Scholar Stories: Women's Gymnast McLean Plotting Future in Naturopathy
2/28/2018 10:43:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
Emma McLean is living her dream, one that has been over a decade in the making.
She went to her first University of Michigan women's gymnastics meet when she was 8 years old. Every one of her birthday parties growing up would be spent alongside her club teammates at Crisler. When her parents -- both of whom are Michigan grads -- took her to football games as a child, she saw the cheerleaders and wanted to be one of them one day.
With every passing year, McLean fell more in love with the sport of gymnastics. Every day after high school, she went to Stars & Stripes Gym in Clarkston, Michigan, and spent four hours practicing, perfecting every skill of every routine, hoping one day to compete collegiately.
One afternoon she was driving to the gym and noticed her mother, Leah, following her in a trailing car. When she walked in the doors, the gym was decorated with maize and blue, "The Victors" playing over the loudspeakers. Some of her club teammates pulled her aside and said, "We think you should call Bev [Plocki]."
McLean was offered a scholarship during that phone call. She was just a sophomore.
"They were the first school to offer me," she recalled. "It was a dream come true. I said 'yes' right there."
For McLean, wearing another school's colors just would not have felt right. She has spent every day since that phone call working to improve and now, as a junior, she's developed into one of the most powerful gymnasts in the country. Best of all, she is completely comfortable.
It wasn't always that way.
"My freshman year, I knew I had more inside me," she said. "It took time to get used to the environment, learn the traditions and to trust the people around me. But it all fell into place."
To see just how comfortable McLean had become, look no further than last year's Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines ended the meet on vault and had the title wrapped up by virtue of five hit routines. The scores on vault had been tightly judged all meet, with a sole 9.900 as the score to beat. She was the last vaulter to go.
The pressure was off, so she went for it.
She sprinted down the runway and stuck her Yurchenko 1 1/2, earning 10s from two judges on the panel for a 9.975, winning the event. It was the highest score of any gymnast at the meet on any of the four apparatus.
Check out the look on McLean's face. She came down from the platform and jumped into the arms of student volunteer assistant Cailee Hills. Her teammates went so crazy they almost tore down the corral.
Check out Emma McLean's vault! 9.975! https://t.co/GCumVSLUMn
— Michigan Women's Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) March 18, 2017
"Every time I land my vault like that, I act like I'm so surprised," she said. "I landed and looked in front me, and saw this woman in the stands whom I knew from club. We made eye contact. She just stood up and started celebrating. I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, that must mean my vault was really good!'"
McLean was chosen as one of the team's two captains prior to the season and holds the second-highest average in the country on floor exercise (9.925).
Outside of the gym, McLean is enrolled in the School of Kinesiology, majoring in movement science. She's interested in naturopathy and plans on attending medical school on the West Coast after graduation. Naturopathy is an alternative to more traditional and common medical practices, focusing on non-invasive and self-healing methods like herbal remedies and natural supplements.
"Being an athlete, I've always been treated by doctors who have a more holistic approach," she said. "It opened my eyes to a whole new world. I use a lot of essential oils and natural things to help my body heal. There were times in my life where I'd be in pain and take a Motrin or something, but now, I think to myself, 'What else can I do before that?'"
"There's a place for over-the-counter drugs and surgeries, of course, but if people incorporated natural medicines, I think it would eliminate a lot of illnesses that aren't necessary. Unlike OTCs, which could fix one problem but not the underlying, larger problem, naturopathy really gets to the root of everything."
Growing up, McLean developed dairy and gluten intolerances, and saw a naturopathic doctor for treatment. As a student, she's taken physiology -- her favorite class to this point -- organic chemistry and exercise physiology.
McLean acknowledges there's a stigma attached to naturopathy and how it's a little "unordinary." She's a big believer in essential oils -- she makes her own lotion -- and practices yoga at least three times a week to help speed up the recovery process.
"In our society, not many people know what naturopathy is. There's a lack of information," she said. "If more people knew what it was capable of and what benefits they could get, it would be a bigger thing. I don't think it's a coincidence we were given all of these natural things. We should be using them. They're here for a reason."
For now, McLean is trying to enjoy the moment and lead her team to another Big Ten title, all while making sure to pave the way for the next generation of gymnasts who, like her all those years ago, want to achieve greatness.
"When I see all those little girls in the crowd, I make sure to wave to them," she said. "I know that feeling, sitting there in the crowd recording every single routine and trying to get every autograph. I tell them, 'Keep working hard.' I was them one day and they could be me, easy. It's all a matter of how much you want it."
Players Mentioned
