History was made at the University of Florida’s Stephen C. O’Connell Center during Equality Night as Fisk University and Talladega College participated in the first-ever gymnastics meet featuring two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Meet Day for your Bulldogs 🐶💙
📍: Gainesville, FL
🏟: O’Dome
⏰: 7PM EST
🆚: Florida, Talladega & George Washington
📺: SEC Network +#GoBulldogs pic.twitter.com/t6oLo2tcHg— Fisk University Gymnastics (@FiskUGymnastics) January 12, 2024
🎉 #MeetDay The Talladega Gymnastics Program 🤸 will make history today, January 12, as they kick off their inaugural competition season. Click the link to learn more https://t.co/pv7K8Ya15X. 🎥 To watch live, visit https://t.co/zXLp6aZeJx. #OneCommunity #OneTalladega pic.twitter.com/w69wao2kJw
— Talladega College (@Talladega_1867) January 12, 2024advertisement
In February 2022, Fisk made history by becoming the first HBCU women’s gymnastics program in the nation, and Talladega followed suit last January, collaborating with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics and the HBCU Gymnastics Alliance.
During Friday’s meet, marking Talladega’s inaugural debut, gymnasts from Fisk University, guided by Coach Corinne Tarver, and Talladega College, led by Coach Aja Sims-Fletcher, showcased their skills.
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My Yurchenko 1 1/2 vault debut. pic.twitter.com/ylOoQrdU6a
— Kyrstin Johnson (@KjFlips05) January 18, 2024
Despite not securing the top spot, Talladega’s young team performed admirably in their first collegiate competition. In the school’s press statement, Coach Sims-Fletcher expressed optimism, saying, “We saw some good difficult skills tonight and saw where we can improve. It’s only up from here.”