Senior Letters: McLean, Karas Reflect on Four Years Together

This week, seniors Emma McLean and Olivia Karas wrote about their four years together, trying to sum up an incredible journey with long-lasting memories that has included three Big Ten Championships, three Big Ten regular season titles and one NCAA Regional title along with many more individual honors and accolades.

Emma McLean

Well, this is like a walk down memory lane for me. I remember the first time we walked into the gym once we arrived on campus. We were both amazed that the moment was finally here. After knowing you for a couple years prior to being freshmen, it was finally our time. It's the little things I will never forget, like seeing our lockers with our names on them for the first time and the first feeling of wearing a leotard with the block 'M' on it for our first picture day. We were star struck. From then on, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be with you by my side.

We became inseparable instantly, almost a little too inseparable. It was rare for people to see one of us without the other. A common nickname for the two of us was "the little ones." You could always find us together. From sprinting to the bus stop after Greek class, to spending sleepless nights on the floor of my dorm eating cereal, freshman year was about surviving each day. We couldn't have done it without each other. I got to watch you take over NCAA gymnastics our freshmen year, and since then you have done just that and then some. Not only have I always been amazed by your talent, but your ability to make anyone in the room laugh is truly impeccable. I just don't understand how one can pick up any accent or character so quickly and act it to perfection. You would give any stand-up comedian a run for their money.

Sophomore year, we moved into our house and learned a lot about how to be adults, doing things like paying our own bills, cleaning the house and making meals for ourselves. Don't even get me started about the cleaning. I think I would walk into the house every other day to you bleaching the floors, rearranging the kitchen or organizing the shoes. I always appreciated when you cleaned the house. Not only did you always keep the house clean, but you were always down to try a new recipe for dinner. Slowly but surely, we learned how to take care of ourselves.

Junior year was about growth. You went through something that I wish you never had to experience -- a season-ending injury. But, once again you amazed me with how you handled this challenge. You decided to rise above the situation you were put in and make the most of it. This year took a lot of strength from you and I had the pleasure of watching you grow from the inside out. From the moment we stepped on this campus we have always taken care of each other. You had to bathe me when I was in my neck brace freshman year, and now it was my turn to bathe you, lol. At this point, I don't think there is anything that we haven't done together.

Then senior year rolled around and here we are, living our best lives. We have proven over and over again that nothing can stop us. These four years have been filled with a lot of ups and downs and I wouldn't trade this experience with you for the world. From taking weekend trips to Chicago, tubing at Torch Lake, trips to the "Outback," teaching you about the powerhouse of the cell, learning about your French paintings, searching for produce in 7/11, competing next to you in a lineup, juggling melons and much, much more, I couldn't have asked for anyone better to have been by my side these last four years.

Olivia Karas

I met Emma at Michigan camp when we were sophomores in high school. We were just little aspiring Michigan gymnasts (she had already committed, and I didn't commit until August of that year). We instantly clicked. It's like we knew we were going to be teammates, we just worked well together.

It's funny that we got paired up as a two-person class because we really just are not the same at all. We honestly couldn't be more different, which is what makes it even better because we complement each other so well. She's into all of the "science" things like biology and movement science, while I couldn't take a science class to save my life. I do all of the writing and English stuff. She has taught me a lot about science, specifically that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and I have helped her with my writing abilities. We've added a new layer to each other. And speaking of layers, we've shaved some layers down, too. Everyone jokes that I am extremely emotional (which is true), but Emma just isn't. It isn't that she doesn't have emotions, she just doesn't express them as visibly as others do. Without her knowing, though, I think with us being so close for four years, her emotional side has kind of emerged and my "I'm fine" mentality has emerged as well. We almost extracted the inner feelings out of each other.

Emma has taught me a lot about myself in the past four years. Her love for natural healing and positive thinking to promote personal wellness has made me rethink how I go about my own healing. Her love for life is infectious. She has the ability to teach people how to rethink and re-evaluate situations in their life to think in a more positive manner. This goes for both general life experiences as well as gymnastics-specific instances. Her phrase, "I'm fine," that she uses when things in warmups at a meet or during a practice after a long week of class don't go as planned speaks directly to who she is. When things don't go as planned, she is just fine.

She has been through a lot in the past few years, but no one would ever know based on the wonderful poise she carries herself with and her fantastic performances on the floor. Never once would someone have known she was going through her own struggles because that just isn't who she is. She isn't the type to bring others down when she is battling her own stuff. And that's what makes a great leader: someone who essentially puts on a poker face when she walks into the gym to get her work done. She has really taken the leader expectation up a notch.

I feel like a cliché here is acceptable considering the circumstances, but we have been through it all together. We've won championships together, helped each other do basic day-to-day tasks when the other is unable (through my surgeries and her being in a neck brace our freshman year), we've traveled, gone from Adidas to Nike, roomed together in hotels far too many times and have helped extract the fun out of each other each day. She has made doing this whole college gymnastics thing even more fun than I could've ever imagined.

I'm so proud of her for everything she has done as an athlete, a student and a person while at Michigan. We aren't done yet, but wow, what a ride it has been. The most important thing is that Michigan brought me a lifelong friend and partner in crime. Thanks for being the best, Bubbles. Here's to Senior Day!

University of Michigan Athletics