Life was different for Shachar Tal in Israel.

Tal took pride in his mandatory responsibility to serve as an Israeli soldier just as his father had. He served his country, but devoted his spare time to the passion that led him to the U.S.

Tal has been a gymnast since he was old enough to attempt stunts in his house and attend the limited number of open gyms in Israel. At 14, he earned a spot to represent Israel’s gymnastics squad and he placed eighth of 60 in his first international competition. It was clear he had a gift.

He traveled across his hometown of Tel Aviv to work out in one of the few gyms available and increased his chances of competing at the highest level. Adversity presented itself in the form of limited work space, broken fingers, over-worked wrists and pushy coaches, but all of Tal’s hard work seemed to pay-off when he began conversing with Ohio State’s Doug Stibel.

Communication with the assistant coach and the hope of success swayed Tal in the right direction.

“Ohio State has been the best decision and the best-suited program for me,” he said.

Adjustments were required. Still, Tal said he handled it well.

Tal has had three years to adjust to the team-oriented spirit of OSU gymnastics. In Israel, he competed for individual accolades and was often in competition with those that trained with him. Whether or not they considered themselves friends as they prepared was irrelevant because when he raised his hand to compete it was to compete against them.

Moving to America, where individual accolades are not as important as team performance, it became a priority for Tal to adjust. As a part of the OSU gymnastics program, it is normal for him to train with his teammates, but rather than compete against them he competes for them. The input from his teammates and coaches contributes to his success and in turn helps the team.

“When I raise my hand to compete, it’s only me,” he said. “[But] if you do good for yourself, you do good for the team.”

Tal has grown to embrace the spirit of teammwork and encouragement among his fellow OSU gymnasts. When asked if he could see himself in the upcoming 2012 Olympics, he denied interest but praised teammate Brandon Wynn.

“The Olympics are not in my upcoming plans,” he said. “But Brandon Wynn is the strongest I have seen in his event and is good enough to compete for 2012.”

Tal will graduate from OSU with a degree in finance and will continue gymnastics with OSU until the conclusion of this year’s World Competition.

With two decades of the gymnast lifestyle behind him, Tal will open another chapter of his life in Los Angeles after graduation, but he will forever embrace OSU as his favorite part of Ohio.