Step-by-Step: Flipping out with USU Club Gymnastics
When I arrived at the gymnastics studio in Utah State University’s HPER for The Utah Statesman’s latest step-by-step video, I had no idea how it would turn out. All I knew was that USU Club Gymnastics was determined to teach me to do a backflip by the time I left — and by the end, I was determined to learn.
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As a serious contender for the most physically inept sportswriter on earth, I came into this experience with little to no background and little to no confidence. My background in musical theater prepared me with a slight understanding of movement, but I was certainly not at backflip level, and I didn’t think it was possible to get there in only an hour. We didn’t have a second to lose, so we got straight to work.
The first step was a quick physical warmup with club social media officer Emma Koehler. Currently majoring in kinesiology, Koehler has participated in the club for four years and was my guide through the whole process. She started us off with a set of jumping jacks and a few laps around the room. Once our blood was pumping, it was time for drills.
Completing the drills in this step-by-step felt like participating in a relay race with no partner. Set up in various locations around the gym, each one was like a gymnastics “mini-game” that helped me practice a certain part of the whole backflip.
The first one required me to jump backwards onto a tall mat, which mimicked the initial takeoff. Next, I hopped up a slanted incline mat on my knees, which felt silly but was also supposed to help with the takeoff. Once I had mastered those, I moved to a trampoline to practice jumping on my back and going into a back somersault. Finally, we moved back to the tall mat, where I laid with my head hanging off the edge then swung my feet over and landed on the ground. We completed each drill five or six times.
Almost immediately, Koehler and I found that my biggest issue with each drill was trusting myself. According to her, it’s easy to feel like the mat isn’t going to be there when you jump back or that you won’t be able to catch yourself when your feet touch the ground. This instinctual fear stops athletes from following through on the motion, which causes them to fail. This — along with a slight fear of looking silly — initially kept me from doing well, but once Koehler hyped me up, I was able to “full send” it, and to my surprise, I got through each drill successfully!
I also had trouble keeping my feet together, but that was quickly fixed by having me complete the drills while keeping a foam block wedged between them.
Once I had mastered each of the drills, Koehler led me to the foam pit where we’d be putting each piece together to execute the whole backflip. Here, we were joined by club vice president Chance Wallace, who spotted me. For my fellow non-athletes, this means he was there to make sure I didn’t hurt myself. After a final pep talk from Koehler and Wallace, I went in for my first flip.
I’ll admit it: My first try was hilariously bad. Seriously, watch the video. But after running through the drills one more time, I tried again and — against impossible odds — I actually did a backflip!
Was it a good backflip? Maybe. Will you be seeing me at the Olympics anytime soon? Definitely not. But did I have fun? Absolutely.