Will McGarty
    Staff Writer

I would like to introduce you to Jackson Tyson. Jackson is a graduating senior in the Bryan School of Business here at UNCG. When he is not working hard in class towards a degree in Business Administration, Jackson can be found training at Flip Force Gymnastics in Kernersville, the gym where Jackson discovered his true talent, Power Tumbling.

Jackson describes Power Tumbling as “the redheaded stepchild of gymnastics”. He competes in a Power Tumbling event called the Rod Floor, an event which has gymnasts do a series of tumbling skills down a 120 feet of fiber glass rods and then finish with a dismount. He says it feels like flying as he propels his body to do twists and flips down the floor, and after watching his acrobatic abilities myself, I would have to guess that is a pretty good description.

Last fall, Jackson got the opportunity of a lifetime. Jackson was asked to join the United States Power Tumbling Team to compete in the World Championship in Denmark. Although Jackson was initially thrilled to be a part of the team, he wondered how he would pay for the trip, estimating a cost of over five thousand dollars. This is where the community came in. Jackson was humbled by the response of the Greensboro community as he announced his decision to compete in the World Championship of Power Tumbling. Flip Force Gym held a fundraiser which donated all proceeds to Jackson’s travel costs, his family started a “Gofundme” account that was widely distributed on social media, and the Elliot University Center at UNCG allowed him to hold a bake sale in their lobby to raise funds for the trip. With the help and support of friends, family, and the Greensboro community, Jackson was able to cover the entire cost of the trip to Denmark and granted the ability to represent us in the Championship.

With over thirty countries competing in the preliminary rounds, Jackson was able to lead the United States team into the Finals to face China, Russia, Canada, and Great Britain. He did this by completing a run of handsprings, flips, and twists, then dismounting with what he calls a “Double-Double” an aerial move that includes two full flips and two full 360 degree body rotations. After the entire U.S. team was able to compete, they were left in third place and awarded the Bronze medal.

Reflecting on the moment, Jackson is sincerely grateful for all the support he received from his family through his journey as an athlete. He told me there were many times when he wanted to give up, when he was tired of training or frustrated with his progress, but his family always pushed him to continue.

When interviewing Jackson, I asked how he got into such a bizarre sport instead of competing in something more traditional such as Baseball or Basketball. He jokingly told me how awful as Basketball he is and that Tumbling just came naturally to him. “I would just do flips and stuff off the couch or stairs for fun and one day my friend told me about his gymnastics class. I decided to go and was able to pick up on things really quickly” Jackson said.

While the past says: Bronze Medalist, World Champion; the future isn’t so clear for Jackson. He described Power Tumbling to me as his drug of choice. Although he said he was done competing after he placed last year in Denmark, Jackson has decided that we wants to compete again. He will graduate from UNCG in May but looks to continue training and hopes to represent the United States at least one last time.

A dear friend of mine once gave me a piece of good advice. “Continue to continue, always in all ways”. This sentiment is something that I believe today’s feature athlete, Jackson Tyson, could truly represent.