By Nikki McNair

The 2016 postseason for our Stanford team was a competitive one. There were a good number of top teams in the Ann Arbor Regional who all had a fighting chance in advancing to the NCAA championships, making it the most exciting competition of the season. 

McNair nails an amazing bar set for Stanford last season.

Going in, we knew what we were up against, motivating us to give it everything we had. Tensions were high, but the team did not disappoint. Everyone performed at the highest level with aggressive and beautiful gymnastics, leading us to tie for first place and earning us a chance to pursue the NCAA title. 


McNair competes on beam for the Cardinal.

While we came up little short at nationals, we were happy with the individual highlights and the perseverance the team showed all the way to the finish. Elizabeth Price earned four All-American first team honors, and Ivana Hong got to perform on floor for the first time since 2013, ending her career with grace that inspired us all.

This summer I spent some of my time at Stanford training and simultaneously taking classes. In August, I went to India with the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE). I went with nine other student-athletes from Stanford and Duke and taught English and sports to kids in sixth through 11th grades. 

I don't think I will ever be able to convey how grateful I am for this opportunity. The culture is so vibrant, and to be honest, it was overwhelming at first. The sights and smells and heat and crowds of people don't initially welcome you to the country. But diving in and working with the community is what really aided me in adapting to the unfamiliarity of it all. 



Initially, I didn't know what to expect. I had never taught English before and instructing it to kids who didn't use it as first language was intimidating. 

The first day we were thrown into a classroom in front of 40 kids and told to teach. With absolutely nothing to go off of, I had to find my own way, challenging myself to learn how to engage the children who did not know how to speak my language. 



It was such a unique way of learning more about myself, and it pushed me to become a better leader as I stepped far out of my comfort zone. I could endlessly talk about my experience and the way it has altered my perspective. I have more appreciation for the little things, and I am continuously thinking about what kind of an influence I have and can have on others. 

At Stanford this year, we have three freshmen, each one of them bringing so much personality and ambition to their training. 

Stanford is on the quarter system, so the team didn't get started together until mid-September. But once we did, you could see that everyone was ready to hit the ground running. 

The team gels really well this year, and I am overjoyed. Sometimes teams that work the way we do together are hard to come by. 

With the new enthusiasm in the gym the freshmen bring to such a small team, I am inspired to head into this last season of my career.


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