By Adam Saks

I recently got the chance to sit down with Freshman BRLI members on the Cornell Gymnastics team, and get their thoughts on why their team was so successful this season. When talking with the women, it instantly becomes apparent that the team dynamic was instrumental in helping them to win both an Ivy League Championship and an ECAC Championship, the first time in Cornell history that the gymnastics team has accomplished such a feat.
 
The gymnasts attribute much of their success to the team's dynamic and leadership.  From the first meet, the standard was set.  At an invitational at George Washington University, the team recorded the highest score since the program started in 1974. Reflecting on their record-setting performance, the freshmen insisted that nobody really knew how they were doing as a team, and "everyone was just focused on hitting their routine".  
 
Recent IVY Success
The team won this year's Ivy Classic Championship, a feat not accomplished by the Big Red gymnasts since 2010. It happened in dramatic and surprising fashion, where they actually tied Brown University to win the championship, an extremely rare occurrence in Gymnastics. While the other teams finished competing, the ladies anxiously awaited the scores. Despite some minor errors, the team had a great overall performance, which was precisely what they needed. As freshman Malia Mackey explained, "We knew we had a chance to win, but we had to hit", which implies not having any falls in your scores and limiting small mistakes. Ultimately, the team's performance brought an Ivy Classic title back to Ithaca, but they also went on to additionally capture the ECAC title.
 
The Role Leadership Plays in the Success of the Team
BRLI delves deeply into leadership development and how to cultivate a great culture on any team. While many people are aware of the fundamental elements of a great team culture, a large part of BRLI is the discovery of the leadership actions required to implement that culture.  Captains Krystin Chiellini '17 and Kaylie Cronin '16, did an excellent job in establishing their leadership. The captains were described as "very approachable" and "there for you".  In gymnastics, which is dependent on the performance of the team as a whole, being able to fully rely on one another is pivotal to success; having leaders who prioritize this type of culture makes all the difference. 
 
Freshman Christina Luniewicz asserted, "We have such a good team dynamic this year; everybody gets along so well". The team began to coalesce when the freshmen first stepped foot in the gym.  Right from the start, they were welcomed onto the team, and rather than being told what was expected from them, the freshmen were "asked what their aspirations were as a team and what they wanted to incorporate into the team". The upperclassmen made the freshman class feel important and valued right from the start, and that group has been quintessential to the team's success this year. They also noticed how positive the captains always were. When necessary, freshman Morgan Chall added, "the captains will turn down the music, cheer for each other, and really bring the team together."  The other freshmen chimed in quickly, explaining that these actions definitely solidified the "standard for getting along and how to work together".  BRLI programming emphasizes that standards form the foundation of any culture, and the steps taken by Chiellini and Cronin illustrate this concept well.
 
The gymnasts give additional credit to a "team values meeting" held early in the fall semester. In this meeting, the 23 women on the roster sat down and came up with "The 10 Commitments", all promises to each other to be kept the entire year. The freshmen took particular note that the meeting wasn't triggered by a failure or lack of commitment, but rather an intense desire to hold one another accountable.  Accountability is paramount in BRLI's development of leaders, and it forms the basis of trust among teammates.  The Commitments helped the team to get on the same page about team aspirations, and a goals sheet kept in the gym served as an upfront, daily reminder to keep them motivated during the long season.
 
What does BRLI Mean to you and what impacts has it had on you?
While the gymnastics team embodies many of the team qualities that BRLI members discuss, I also got to find out about the individual impact the program is having.   BRLI sessions are often highlighted by athletes from different sports sharing stories about acts of leadership and other impactful moments that they have experienced on their respective teams. The gymnastics freshmen found these moments insightful, explaining how "it's nice to talk with other freshmen, see their team environments a little more, and see what they like most about their teams". Morgan Chall mentioned that she noticed many other sports "mimicked her team" in the similar thinking that "we are freshmen but we can still contribute in our own way".  They noted how the team values meeting held in the fall closely parallels an exercise done in the BRLI freshman programming, and they particularly liked how it helps them to be accountable for their actions on a daily basis. These women surely believe in what their team can accomplish this year, and show promise that they will further the great team dynamic in years to come.