Marty Gordon
Two gymnasts from Virginia Techniques Gymnastics in Christiansburg have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their careers on the collegiate level.
Riley Corvin is headed to Mars Hill and Eva Dicken to East Texas Baptist, both to participate in the gymnastics sport of Acro and Tumbling. The two live in Christiansburg.
The sport is the evolution of different disciplines of gymnastics, which includes the athletic aspects of competitive cheerleading. The format was created at the collegiate level in 2009 to address the interests and abilities of young women competing in this skill set.
Acrobatics & Tumbling is a separate and distinct sport from Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics ; the governing body for all teams is the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association. Effective August 1, 2020 Acrobatics & Tumbling was approved as an NCAA Emerging Women’s Sport for all three NCAA divisions.
A total of 48 schools sponsored varsity Acrobatics & Tumbling teams during 2021-22. This includes six on the Division I level, 33 on Division II and nine Division III.
Acro dance is known by various other names including acrobatic dance and gymnastic dance, though it is most commonly referred to simply as acro by dancers and dance professionals. Acro is an especially challenging dance style for dancers as it requires them to be trained in both dance and acrobatic skills.
Baylor University won this past year’s national championship in the sport.
Several national sports media outlets has labeled Acrobatics & tumbling as the next big thing in women’s college sports.
The two will follow in the footsteps in one of the Christiansburg training facility’s alum and current University of Kentucky standout gymnast Rayna Worley.