to say the least, Nedoroscik said.

Nedoroscik won the bronze medal in the individual pommel horse final.

From the Gym to the Dance Studio

Due to him being a social media sensation, “Dancing With the Stars” reached out to Nedoroscik before the Olympics were even over and only gave him one day to accept the offer to be on the show. The audience cheered when he said that joining the show was the best decision ever.

Transitioning from the gym to dance studio proved to be just as difficult as training for the Olympics. Nedoroscik said he spent around eight hours a day practicing and that he once put in a 13 hour day.

“I did the math– I danced more in 2024 than I did gymnastics,” Nedoroscik said. “That’s how hard I trained for ‘Dancing With the Stars’.”

Jepson asked Nedoroscik who he would like his girlfriend, Tess McCracken, to be paired up with if she were to go on “Dancing With The Stars,” and Nedoroscik said Ezra Sosa because Sosa helped him throughout the season.

“I think Tess and Ezra would tear up the dance floor,” Nedoroscik said.

Life As a Nittany Lion

The Q&A opened up to student questions, and many were curious about his Penn State experience including his favorite places to eat on campus. He said he enjoys eating Wings Over, and his favorite downtown bar is Doggie’s Pub.

“I love Doggie’s,” Nedoroscik said. “They have some really good hot dogs, and if you guys haven’t tried ‘em, I recommend.”

Students cheered when he said he danced for THON in 2017. Nedoroscik said that it was the first time he danced in front of a crowd.

“I loved THON,” Nedoroscik said. “That was one of my favorite memories of Penn State.”

What Now?

Nedoroscik admitted that a year ago, he had stage fright and that the “Dancing With the Stars” Tour has helped him with his confidence and public speaking. He expressed gratitude for the opportunities he has received because of the Olympics and his sudden internet fame.

“It’s unbelievable what this Olympic journey has done for me and my life,” Nedoroscik said.

In terms of his future athletic goals, Nedoroscik said he feels less pressure because he has already accomplished a lot, but he wants to keep going.

I want to make that next Olympic Games, Nedoroscik said. I want that gold medal.

Did you attend the Q&A or the Dancing With the Stars Tour at the BJC? Show us your pics and tag @VALLEYMagazine on Instagram.