NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.– As the new semester begins at Westminster, changes are on the horizon for Titan Athletics, set to take effect next year. Exciting news includes the addition of new sports to the College. I had the opportunity to speak with President Kathy Richardson about the plans to introduce these two new sports for the Fall 2026 semester. Both new teams will combine the skills of gymnastics and cheerleading.
“Acrobatics and Tumbling, which became an emerging sport in 2020, quickly grew its NCAA sponsorship from 27 schools in 2020-21 to more than 40 in 2023-24,” she said. “It is a fast-paced, team-based discipline in which athletes perform a series of synchronized skills in events such as acrobatics, pyramids, tosses, tumbling, and team routines.”
President Richardson explained the meets for Acrobatics and Tumbling feature six events and typically span 90 to 120 minutes. Team skills are scored on difficulty and execution. The sport is governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA). It’s a sport that draws athletes from gymnastics, cheerleading, diving, and other strength-based sports.
The other sport the College will add is Competitive Cheerleading. It combines teamwork involving acrobatics with a focus on stunting, tumbling, jumps, dance, and performance.
“The intense judged competitions typically involve a two-minute 30-second routine—with a variety of composed musical remixes and timed-out sound effects—that is scored based on a combination of creativity, difficulty and execution.”
Richardson said the College will make an official announcement with more information sometime next week.