When it comes to NCAA sports, many people assume one is discussing football, baseball, wrestling, or even swimming. However, the rising college sport of Acrobatics and Tumbling has been increasing in popularity since 2020, according to thencata.org. Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling emerged on college campuses in 2009, with the first-ever meet being held in 2010. Since then, several colleges and universities across the nation have added the women’s varsity sport to their rosters.
Composed of standing and running tumbling as well as elaborate acrobatic stunts, the sport contains elements of All-Star cheerleading, power tumbling, and gymnastics. Therefore, the sport is extremely versatile and composed of women from differing sports before joining A&T. West Liberty University’s NCAA Division II team’s head coach, Kelsey Kyle, states that “Acrobatics and Tumbling is an interesting, but incredible sport,” and she also points out that West Liberty’s athletes are “recruited from different backgrounds, including but not limited to cheerleading and gymnastics” to bring forth different “skill sets and disciplines.” With a diverse skill set, A&T teams can combine the strengths of all athletes to exert the team’s full potential.
The competition prospect of Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling is similar to that of a track or gymnastics meet, where two to three teams go head to head in a match competing one after another in six events. Each of the six A&T events also has multiple heats within them. The first event, “Compulsory,” features a combination of mandatory skills that each team must perform. The event involves four heats of acro, tumbling, and tosses containing required skills that are reevaluated every three years by the committee. The compulsory event is considered to be the basics of the sport per NCATA (National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association), and it must be completed skill-by-skill as written for up to 40 points in the event and 10 per heat.
The second event of the A&T meets is that of “Acro,” which features three different heats of intense acrobatic stunts with 2-3 base athletes and a top athlete being lifted. The first heat consists of a five-skill acrobatic stunt, the second heat has six skills, and the third has seven. This part of the meet and the other to follow is not predetermined by the A&T committee, and each team is permitted to compete for different skills to the judges, as long as coaches report a start value score and an outline of skills being completed before the competition.
The third event, “Pyramid” also contains three heats. The pyramid segment is building-based acrobatics to form a pyramid combining an entrance, structure, and dismount of the top athlete. In each heat, a pyramid created by the team to incorporate a single required skill is performed by each team. After the pyramid heat, a fifteen-minute halftime is held which is similar to other sports.
Following halftime, the next two events are “Toss” and “Tumbling.” The toss portion also consists of three heats similar to baskets in All-Star cheerleading and occurs when the base athletes use their arms and legs to launch the top athlete into the air. The tumbling event is built of three individual passes and three synchronized tumbling passes designed to showcase elaborate tumbling skills. Every small detail, perfection, and flaw is accounted for in the overall score.
The final event of the typical A&T meet is the team routine, which combines all elements of each event into a single action-packed, high-intensity routine set to music, similar to a cheerleading routine. The team routine can contain up to 24 athletes and carries the highest point value of all events. During West Liberty University’s meet against Hawaii Pacific University, while Hawaii Pacific was the winner, the two team routines were extremely close in point value due to every small detail counting towards the overall score.
While it may not seem like it to those oblivious to its nature, the college sport of NCAA Acrobatics and Tumbling is a very challenging yet rewarding woman’s sport. The sport is guaranteed to rise in popularity as more and more schools continue to add an A&T team to their roster. Built upon strength, endurance, and teamwork, the sport is sure to pave the way for successful athletes and individuals alike.
*Photos taken at 3/3/24 Collegiate Meet – West Liberty vs. Hawaii Pacific, Credit to Jaxson Brown of New Philadelphia High School
