Talladega College gymnastics star Kyrstin Johnson has transferred to Temple University. Johnson made the official announcement yesterday on her personal X account. Johnson was the first gymnast from an HBCU to win an NCAA Team Competition.
This news comes after Talladega College announced last month that the gymnastics program would be shut down after only one year. Although the program had an extremely successful year, it was shut down due to a lack of funding. The team even looked to outside support to save the program, but unfortunately fell short.
The team needed $500,000 to save the program. The funds would have been used to cover the team’s operating budget and provide 6.5 scholarships for student athletes. The team received support from many, including Black Girls Do Gymnastics, an advocacy organization helping to guide Brown Girls through their acrobatic careers. BGDG also partnered with the Isla Foundation to help Talladega save the gymnastics program.
“We are calling on all supporters of HBCUs, women’s sports, and gymnastics to join us in our efforts to save the Talladega College Gymnastics Program. Our goal is to raise $500,000 to cover the team’s operating budget and provide 6.5 scholarships. Donations can be made to The Isla® Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that has partnered with Talladega Gymnastics Parents Club (TGPC) to facilitate this urgent fundraising campaign. Donations will be monitored by TGPC” BGDG wrote in a press release.
Before an announcement was made regarding the status of the gymnastics program, Talladega recruited ten new gymnasts. In the press release, the college stated that both former members and new recruits would have to find new teams. There has yet to be word if other members of the team have transferred or plan to transfer.
During her first year at Talladega, Johnson won a national title in vault at the USA Gymnastics Championships. She was also the first gymnast to commit to the gymnastics program at Talladega. In an interview with HBCU Gameday back in April, Johnson shared her personal experiences at Talladega.
“It’s something I just started. I feel like now that I’m at Talladega, I can actually be free to be myself,” she said. “I felt like in J-O (junior olympics), I always had to pull my hair up or put it in a braid. I would see the other girls braiding each other’s hair, doing this, and I would be in the back struggling, trying to take off my bonnet, trying to lay down my edges, and try to make sure the part was straight in the back of my head. But now I can just do a wash and go. Let my hair out and flow, and just do my thing out on the floor.”
Talladega College announced in 2023 that it would be starting a gymnastics team, following in the footsteps of Fisk University. They were the first HBCU gymnastics team in the state of Alabama. They were also the only HBCU team with the most National Qualifiers in a year.
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