Acrobatics is a combination of dance, contortion, and rhythmic gymnastics. Tumbling uses dance elements, but not as frequently, and is practiced on mats and trampolines. It is separate from men’s and women’s gymnastics.
In all three NCAA divisions there 48 total schools that sponsor varsity acrobatics and tumbling programs nationwide, the majority in Division II (33)—six in Division I and nine in Division III. There are less than 80 Black females in acrobatics and tumbling, and three of the four Black head coaches are females.
Amirah Boyd won her first meet as Caldwell (NJ) University acrobatics and tumbling head coach in February. She is the youngest HC in the sport. “[It is] a fast-paced type of sport,” Boyd recently told the MSR.
The Atlanta native got into gymnastics at an early age, and competed in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics program as a Level 10 gymnast, the highest level possible.
“I started gymnastics when I was three years old. I did it all the way up until I graduated from high school. My senior year I had a pretty bad injury and had surgery,” explained Boyd, who got into acrobatics and tumbling while in college at Presbyterian (S.C.) College, where she competed for four years and made the Academic Honor Roll.
Boyd was a member of Presbyterian’s inaugural team in 2019-20.
Caldwell University was founded in 1939 and has approximately 2,000 students, nearly 29% of whom live on campus; Blacks make up 15 percent of the student population. It is a Division II school, and acrobatics and tumbling is among the school’s newest programs among the 14 sports at Caldwell.
Boyd was named as the second Caldwell acrobatics and tumbling head coach in May 2023. There are three Blacks on her 20-player roster in only its second year of competition.
“We are a fairly new program,” she pointed out. On applying for the Caldwell HC job, “I took a leap of faith [being] fresh out of college,” recalled Boyd, who is in her early 20s. “I was like, I’ll probably graduate, take a few years before I get into the coaching world as far as head coaching goes. Maybe I could be a grad assistant. But the job posting happened.
“I know how to lead a program. I know how to lead girls. So, I just took the leap of faith, put my name on the [head coaching] application and everything happens,” continued the coach.
Along with her coaching responsibilities, Boyd also is an administrator in Caldwell’s athletic communications department.
She said she’s dedicated to recruiting and signing athletes for Caldwell. Her recruiting focus is “definitely regional—Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania—where usually I’ve found the most success. But I also look nationally as well.”
Her team is off and tumbling, excited about what the present and future holds for them and their coach. “There’s a lot of good energy all around, seeing what we can build up,” Boyd concluded.
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