Getting To The Next Level

Doctors told Alexa Rothenbuescher she should give up the sport she loved in high school. Her love for gymnastics faded as a result.

But now, as a senior on the University of Maryland Gymnastics team, Rothenbuescher set career bests in three different apparatuses and is a mainstay in head coach Brett Nelligan’s lineup. The journey was met with many setbacks, but the Fairfax, VA, native found her love in gymnastics again and is ready to compete in the Big Ten Championships on March 23.

“If you told me where I was today, I wouldn’t believe it,” Rothenbuescher said.

The senior has competed in every meet this season on floor and vault. She even made her debut on the uneven bars early in the season and has remained in the lineup ever since.

She matched her career-best vault score of 9.850 at Towson on March 10. Her bar routine at the Yale Quad on March 3 earned her a career-high 9.925 score. Lastly, Rothenbuescher’s dazzling floor exercise routine against No. 24 Nebraska in front of an XFINITY Center crowd on Feb. 10 netted her a career-high 9.950 score. She keyed an effort to take down a ranked Huskers team despite leading by just .175 entering the Terps’ final rotation.

The student-athlete studying public health science was even a Second Team All-Big Ten selection.

The success of Rothenbuescher took place over time. She entered her freshman season in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic with a severe back injury. She had pain shooting down her legs and couldn't stand for long periods without feeling excruciating pain. Her doctor recommended giving up gymnastics. She didn’t quit the sport, but her love for it quickly declined.

“My first year, it was really hard to adjust,” Rothenbuescher said. “I didn't really like gymnastics at that point. I think the coaches knew, and they were just trying to find a way for me to get back. They were trying to push me, but I was kind of pushing against them.”

Rothenbuescher didn’t compete in a single meet as a freshman despite being a top recruit and committed to Maryland after her freshman year of high school. Her love for gymnastics was a main topic discussed with the coaching staff during her end-of-the-year meeting.

“It was more just showing her that we believed in her and that we knew what she was capable of,” Nelligan said. “Then, giving her the space to find her passion for the sport again. I think that's what worked best for her; that positive support she needed to believe in herself again.”

“That's when I was like, ‘I'm going to do this,’” Rothenbuescher said. “I still loved gymnastics. I just had to find it again. I could get back to where I was before and now, I finally feel that I am at that point. I may not be doing the same skills, but I have the confidence that I had back when I was 16. I can trust myself when I go out there and be the competitor I was.”

The student-athlete wasn’t happy with how things turned out during her freshman year, and she knew something needed to change. She began doing physical therapy during the offseason and slowly ramped up her training. The pain in her back started to fade, and her confidence increased.

Rothenbuescher adjusted to the physically demanding nature of college gymnastics as her training continued. She reassured herself that although she was a different person than before. And that was a good thing.

“When I came back my sophomore year, I was like a new person,” Rothenbuescher said. “The coaches figured out who I was and how I needed to train. They did an amazing job, and I have created a bond with them that is like no other. I don't think I could have gotten that from any other coaching staff.”

The coaching staff’s tactic with Rothenbuescher was patience. The approach netted unforeseen growth.

She made her season debut on floor as a sophomore in 2022 and competed in 13 meets. She was also training vault at the time but wasn’t able to make the lineup for competition. She viewed it as a work in progress.

Her junior season in 2023 was marked by more growth. While continuing to contribute on floor, Rothenbuescher also earned a spot in the vault lineup, and by mid-season, things started to click. Her confidence was at an all-time high.

Still unsatisfied, the Virginia native zeroed in on improving her bar routine and making the lineup on the apparatus.

However, once again, injuries derailed her progress, and her season ended prematurely.

“What impressed me the most was the day after the injury, she put her head down and went right back to work,” Nelligan said. “She never felt sorry for herself. She made the most of her time during that injury with her strength and conditioning rehab and adding the focus on bars.”

Rothenbuescher changed up her bar routine again once she got healthy during the summer entering her senior year. But physical injuries weren’t her only obstacles. Mental blocks also significantly hindered her progress.

“I've always dealt with mental blocks since I was probably 12 years old,” Rothenbuescher said. “It's all about managing it. I often need to go back a few steps and sometimes each coach has a different view on mental blocks.”

She says assistant coach Erinn Dooley helped her overcome her challenges as someone who suffered from mental blocks herself during her competitive career. 

Rothenbuescher overcame her struggles and made her bars debut at Minnesota on Jan. 27. It was four years since she completed a bar routine in competition. She has remained in the lineup ever since.

Rothenbuescher even added a beam routine to her repertoire this season. Despite only competing as an exhibition, she says it is one of the highlights of her career, given that she came to Maryland without a beam routine.

Nelligan explained that Rothenbuescher’s journey is possible, but it’s unique.

“I think we pride ourselves as a staff that is capable of taking gymnasts to the next level,” Nelligan said. “To go from no events to three events, and she's right there at the door for the all-around. I think that combination of just the right chemistry with the coaches, plus a great attitude and work ethic, and you put those together. Growth like Alexa had is possible, but only with those ingredients.”

Rothenbuescher and the Terps are now preparing for the Big Ten Championships.

She says the team has adjusted its mindset to make the routines happen and trust its capabilities rather than letting things happen.

“I'm really excited to see how we're going to perform this weekend just because we've had a few ups and downs at the beginning of the season, but I think we found what works for us,” Rothenbuescher said. “Going into this weekend, I'm really confident in my team and myself and I think we're going to come out with a good performance.”