Maggie Nichols Inspires Local Cheerleaders With Her Journey

Last Thursday, New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services brought World Champion gymnast Maggie Nichols to town for a powerful community conversation called Strength & Resilience.

WHO IS MAGGIE NICHOLS?

Maggie, who won gold with Team USA in the 2015 World Championships, was featured in the Netflix documentary Athlete A, which chronicled the investigation into sex abuse allegations against Dr. Larry Nassar, who worked as the team physician for U.S.A. Gymnastics for nearly 30 years.

That investigation ultimately unearthed over 500 victims (including 9 Olympians) and landed Dr. Nassar in prison, where is he currently serving two 60-year sentences.

In advance of her New Beginnings appearance on the campus of Kentucky Wesleyan College (where Maggie and I recounted her career and activism), we arranged for Maggie to meet with various cheerleaders from around Owensboro-Daviess County. We all met up at Cheer Zone, where Maggie shared highlights of her gymnastics career, details of her strict training regimen, and the secrets to her immense successes on and off the mat.

MAGGIE NICHOLS AT CHEER ZONE IN OWENSBORO

Following some impactful conversations and some really interesting questions from the student athletes, Maggie graciously posed for some group shots and photos with the individual teams.

After leaving elite gymnastics, Maggie Nichols joined the gymnastics team at the University of Oklahoma, where she became one of the most successful college gymnasts in history. She led the Sooners to the NCAA Team Championship in 2017 with the vault heard 'round the world.

Then, in 2018 and 2019, she won the NCAA Individual All-Around title. In 2020, she was on course to three-peat, but the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended her season and college career. When it was all said and done, however, Maggie finished with 140 event titles.