“I didn’t really want to dance ever, so I was just like you know what, I suck at this, I’m never gonna do it,” Olympic’s Clark Klent aka Stephen Nedoroscik had confessed talking about his initial reservations about Dancing With The Stars. However, with every passing week and blistering performances—that literally included a Superman-inspired routine—the gymnast seems to be catching up pretty well. So much so that he’s even taken up coaching duties for Arnold.

While Nedoroscik’s Olympian buddies have been going around the country for the Gold Over America Tour, the Penn State student has kept himself busy by trying his hands at new things. And within that has evolved a camaraderie between the gymnast, his longtime girlfriend Tess McCracken, and Rylee. But before we get to that…

YouTuber Joe Vulpis caught up with the Nittany Lions alum to talk about his DWTS journey so far. In an Instagram post from October 4, Vulpis shared a brief snippet where he was seen asking, “What do you guys do outside of the dance studio?” to which the 25-year-old responded, “Me and Rylee, we’re not just coach and student, we’re friends.” Vulpis further asked, “You took her to the pommel horse?”

Revealing that he has indeed made the attempt, Nedoroscik went on to say, “She actually did surprisingly well. The thing about pommel horse, is it’s not easy at all.” But Arnold turned out to be quite the curious student, as it turned out. “Over the hour we were there, she was able to do a full leg cut and back,” Nedoroscik lauded Rylee’s gusto. “It was fun because it was like my introduction to her of my world,” the gymnastics celebrity smiled as he went on to note how well Arnold did for her first time.

“She kind of struggled doing a push-up, and I was like, she might have trouble supporting herself on the horse…it looks so simple, but the amount of attention to your shoulders, your wrists, the toes, and the knees,” Rylee’s dedication was once again venerated.

As for Nedoroscik and McCracken, they have been dating since 2017 after they met in the freshman year of college and instantly hit it off. In fact, there’s hardly a place where Tess isn’t there to support her boyfriend. Just last week, the 26-year-old adorably matched her outfit with the gymnast—who was in a Superman inspired red and blue costume—by wearing a red outfit herself. But amid being a support structure for the pommel horse specialist, Tess has also formed a solid bond with the dancer.

“Like Rylee has come over to my place and me, my girlfriend and Rylee will just like play Facetime with one another, or like Code Games,” Nedoroscik shared on the podcast. In another interview on September 27, the dancer also shared the adorable equation the trio share.

Having said that, there’s also another interesting aspect we still haven’t told you! While this was the first time that Arnold came to meet the pommel horse properly, it wasn’t her first interaction with gymnastics by any means…

Stephen Nedoroscik keeps inspiring others to follow in his footsteps

Ahead of the Dancing With The Stars kick-off, Nedoroscik’s national teammates made their way into the studio to support their pal on his new venture. Brody Malone, Ian Gunther, Fred Richard, and Nedoroscik did their best to help Arnold learn to execute a salute. But unlike Stephen’s latest experience teaching her pommel horse moves, his Team USA cohorts weren’t enthralled by Rylee’s attributes as a gymnast. “Trust the process,” they assured her, but it wasn’t something to be, and the gymnasts concluded her chances of being a professional gymnast didn’t look too bright. But Nedoroscik isn’t one to give up on his fans and closed ones easily.

His own eye condition remains one of Stephen’s biggest challenges when it comes to pursuing a life in gymnastics. But he knows that if he can do it, others can too. He leads by example, and love has also poured in from the community, ensuring Nedoroscik that his triumphs also help to inspire the younger gymnastics enthusiasts. “A couple of mothers have reached out about their sons. One of them had strabismus, which is when your eyes are crossed, and you know they thought like, he couldn’t do sports. And he thought he couldn’t do sports. But sure enough, like after seeing me at the Olympics and seeing me on Dancing With the Stars you know, he started to tackle like football,” the gymnast told Extra TV last week. Adorable, isn’t he? Share your admiration of the gymnast who helped the USA break a 16-year medal draught in Paris with a comment below!