When asked about the number of freshmen on this year's team, Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson pointed up to the 2000 National Championship banner.
Jepson said the 2000 team had seven freshmen, and he has talked to this year's squad about the accomplishments of the championship team.
This season's team is extremely young, boasting nine freshmen and one redshirt freshman, and the entire team is using this influx of young talent to prepare for the upcoming season.
"It's kind of like a new fresh start," senior Noam Shaham said. "I see them and the excitement in their eyes and remember how I was freshman year. It makes me want to go back, and I get excited too."
This fresh start comes after Penn State finished fourth at the qualifying session of the National Championships last season, failing to earn a berth in the NCAAs.
But Jepson does not see being a young team as an excuse to slack off. The No. 1 priority is to see a good attitude and good work ethic from everyone on the team, Jepson said, and he has seen it thus far in practice.
Since the gymnasts are so young and still have to become accustomed to the collegiate level, they will need more than just their talent to compete at such a high level.
"We have a good talent base, it's not overwhelming, but the character is really key. That's what wins championships," Jepson said. "You can have talent, but if you don't have the character to go along with it, it's not going to happen."
The Nittany Lions view conditioning as a priority, and while the season does not begin until Jan. 9, they have been working hard in practice. Jepson's goal is to have one of, if not the most fit team in the country.
The team's workout will certainly help as it tries to reach that goal. After starting with strength and conditioning training, the Lions are now starting to work on routines.
And there is a reason why routine work begins after strength training.
"Last year, my senior year [of high school], we didn't really do strength all that much," freshman Mackenzie Dow said. "We started doing strength here, and it got a lot easier to fight through routines and pull stuff through."
Having so many gymnasts without any collegiate experience could be difficult, but it also gives the freshmen a chance to go through the experience together. Dow said it alleviates pressure on him because everyone will be feeling the same jitters, and it helps to be able to relate to someone.
Since the team is so young, the leadership role will fall upon the four seniors on the team. Shaham, Matt Greenfield, Allen Harris and Nick Virbitsky will have the duty of guiding the freshmen through their first collegiate season.
But they cannot perform the routines for the younger gymnasts. Shaham said all he can do is give good advice and hopefully set a good example.
Having such a young team is new for coach Jepson, and while he said his team is not going to win a national championship this year, he is excited for the experiences the year will bring.
"For me it has been a lot of fun. We do have the groundwork for [a championship] maybe in the future," Jepson said. "Stepping back a little bit and realizing we have to take more of a basic approach and lay a foundation, it's very different from what we've done the past couple years. It's a nice change, but you can't take your eye off the ball, and the ball is another banner."
