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McLean’s gymnastics team finished the season with two wins, but its athletes found success in stronger skills, steady support and an ability to adapt when plans changed.

Seniors Donna Davidova and Olivia Nguyen, this year’s captain, said goodbye to the program after the team’s final meet on Feb. 11. With a large junior class returning, the team is already looking toward new leadership for the 2026-27 season.

Junior Leila Peleg said she and fellow juniors Delilah Tanner, Veronica Payne and Evie Klett plan to step up as seniors and help guide the team.

The gymnasts also made technical gains throughout the season. Nguyen learned several new skills, including a backflip on the balance beam and a double-back dismount—two backflips—on the uneven bars. Peleg improved her switch leaps and hopes to advance her tumbling skills next season.

That progress was reinforced by a team culture that kept practices rewarding and helped athletes recover from disappointing routines.

“Every year I’ve been on the team, everybody has put in their best effort,” Peleg said. “Our morale always brings the mood up and makes the situation feel less serious and fun.”

Snow days and canceled meets created an unpredictable schedule, while changing lineups tested the team’s flexibility. Nguyen said the gymnasts remained calm under pressure, responded well to feedback and adjusted when circumstances shifted.

The season still brought challenges. Peleg identified Yorktown as the team’s toughest opponent, and McLean sometimes arrived at meets without enough gymnasts. She said teammates never made one another feel inadequate and credited Coach Chelsea and Coach Courtney with helping the group work through setbacks.

For Nguyen, the season also marked a personal return to gymnastics after a two-and-a-half-month break caused by extreme burnout. Coming back helped her rediscover her enthusiasm for the sport and taught her the value of slowing down.

“As a team, we’ve learned how to have fun at meets despite being in stressful, competitive environments,” Nguyen said. “Sometimes we’re so focused on trying to be impressive and perform well that we forget to enjoy ourselves and the sport.”