THE START OF ‘ SOMETHING SPECIAL ’

Augustana Acrobatics & Tumbling Makes History With Inaugural Season

| BY RYAN HILGEMANN

On Feb. 4, the Augustana Acrobatics & Tumbling (A&T) Team took to the mat for its inaugural meet — a first for South Dakota and the region. In front of a packed crowd at the Elmen Center, the Vikings hosted the University of Oregon Ducks — a founding member of the sport.

This was a moment nearly three years in the making for Augustana Athletics. The groundwork for Augustana’s A&T program was laid in 2020. At a time when colleges and universities across the country were eliminating sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Augustana announced the addition of the sport on Nov. 19, 2020, along with the men’s swimming & diving program.

“Acrobatics & tumbling is a great addition for the Augustana community and Sioux Falls, and AU Athletics is proud to be part of a university that is always looking at unique and innovative ways to grow and serve students,” Director of Athletics Josh Morton said.

Recognized as an NCAA emerging sport, acrobatics & tumbling is the evolution of different forms of gymnastics, as well as the athletic aspects of competitive cheerleading — primarily recruiting women who competed in these sports in high school. It is not uncommon, though, for divers, track & field and weightlifting athletes to be members of an A&T roster. Individuals and small groups execute acrobatic lifts, tosses, pyramids and tumbling.

Acrobatics & tumbling was created for the collegiate level, and first held competition in 2010 with six founding schools. It has since taken off, with more than 50 institutions sponsoring the sport.

‘COMPETE TO WIN’

In July 2021, Kaelyn Cowan was named Augustana A&T’s inaugural head coach. Cowan, who was a national champion as both a student-athlete and assistant coach, immediately got to work building the program and recruiting a team.

“The main component was a blend of quantity and quality,” Cowan said. “I would explain my goals and that this is a first-year program and we would be learning from the beginning. But, I also said that, at Augustana, we compete to win.

“The culture for our acrobatics & tumbling team focuses on four ‘buckets,’ as we call them. These buckets are communication, accountability, respect and discipline. Every athlete knew these buckets and the expectation behind each before they committed to Augustana. They understood the expectation of being a Viking.”

As Cowan established the culture and expectations, along came the commitments.

“The talent came,” Cowan said. “The Midwest has impeccable athletes from gymnastics and competitive cheerleading backgrounds. Acrobatics & tumbling was just not well-known in the area when I first began to recruit. My job was to explain to these athletes what this sport was about and why Augustana was the place to be. Augustana sells itself once the athletes get on campus.”

In November 2021, Cowan announced a signing class of 17 student-athletes. That class grew to the inaugural roster of 24 student-athletes, featuring a well-blended mix of area graduates and nationwide talent.

“Being part of an inaugural team is an exciting experience,” said Raena Rost ‘26, a base/tumbler. “I feel honored to be part of something new and groundbreaking. Acrobatics & tumbling gives female athletes another avenue to compete at the collegiate level.

“I love having the chance to work with other talented athletes toward a common goal and learn and grow from the experience,” Rost, a Madison, South Dakota, native, continued. “The Augustana community has been so supportive, and it’s been so fun to see the excitement about the A&T team all around campus.”

The team met for the first time in September 2022 when practices began.

“I would say two different emotions came to the surface when I finally saw 24 student-athletes sitting in front of me,” Cowan said. “The first was pure excitement. Coaching is my job, and I had not been able to fully interact with athletes every day. I was excited to finally begin to set the dream that Augustana began to embark on almost two years prior into full motion.

“The second emotion was a sense of peace. The athletes were here. They were on campus. We had completed our first class.”

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WHAT YOU’LL SEE AT A&T

An acrobatics & tumbling meet consists of six events. The first event is compulsories, followed by three heats within the acrobatics event. This is followed by the pyramid event and halftime. Then, student-athletes compete in the toss, tumbling and team events. A running score is kept, and the team with the most cumulative points at the end of all six events is the winner of the meet.