Talladega College women’s gymnastics made history earlier this year. Now, the program is being shut down

Only a few months after the Tornadoes became the first HBCU to win an NCAA-sanctioned meet, the program is set to be no more. What happened?

Like many pieces of bad news – or at least the kind a given entity is hoping just might go unnoticed – it came out on a Friday.

Late last week, Talladega College, a private, historically Black college in Talladega, Ala., announced that it would be discontinuing its women’s gymnastics program

"While the decision to discontinue the gymnastics program was undoubtedly difficult, we remain incredibly proud of our gymnasts, coaches, and their remarkable achievements,” Talladega interim president Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough said in a statement. “Their dedication and resilience have set a high standard, and their legacy will continue to inspire.

“This strategic move is part of our broader vision to position Talladega College to be stronger and more vibrant on all levels, ensuring that we can continue to provide exceptional opportunities for our students.”

Program cuts are an unfortunate reality of college sports. Though they accelerated during the budget shortfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic – and they may only increase as schools will now have to pay athletes as part of the House v. NCAA settlement – they’re not a particularly new trend (speaking as the graduate of a university that got rid of football in 1997).

Even among that vast sea of athletic ghosts, though, what is transpiring at Talladega is notable.

For one, the program is extremely new, with the 2024 season marking its maiden (and, as of now, final) voyage. 

Barely one year before its first meet, the program’s creation had been revealed with great and understandable fanfare. The university had partnered with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, an Atlanta-based organization dedicated to “scholarships, coaching, training and other forms of support to athletes from underrepresented and marginalized groups”, to get the program off the ground. By doing so, Talladega, a school of only about 1,300, became just the second HBCU to offer women’s gymnastics, joining Fisk University in Nashville.

“This historic moment will have a lasting impact,” then-Talladega president Gregory J. Vincent said in Jan. 2023, when the program’s establishment was publicized. “Establishing a women’s gymnastics team at Talladega College will expand opportunities for HBCU student athletes to compete in a rewarding sport that fosters discipline, confidence and success. Developing our first-ever women’s gymnastics team will also promote student and alumni engagement and pride; enhance the college’s brand; and help create a pipeline of diverse gymnasts.”

Beyond the program’s early and untimely death (again, for now), there is something else that makes the Tornadoes’ plight sting that much more – though still in their infancy, they showed themselves to be pretty good.