University Park, Pa.- On Saturday, three women's gymnastics seniors, Tess McCracken, Erynne Allen and Kristen Politz, will compete in their final regular season meet at Rec Hall. All of them will have one final meet at Rec Hall when Penn State hosts an NCAA Regional on April 2-4. Coming from Texas, Georgia and New Jersey, each one of them has shared in fond memories both collectively and individually during their time in Central Pennsylvania.
Before beginning their journeys at Penn State, one of the biggest aspects that attracted them to Happy Valley was the feeling of community. Community within the team and within each other standing as one is what set this school apart from the rest.
"I visited multiple schools, but this one, within half an hour of being here, really felt like home," said Tess McCracken. "That was a big thing because all the other places I went to were nice, but there was just something about them that felt like I didn't fit in with automatically. Here I just remember walking across Old Main and feeling that this is where I want to be."
"The first place I went on campus was Dunkin' Donuts," said Erynne Allen, who transferred to Penn State prior to her junior year. "I saw a picture of Beaver Stadium during a football game. I remember looking at the picture and seeing all the people there and thinking 'Wow, this place is a family.' There were 100,000 people in the stands and they looked like one big family. I just felt this overwhelming sense of unity and being a part of something so much bigger than yourself. Obviously whenever I met the coaches that just escalated, it just immediately felt like home."
With every passing meet, new memories were made that were unforgettable. Even a trip to Illinois, where the team had to drive 13 hours, was one of the most memorable experiences, no matter how hard they try to forget.
"Our flight got canceled, so instead of a short flight to Chicago, we drove 13 hours to Illinois, and then we drove 11 hours on the way back," said McCracken.
"The whole trip was just comical," added Allen. "I feel like every funny moment we have comes from that trip because we spent so much time together. It was one of those things where we just kind of had to embrace what it was, and we just enjoyed it."
Every new season brought on a new challenge and goal, but the little moments in preparing have remained the same. Although not all long-standing superstitions, simple actions have helped prepare the seniors mentally before competing.
"My sister is a worship leader, and she has a couple songs on iTunes but one that she released last summer is called 'Surrounded,'" said Allen. "Whenever I do my walkthroughs at meets, I'll play her song and it's just something that calms me."
For Politz, she has found a go-to dinner the night before each meet, salmon.
While the seniors have those little moments and bus rides they'll remember, they're hoping to leave their mark on the program in a bigger way.
The powerful three women want to leave behind a legacy for the future of Penn State gymnastics as the beginning of a new chapter. To be remembered not only for being a part of a new era under third-year head coach Sarah Brown, but also for the way they lead through kindness.
"I want us to remember how much the program has grown in the past couple of years and how it'll be on the rise for years to come," Politz said. "I know we're going to stay engaged and connected, so we want to see the success of the program go even further. For us to be kind of the new era of the new coaching staff, I think that's kind of a legacy we can leave behind."
Penn State has been a place of growth, and another place they call home. The memories and hope the family at Penn State has provided has resulted in amazing times for the years spent together. As the three seniors go into their last regular season meet in a place they spent so much time together, the journey was worth it.
"My experience and journey here were more about just believing what I'm capable of," Allen said. "I think of flowers a lot. After the winter, the first flower that blooms I think kind of describes my experience here. I came to Penn State and it was like all of the rain allowed a flower to grow.
Everything that this school has given me has just been the rainbow at the end of the storm, the flower that grows, and just like believing there's good to come even when you don't see it. I think that Penn State has proved to me that if it's not good, it's not over. I moved on, I came here, and I found my good."
