East Tennessee State University disbanded the men’s indoor track and field team in May 2023 with plans to bring a new world of athletics to the university. Aiming to comply with Title IX rules and regulations, the University has officially announced the addition of a new women’s sport: acrobatics and tumbling.  

“ETSU is proud to be at the forefront of supporting new competitive opportunities for women, and we are thrilled to bring another exciting spectator sport to the community,” announced athletic director Dr. Richard ‘Doc’ Sander. 

The program will come to ETSU with an official competition season starting in the spring of 2027. Leading up to that, the school will begin looking for a coach in the spring of 2024, recruit over the summer of 2024, and participate in smaller competitions in spring 2026. The women’s acrobatics and tumbling team will comprise 28 student-athletes.  

ETSU cheerleaders rile up the crowd at recent football game. (Contributed/ETSU).

Acrobatics and tumbling is a new collegiate sport that is gaining popularity across the nation. There are five Division I schools with active teams and two DI schools in the team-building stage, like ETSU. Numerous schools have teams in both DII and DIII programs. King University, just up the road, has had a team for several years. 

Acrobatics and tumbling meets are approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Two or three schools compete in competitions in six events: compulsory, acro, pyramid, toss, tumbling, and team event. Spectators will notice performances that are a mash-up of gymnastics and cheerleading created in this new sport, which took to the collegiate scene in 2009.  

The sport is expected to be considered an NCAA Championship Sport status in 2024 as it is currently recognized as an emerging sport.  

More information about this new and upcoming sport can be found on the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) website.