Since 2007, Felecia Mulkey has been on the frontlines of building out an entire sport. “Acrobatics & tumbling” wasn’t adopted until 2011. In 2020, it became an NCAA-sanctioned sport. Williams_Justin on Mulkey, the mastermind behind it all.
It illustrated just how far A&T has come since 2008, when Mulkey drove across the country with her two dachshunds, a lifelong Georgia girl moving to Oregon to coach a sport that didn’t even exist.“And when we say gymnastics, we’re talking about artistic gymnastics, which is what you watch in the, along with power tumbling and then acrobatic gymnastics, which is what you see in Cirque du Soleil,” Mulkey said.
In the summer of 2007, the University of Oregon followed Maryland’s lead and announced its own intentions to make competitive cheer a varsity sport, which was redubbed “team stunts and gymnastics.” Mulkey was desperate to start something similar at Kennesaw State, so she cold-called Oregon, looking for advice. That eventually turned into a job interview and an offer to become the head coach of the Ducks’ new program.
“Because it was created at the collegiate level, we could shape it through every lens,” said Janell Cook, who has served as executive director of the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association since 2014. “Through an athletic director’s perspective, a coach’s perspective, a fan’s perspective, and also bringing in the positive elements of other sports and how they’ve evolved, all while making something new.”The sport grew steadily.
Motivation for the growth varied. At the Division I level, most schools added A&T to help fulfill Title IX scholarship requirements. Division II and III schools used it as an enrollment enticement. Yet despite the Title IX battles the sport was forced to fight in the early going, trailblazing for women in college athletics — in a sport with significant, widespread interest — was always at its core.
“It’s kind of made-for-TV, too, with these natural breaks in between each heat, but that was accidental,” said Mulkey, who added that for most A&T schools, meets have become either the second- or third-highest-attended female sport on campus, behind women’s basketball and/or volleyball.Mulkey — or Coach Fee, as she’s known throughout the sport — has been integral to all of it.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
One in three may struggle to make ends meet in retirement, report warnsThe average man is set to receive £19,000 in income per year after they retire, compared to £12,000 for women, the report by Scottish Widows said.
Read more »
Meet the diamond wedding couple who are celebrating 60 years togetherA DIAMOND couple revealed the secret to a happy marriage is to “Live, Love and Laugh” after they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
Read more »
Government must move faster to meet net-zero legal obligations says Climate Change CommitteeThe Climate Change Committee says the government must move faster if it is to meet its legal obligations on net-zero policies. alextomo reports.
Read more »
Man arranged to meet sellers to buy their phones - then turned in horrifying wayGumtree user told people he wanted to buy their phone... then left them traumatised
Read more »
RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under unveils season 3 cast and launch dateMeet the queens...
Read more »
Supreme Court Strengthens Religious Freedom Protections for WorkersEmployers will have to meet a higher standard to deny religious accommodations in the workplace, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously
Read more »