With more confidence in herself, Grace McCallum ready for return after injured season

SALT LAKE CITY — The last year has been anything but usual for Red Rocks gymnast Grace McCallum.

A month into her sophomore season last year, McCallum suffered a serious knee injury on vault that kept her out of competition for two months as she rehabbed. Realistically, it should have been a season-ending injury, but McCallum persisted and made it back in time for nationals to compete on bars and beam.

Add to that the "hard decision-making" of deciding on whether to put her collegiate career on hold to pursue another Olympics bid — to say nothing of losing a head coach a month before the 2024 season started — and there was a lot at play in the offseason for McCallum.

But going into her junior season, McCallum is refreshed, confident, and ready to be back on the floor again as an all-around competitor.

"I think it just means a lot more being able to compete again, just because I missed half of last season," McCallum said. "It's made me appreciate it a lot more, and just enjoying every moment. ... I've gone through both competing on all four events almost every weekend to sitting on the sidelines and watching, so I feel like I have a good perspective."

That perspective has made McCallum a "phenomenal leader" for the team, head coach Carly Dockendorf said. McCallum has the trust of the team in every event — much like in year's past — but she's added to that with her leadership off the floor, too.

"I think for her, just being back and being able to be out there and do what she loves is really exciting for her and for the team," Dockendorf said. "I mean, she's a phenomenal leader. She leads by example every single day, and to have her out there competing on all four events, I think, provides a lot of stability and experience and trust in her for the team."

Already one of the most versatile and veteran gymnasts on the Red Rocks, McCallum said she's entering her junior season with more confidence and trust in herself, especially on beam, where she said she's lacked the most confidence over the years.

"I've always struggled with my confidence on beam, and I feel like this year, I've never felt so confident," McCallum said. "Yes, I'm human, I make mistakes and I'm gonna have little bobbles here and there, but overall, I just feel so much better and more confident."

As part of that, Dockendorf said McCallum is giving herself "some more grace with making a mistake" in how she performs and not expecting perfection. Instead of getting too worked up over a missed opportunity and being too hard on herself, McCallum is trying to keep everything in perspective.

"I think she's just started to like the event more, so I think you can see her confidence build in it. ... Now she's like, 'OK, yeah, maybe that wasn't great, but next time it'll be better,' and I think that's really helped provide some patience for her and a little more love for the event," Dockendorf said. "And in return, she's obviously gotten a lot better at it."

McCallum plans to have similar routines this season — including her patented wolf turns where she throws in something extra each week — but with that renewed sense of confidence that should make beam more enjoyable.

In turn, that confidence will carry over into the other events and allow her to be more present with her teammates, especially as a leader on the team. Super seniors Maile O'Keefe, Abby Paulson and Jaedyn Rucker continue to have the biggest impact, McCallum said, but she's find her own voice, as well.

"I think it's important to really kind of be authentic to yourself and just kind of be your own leader," McCallum said. "You don't need to follow somebody just because they're such an amazing leader. So I guess everybody has their own leadership roles and styles, so I'm just trying to figure out what mine can be for the team.

"I hope I can just push the girls in the gym to work really hard every day and just know that I'm there for them whenever they need it. If they ever need to ask a question or just need somebody to stand there with them in the gym while they do extra or whatever, I just want to be ready for them all the time."

The Red Rocks open the season with a home meet at the Huntsman Center Friday (7 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks) against Boise State before a first-of-its-kind gymnastic invitational event at the Maverik Center, featuring the Red Rocks in a quad meet against LSU, Oklahoma and UCLA on Jan. 13 (2 p.m. MST, ABC.

"I think this is a great meet to start with, because it's not a ton of pressure and it's just — it'll be fun to get back out there and compete against a great team, but also not have the added pressure of going against, like, Oklahoma because they're the No. 1 team," McCallum said. "But it'll be a great start."

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