The Stanford name holds value to student athletes, no matter if measured by academics or the strength of its storied men’s gymnastics program. While the end goal of competing for the Cardinal may be similar for many, their paths to the Farm couldn’t be more unique.
For Marcus Kushner, family ties and being local to the school are key. His father is a Stanford men’s gymnastics alum and grew up in San Mateo, California—close enough to Palo Alto that he did his club training at Stanford Boys’ Gymnastics. Training on campus helped Kushner with the transition from being a high school athlete to a college freshman, as he was comfortable with many of the coaches before joining the team. His work ethic in the gym as a pommel horse specialist was on display every day as a potential recruit, rather than only at competitions. With an opportunity that not many get, he made the most of it, and he matter of factly states, “Who I am in the gym is really reflective of my gymnastics.”
His phrase, “It pays to be good at pommels,” holds merit, being the event that few approach with the patience it demands. Coming into collegiate gymnastics with the level 10 pommel horse national title to his name was no small feat. Neither is training a skill that hasn’t yet been…
