What It's Like Dating The Pommel Horse King
What It's Like Dating The Pommel Horse King
Plus: Where those glasses are from...
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On Monday night, Team USA won their first Olympic team medal in men’s gymnastics in 16 years, earning bronze.
While the win was certainly a group effort, Team USA was relying on their results on the pommel horse rotation to seal the deal.
The man up for that task was Stephen Nedoroscik, who made the Olympic team solely to compete in that event because he is THAT good.
I’m sure by now you’ve seen all of the memes of Nedoroscik preparing for his event.
The meditative state! The glasses!
After watching his medal-winning performance, it got me thinking about what it must be like to date someone facing that much pressure on a global stage.
To get some insight into what it’s like dating an Olympic athlete, I chatted with Tess McCracken, Nedoroscik’s girlfriend of eight years.
McCracken kindly answered all of my questions about what it’s like dating an Olympian, witnessing your partner make history, and, of course, where are those iconic glasses from?!
Read our conversation below and consider becoming a paying subscriber for just $8/month to support the work I’m doing during the Olympics and beyond.
Also, I fly to Paris on Thursday and if *anyone* has swimming tickets, please shoot me a DM...
What It’s Like Dating An Olympic Athlete
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can follow Tess McCracken on Instagram here.
First off—congratulations! As a partner of an Olympic athlete, can you first share what it was like watching your boyfriend compete for the medal? I was nervous watching it on the TV!
I have never been more nervous watching Stephen compete than I was Monday night watching the men of Team USA vie for their bronze medal.
I was on edge the entire meet, knowing that in order for Stephen’s routine to mean anything, the other members of Team USA were going to need to hit.
They did an absolutely incredible job and went 17 for 17 before Stephen ever went up to the podium to close out with his absolutely incredible set.
My heart rate gets very high just sitting there.
It was at 120 beats per minute before they had even fully rotated to the final rotation for pommel horse and reached over 140 beats per minute while he was going.
I just really take it all in. I feel everything. I like to think that I'm taking it from him so that he can be more calm.
Did you give Stephen any words of wisdom before he competed in the final yesterday?
I did not give Stephen any words of wisdom or any pep talk really before the meet. He really just stays in his zone on meet days leading up to it.
Not even really texting back and forth really. Just letting him get into the headspace that he needs to be in.
Then about 20 minutes before march out happened, he texted me, “Alright, wish me luck.” So I said, “Good luck” and that's it. It's all he needs.
He doesn't need me to tell him he's gonna go out and kill it. He doesn't need me to tell him to focus. He's got it.
All he needs is just a little bit of luck.
What did you do to celebrate Team USA’s win?!
After the men won their bronze medal, luckily, the US organizers had planned ahead and reserved out a restaurant across the street from the arena.
It was just really nice to get to go somewhere with all of the families afterwards and celebrate because we were spread out throughout the arena.
The athletes showed up once they were released from the arena to have some dinner.
That was amazing—just getting to see him for the first time since we've been here since they're restricted to the [Olympic] Village and the arena, so that was really lovely.
Are you able to attend all of the events with your partner?
So far, I've been to the qualification subdivision that USA was in, and I got to go to team finals.
I will be at the day one of event finals—which includes pommel horse—to watch him compete for the individual gold there.
Other than that, he's very much restricted to the [Olympic] Village and where he has to go.
I have a lot more freedom. I'm just here with my mom. We've been doing all of the touristy things.
One of Stephen’s best friends, Sam Davis, is here, so he's been joining us on some of those adventures, as well.
Are partners allowed to stay in the village with athletes?
Partners are, unfortunately, not able to stay in the [Olympic] Village with the athletes. They all have other athlete roommates.
I know Stephen is rooming with the man that they sent for trampoline.
Fortunately, for me, my mom called me right after he was named to the team at Olympic trials and said, “My passport’s good. It's all ready to go. I'm coming with you.”
Fortunately, she came with me and we're staying over near Bercy Arena.
People did keep asking me if I was going with him and I would say “with” is a stretch. I'm going to Paris to watch him, but he's a part of the USA delegation.
He's with all of the athletes and all of the organizers, and I just had to come here on my own, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.
What are the best perks of being a partner of an athlete at the Olympics?
One of the best perks of being a partner of an athlete at the Olympics is that he looks when you scream his name.
Especially after team final when they'd won the bronze and everyone is chanting “USA” and yelling “Stephen” and “Fred” and “Paul” and trying to get everyone's attention, and they just tuned it all out.
I can scream his name and he hears my voice and he just turns his head around and looks straight at me and that is so much fun to see that he can recognize my voice out of a crowd.
What’s the hardest part?
I would say the hardest part of being the partner of an Olympic athlete are the personal life sacrifices that you have to make. You don't get to live really that normal couple life.
We live in Sarasota, Florida, which is right near Siesta Key. It's right near Clearwater and Tampa and St. Pete.
It’s a really cool area that we haven't gotten to explore all that much recently—or since we moved there back in 2023—because he's been so dialed in, so focused, that he doesn't want to get himself off track.
Living in one of the most beautiful places in the world and not being able to experience it with him is really hard.
Now that he's done, I'm hoping going to be able to take a little bit of a break and go do some exploring around the area that we haven't gotten to at this point.
Is there anything about dating an Olympic athlete that may be surprising to readers?
Something interesting about dating an Olympic athlete is that then you're introduced to other Olympians and other athletes that are on the world stage and just the top of their class.
Because you're so used to your person—I'm so used to Stephen—I've seen him compete and improve over the last eight years, so he's just Stephen to me.
The fact that he's an Olympian is just so surreal.
I get that sense a little bit when you meet the other Olympians. They're these huge people on TV, and they do all this amazing stuff.
Then you meet them in real life and like, “Oh, you're just another one of my friends now.”
That is super cool to me that I know them as people, and I see them as people first and Olympians second.
I must know: Where are Stephen’s glasses from?
Unfortunately, I don't know where Stephen’s glasses are from. I'm pretty sure they're just from his eye doctor the last time he went. They’re nothing special, but I think they look great on him.
If any vision-wear eyeglasses partnerships come out of this, that would be the most wonderful, unexpected thing.
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The little detail about him recognizing her voice in the crowd is so cute!!!
“One of the best perks of being a partner of an athlete at the Olympics is that he looks when you scream his name.” why am I weeping lol