Acrobatics and tumbling leaps into second season

Augustana’s acrobatics and tumbling team is leaping into its season with a 2-0 record after taking on Concordia University Wisconsin in a home game at the Elmen Center. 

On Feb. 26, the Vikings dominated the compulsory event, winning all three heats and outscoring Concordia in every other event with a final score of 252.77 to 225.41.

Collecting their seventh win in program history, the Vikings’ recent home competition marks their third sweep of all events: compulsory, acro, pyramid, toss, tumbling and the team event. 

Despite having only started working together in 2022, the group managed to secure a No. 13 preseason ranking for 2024 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.

“We have seen the team grow in numbers and in confidence over the last two years,” head coach Kaelyn Cowan said. “Our returners have come back with increased confidence and understanding of the sport. We are working on continuing on the path of excellence that we began to create last year.”

The Vikings traveled to Florida on Feb. 18 for their first competition of the season, securing a victory against Saint Leo University with a final score of 256.430 to 251.190.

The team’s biggest leads were in tumbling (51.700 to 50.700) and acro (28.650 to 25.250), with 28.650 being the highest score an acro event has received in program history.

Sophomore Natalie Homerding said she believes the Vikings’ win can be accredited to their support for one another. 

“I think our team dynamic is very special and is the very thing that has helped us succeed,” Homerding said. “Everyone is so supportive and genuine, and we share a competitive mindset that allows us to push each other to get better.”

Senior Kay Greene said her team’s comradery during the competition was the biggest highlight of the meet.

“Throughout the meet, both teams were battling for the top, so after finishing our last event, we did not know what would happen,” Greene said. “So, while waiting for the final scores, we decided to form a circle, and everyone started to talk about what they were grateful for at that very moment, regardless of how the meet was going to end. Even though they were brief words, everyone was tearing up.” 

Despite being rather new to competing, the Vikings won four out of six events. In the events they lost, they lost by less than a point. 

In the toss event, the Vikings earned a 26.500 to Saint Leo’s 25.800. In the pyramid event, the Vikings came out on top with a score of 28.400 to 25.800.

For many of the team’s members, the meet in Florida was one of their first times competing in acrobatics and tumbling.

Freshman Maren Irvin said she hadn’t even heard of acrobatics and tumbling until her senior year of high school. While her training in gymnastics gave Irvin confidence in her physical performance, she said she faced some mental barriers before the competition. 

“As I was preparing I thought, ‘Oh, this is really nerve wracking. What if I mess up?’” Irvin said. 

However, Irvin said she was able to lean on her teammates and realize the competition was a group effort. 

“It’s not just me out there. It’s with the team,” Irvin said. “So, it’s kind of like finding confidence within the team and then finding it within yourself.”

As one of the few seniors in the group, Greene said she thinks of her teammates as younger sisters. She said she values the trust she and the girls have in each other and their ability to push one another towards being an even stronger team. 

Senior Olivia McIlravy said she believes mentality is everything when competing. 

“We have to turn our mindset into knowing that we can do this. You can have all of the skills, but if you don’t think you can do it, you’re not going to be able to,” McIlravy said. “We are a very close-knit team. I feel like we went into the meet this weekend feeling prepared and knowing what we were capable of.”

Sophomore Adriana Ware said she believes her team has grown significantly in the past year, and their performance in Florida highlights a notable improvement.

“It’s one thing to have the skill, but it is another to be able to execute it well under pressure, and that is what my team did,” Ware said. 

Ware said that even though she signed up for the base position, she strives to provide her teammates with more than just structural support.

“I was recruited to be a base, but I also like to be my teammates' support system,” Ware said. “When they are stressed out or feeling overwhelmed, I am that shoulder they can lean on to ease some of their anxiety. I have found some of my closest friends being a part of this team, so when I face challenges, I can depend on my teammates to help me through it.”

Moving forward, the team plans to continue pushing each other towards more success. 

Ware, Homerding and freshman Kalena Suquet said their sights are set on winning a national championship this season. 

“Making rankings this year as a second-year program is crazy,” Suquet said. “It puts pressure on us. We want to be better than we were last year. We know that we are better than 13th, so we just want to keep climbing and hopefully make it to nationals this year.” 

The acrobatics and tumbling team will return to the mat on March 9 against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.