By Matthew S. Taylor
This past weekend, the Southern Adventist University Gym-Masters celebrated their 50th home show at Iles P.E. Center through an impressive showcase of towering pyramids, flips and tumbling routines. The team of 50 student athletes capped off an incredible season in front of over 2,000 total attendees in performances on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
“Because this was the 50th anniversary of Gym-Masters, we wanted to celebrate all of the people that have paved the way up to this point,” said Coach Craig Johnson.
To honor that legacy, the team hosted an alumni gathering on Friday, integrated classic songs and moves into the current sets, and even put on a fashion show highlighting team apparel from across the eras. The highlight of the weekend, however, was a special routine featuring returning alumni taking the floor alongside the current roster.
“It was so cool getting to look out and see all different ages and generations of Gym-Masters performing together on the mats again,” the guys’ captain, Seth Mitchell, said. “It was like they had never left.”
That sentiment was echoed across the team’s leadership. The pressure of executing highly technical routines in front of thousands melted away into a comfortable and supportive atmosphere.
“It felt less like performing for a crowd and more like performing for your big family,” noted team manager Kylie Root.
“We got to perform for many of the past Gym-Masters and remind them why the team was so special to them all those years ago and still to this day,” team captain Sam Schmidt reflected. “We also enjoyed performing together as a family one last time.”
While the weekend shows were polished and joyous, the road to the mats was anything but easy. The 2025-2026 season was a grueling test of endurance for the Gym-Masters. On top of hosting Acrofest in November, which brought 32 visiting teams to campus, the squad faced severe internal hurdles.
Team pastor Sarah Andrews shed light on the intense struggles happening behind the scenes leading up to the Home Show.
“It was an extremely challenging year—with several team members leaving halfway through the semester for various reasons, lots of injuries, shows canceled, having to rewrite routines—and to be honest, I did not feel prepared at all walking into Saturday night,” Andrews shared. “I think that the show going as well as it did was 100% a blessing. I think for myself and for the team, it was the most fun I’ve ever had performing in my life.”
Beyond the physical feats, the Gym-Masters remain anchored to a mission that transcends the sport. Known affectionately by its members as “the blue church,” the team places a heavy emphasis on spiritual growth and ministry. Whether they are running clinics for high schoolers across the country or ministering internationally on mission trips, as they did recently in Peru, the acrobatic performances are ultimately a vehicle for connection.
“The best stories so far in my four years of coaching center around team members getting married, getting baptized and telling me how important this team has meant to their social and spiritual life,” said Johnson. “One team member said [that] Gym-Masters brought them back to Jesus.”
Since much of the current roster is graduating, Sunday afternoon marked the last time they would ever touch the blue mats as active members. As the final routine concluded, the emotional weight of a 50-year legacy, a grueling season and lifelong friendships finally settled in.
“After finishing our last routine, we came to the center of the mats and gave our last ‘SAU’ chant all together to end the show,” Root recalled. “What followed were sighs of relief and bittersweet tears.”
