From the pommel horse to the dance floor: The Olympic athlete trained in Sarasota is announced as a candidate for “Dancing With The Stars”
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Stephen Nedoroscik has been announced as the first star for season 33 of Dancing With The Stars.
The Sarasota-trained gymnast captured the hearts of Americans at the 2024 Paris Olympics, bringing home two bronze medals. His coaches at Evo Gymnastics in Sarasota, nicknamed “Pommel Horse Guy” and “Clark Kent,” said they were overjoyed.
“I think everything he does has to do with the fan base he gets. He just promotes the sport in such a positive light. I think we’re all excited to see him just go out there and put on a show and do it with his whole heart and as the individual character that he is,” said Sam Mikulak, one of Nedoroscik’s coaches.
Mikulak said he had never actually seen Nedoroscik dance, but he was always impressed when he did something he put his heart and soul into.
“He has a great hip turn on his circle, which makes him one of the best pommel workers in the world. So I’m excited to see whether or not that translates to dancing, and I’ll be watching the whole time,” Mikulak said.
Jim Helmich, a professional ballroom dance instructor and owner of Ballroom City, said Nedoroscik still has a lot to learn before winning the show.
Helmich said one of the biggest challenges for Nedoroscik will be dancing with a partner.
“As a gymnast, he’s on his own, but now he’s dancing with a partner. That’s always the hardest part about ballroom dancing, because the definition of ballroom dancing is two people dancing as one to music,” Helmich said.
Helmich said Nedoroscik also needs to loosen up and move his hips differently, adding he is confident Nedoroscik can do that.
“Like any sport, it’s about repetition. You have to do it over and over again so you don’t have to think about it. So you can really enjoy it and just show that you’re having fun. Some people I’ve seen get so nervous and stiff,” Helmich said. “That might be something he needs to work on, too. I’m sure he got stiff with his pommel horse.”
Both Helmich and Mikulak said they would keep their fingers crossed for Nedoroscik and hope he wins.
“Dancing With The Stars” premieres on Tuesday, September 17th on ABC.
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