Fisk University made history as the first HBCU gymnastics team. But the sport still struggles with diversity, gymnasts say.

CNN
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Naima Muhammad was first introduced to gymnastics at age 9, when her parents enrolled her in a community gym in Rochester, New York.

Muhammad said she developed a passion for the sport by competing against other gymnasts locally and across the state. But over the years, Muhammad said one thing consistently stood out, no matter the team or competition. That meant she was one of the few black girls to participate.

“It was tough,” she said. “I always looked up to older girls who did gymnastics, but there weren't many girls my age.”

Muhammad said she was inspired to continue competing after watching Gabby Douglas become the first black gymnast to win an individual all-around gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Currently, Muhammad is a gymnast at Fisk University. Fisk University is the first Black college in history to have an NCAA gymnastics team.

“I went from being on a team with one black woman to being on a team with a lot of girls who looked like me,” Muhammad said.

The Fisk team is currently comprised of 24 gymnasts from across the United States and is led by coach Colin Tarver, a former University of Georgia gymnast. At UGA, Tarver became the first black gymnast to win an NCAA all-around championship.

But despite making gymnastics history as a collegiate athlete herself, Tarver said she had never considered starting an HBCU team until Fisk hired her to coach in 2022. In the black community, he said, gymnastics is primarily seen as a white man's sport.

“This was an opportunity to do something that hadn't been done before,” Tarver said.

That's how she pitched the idea to the 15 girls she recruited for the team's first year.

“I asked all of them, 'Do you want to be a part of history?'” Tarver said. “I think it was appealing. There were only two people I talked to who didn't come to Fisk.”

Over the past two decades, gymnastics has become popular among many young black women as black Olympic gymnasts like Douglas and Simone Biles broke barriers.

Biles is a two-time Olympian and winner of seven Olympic medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history.

Douglas won the individual all-around gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and also won team gold medals at both the London and Rio Olympics.

Wendy Hilliard, founder and CEO of the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, said the sport is “more diverse because of these icons.”

“Role models are key to getting people interested,” Hilliard said.

Hilliard is one of several Black female gymnasts who have blazed a path to success. In 1979, she broke racial barriers and became the first black athlete to represent the United States at the international level in rhythmic gymnastics.

And in 1996, Dominique Dawes became the first black female gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal.

But making history can come at a price. Hilliard told CNN he faced racism, recalling that he was not selected to a team because his coach told him he would “stand out” as a black gymnast.

“It's totally unfair to be judged on that,” Hilliard said. “It wasn't easy for me.”

Hilliard said she doesn't see as much discrimination now, but equal access to sports in black and brown communities remains an issue.

Hilliard said most gymnastics programs are in suburban areas, making it difficult for young black women who live near the city center to participate. High cost is also a problem.

Tarver said some gyms charge up to $1,000 a month for high-level gymnastics training.

That's why Hilliard said she started a foundation that provides free and low-cost gymnastics classes to girls and boys in Harlem and Detroit. Participants continue to win both national and international championships, she said.

Biles and Douglas' victories on the Olympic stage were an inspiration to many, but athletes and coaches say there is still work to be done to make gymnastics more inclusive at the collegiate and regional levels. It is said that there is.

Black women made up about 9% of student-athletes in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics programs in 2020, up from 7% in 2012, according to the NCAA's demographic database.

But Tarver said there are still NCAA teams that are all white or have just one black gymnast.

“Is it better than before? Yes,” Tarver said. “Are we moving as fast as we should? That's debatable.”

Muhammad said she struggled with being the only person of color in a predominantly white gymnasium, and that she sometimes felt insecure as a young gymnast because her hair was different from her white teammates. His white teammates also had different interests, such as going to tanning salons together.

But at Fisk, Muhammad said she gained more confidence by teaming up with other black gymnasts.

“I belong to a team of girls who know how to twist and style hair,” Muhammad said.

“But that's not the case everywhere. There are still all-white teams. And that still has to change.”