When junior Rebecca Meyer transferred to Missouri in August 2015, she wanted to offer something she thinks stops some college students from competing as gymnasts: a second chance.
“A lot of people that stop gymnastics don’t always have a choice in it,” Meyer said. “Many athletes’ careers get cut short due to injury, financial reasons or because they are not prepared for the commitment of a collegiate sport.”
Less than two months after coming to Missouri, Meyer founded the club gymnastics team, an opportunity she thinks will help former gymnasts and newcomers find the motivation to compete in the sport. Missouri became one of only two universities in the state to enroll in the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs, along with Washington University.
The club gymnastics team practices from 8:15-10:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 9-11 a.m. on Saturdays at Tiger Academy of Gymnastics on
Mojave Court. Featuring a co-ed roster of more than 40 students, club gymnastics offers a no-cut policy that allows all undergraduate and graduate students to participate, regardless of their previous experiences in the sport.
“I think people are intimidated by the fact they have to come in and do well in gymnastics, but we really want to be accepting of everyone,” club Vice President Courtney Logal said. “We have a lot of people who came in with little or no experience, but everyone works at their own pace and learn wherever they start.”
Like the university’s Division I team, the women’s four main activities are vault, bars, beam and floor. Vault and floor overlap with the men’s agenda, which also includes pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar.
All eight of the activities take place during the team’s meets, in which gymnasts work individually and as a team to contribute toward an overall team score.
Each athlete begins his or her competition with a score up to 10.0. But points can be deducted for errors in execution, technique and timing, part of what Meyer thinks makes the sport unique.
“No other sport that I can think of requires all of the strength, agility, flexibility, timing and mental focus of gymnastics and judges you on it,” Meyer said. “It requires an incredible amount of time and effort to be able to maintain the level of performance that it takes to be a great gymnast.”
During the inaugural season, club gymnastics members traveled to Michigan, Illinois and Ohio to compete in three national competitions, all taking place in the spring semester.
The men’s team finished in second place overall in Eastern Michigan University’s Michigan Madness Meet in March. Teammates Chris Rediehs and T.J. Kennedy finished the tournament with the highest score among any other duo that competed from over 20 schools.
“Considering that we only had two guys going and got second place, [the Michigan Meet] was just a really big honor,” Logal said. “It showed us how quickly we could grow as a club, compete in meets and continue doing the sport we love.”
In addition to the spring meets, the team will pair up with Washington University to co-host a NAIGC competition at the St. Louis Gymnastics Center this semester. Although none of the tournament dates are official yet, Meyer said arrangements are being made to host the partner meet in late October or early November.
The gymnastics club has received sponsorships from Head To Toe Dancewear and Volz, Inc. over the past year to allocate tournament expenses. This support helps with lodging, traveling, equipment and uniform costs. The team also intends to organizing fundraisers this semester, including car washes, T-shirt sales and a Flips For Tips stand at Speakers Circle.
After completing safety waivers, students can join by paying dues that vary depending on involvement. Anyone is allowed to try out for $5 per practice, but dues can range anywhere from $200-350 per semester to practice at least twice a week and compete in meets.
**Contact information:**
To learn more about Mizzou Club Gymnastics, visit the team’s [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/mizzou.club.gymnastics/?fref=ts) or contact one of the following team members:
**Rebecca Meyer, president and founder:** rcm7w2@mail.missouri.edu
**Courtney Logal, vice president:** cnlyb9@mail.missouri.edu
**David Aytes, coach:** aytes.8s@gmail.com
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_