By AVERY WIGGINS
ATHENS, Georgia — Following the introductions of Ohio State and Rutgers, the Fisk University gymnastics team was applauded.
Last Monday at the University of Georgia, all of the gymnasts were presented one by one, much to the delight of Fisk fans sitting throughout Stegeman Coliseum. Corrine Tarver, Georgia’s first black gymnast and the first black woman to earn first place in the all-around at the 1989 NCAA gymnastics championship, approached the platform last to acclaim from the entire stadium in her return as Fisk’s teacher.
Tarver returned to her alma school for her team’s third-ever competition. The historic occasion occurred on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, just two days after Talladega College declared the launch of a gymnastics program.
Fisk placed fourth in the field with an average all-around score of 190.100 points in this quad event. It was simply a triumphant tale, as Fisk was able to compete against some of the country’s best gymnastics teams despite being new to the discipline. For Tarver, her experience parallels that of her squad promoting HBCUs among mainly white institutions. She didn’t realize the importance of being one of the country’s few black college gymnasts at the time. “I was going to do the necessary gymnastics to show them what I was made of and force them to give me the respect that I deserved as an athlete,” Tarver explained.
Five-star Fisk recruit takes the stage
The current Fisk gymnasts have garnered regard for their general team and individual achievements. Morgan Price, a highly regarded gymnastics recruit who originally pledged to Arkansas before switching to Fisk after learning about their program, led Fisk in all-around scoring with 39.375 points.
Price certainly stole the show, particularly during the floor exercise, where she danced to marching band renditions of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and “Dancing Machine,” receiving a total of 9.875 points.
There was also the balance board, where Price demonstrated more graceful moves while another Michael Jackson song, “Workin’ Day and Night,” played in the background. During the routine, she received 9.750 marks. “It’s a lot of fun to compete for an HBCU, and just being on an HBCU campus means everything to me,” Price said. But it wasn’t just Price. Zyia Coleman, Liberty Mora, Kiara Richmon, Aliyah Reed-Hammon, and Breyana Daniels also delivered stunning displays. Mora was able to push herself to her boundaries and achieve 9.550 points. She did incredible physical exploits on the balance beam, such as a double somersault with a flawless landing on the beam.
‘It feels surreal’
Coleman and Richmon, both Georgia residents, were greeted warmly by the audience. Someone in the audience exclaimed, ‘You got this Kiara,’ as Richmon did the floor exercise. Another onlooker yelled “Zyia” as she spoke to assistant coach India Anderson to prepare her for the uneven bars. On the balance beam, Daniels and Reed-Hammond were real standouts, scoring 7.575 and 9.225 points, respectively. “We broke our goal today,” Richmon said. “We wanted to break 190 as a team and be here today, and we did that today.” So I’m very proud of the staff, and we’re all very thrilled.”
Richmon and Daniels both attended Fisk after transferring from Southern Connecticut State University. Alyssa Wiggins and Kiana Session are graduates of the University of Bridgeport. All of them desired the opportunity to play for Tarver as well as an HBCU. “It seems strange. The moment we got to share this experience with Tarver, she started to weep, and Richmon said, “I’m just pleased we get to share it with her too.
Even after it was all over, these ladies had a wonderful experience. They all congregated as a group and waived to the Fisk fans cheering them on in section SS. They then posed for photos with members of Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, who were sporting outfits with the words “Future HBCU Gymnast” written on them.
Some team members then met with their families and others who had come out to encourage them. Price, in particular, expressed gratitude to everyone who turned out to support them. Finally, these young women plan to continue making strides and inspiring a new generation of black gymnasts in the same way that their teacher was influenced by her idol Dianne Durham. “It’s exciting for my team to be able to see where I competed,” Tarver said.