NASHVILLE, TN (TNTRIBUNE) — Fisk University will launch the first women’s gymnastics program, the first in the nation at a historically Black college and university (HBCU).
The school based in Nashville, Tennessee, made the announcement Friday.
The inaugural season will commence in January 2023. Fisk trustee Frank Simmons spearheaded the project to bring women’s gymnastics to the prestigious university.
Fisk competes at the NAIA level, and is hoping to begin the gymnastics program during the 2022-23 season. The school said it will award athletic and merit scholarships.
There has been an uptick in participation among gymnasts of color at all levels of the sport. Black women account for nearly 10% of the scholarship athletes at the NCAA Division I level, an increase from 7% in 2012. More than 10% of USA Gymnastics membership self-identify as Black.
Fisk has started funding scholarships and plans to work with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that’s dedicated to providing “scholarships, coaching, training and other forms of support to athletes from underrepresented and marginalized groups.”
The school said it will host conferences, clinics and invitationals with the organization.
