2001 - 2002

Coaches

• Director: Joseph Murray

• Associate Director & Head Coach: Scott Welsh 

• Assistant Coaches: Josh Montfort, Todd Supple, Robert Nelligan

Officer Body

• President: Billy Rappolt

• Vice President: Mary Smith

• Secretary: Margie Armacost

• Treasurer: Justin Williamson

• Historian:  Jon Engel

Award Recipients

• Best Female Trouper: Aimee Becker

• Best Male Trouper: Justin Williamson

• Best Act:  Parallel Bars - Jim Bathurst, Matt Berens, Bret Edmonds, Justin Fazzio, Billy Rappolt, Justin Williamson

2001-2002

The season began with two devastating events in the Fall, one for the local community and the other for the nation. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 left an indelible mark on the psyche of Americans who remember them. Every Trouper can probably recall the moment that morning, with many having connections with New York City as well as the Pentagon only 15 miles away. Although none of the troupers or coaches were directly involved in the tragedy, young Zoe Falkenberg, who had been a regular attendant at Gymkana Summer Camps for more than 5 years, was one of the people on the plane that hit the Pentagon. Zoe's enthusiastic smile and courageous attitude will be sincerely missed by all of those who knew her. As Scott Welsh remembered at the time, “My fondest memory of Zoe is her smile— always sincere, always energetic and always present.”

The second event happened almost two weeks later, on September 24th, when a tornado came through campus during a Gymkana practice, passing only a few hundred feet behind the practice gym. Two university students (not associated with Gymkana) were killed. The College of Health and Human Performance building, where Gymkana resided, was not severely damaged, but many on campus were. Trees, windows, roofs, vehicles and other properties were literally torn apart and many students were displaced from residence halls.

Yet, the Troupe, as it has always done, united together and pressed forward. Their first performance of the season was only a few weeks later, on October 12th, with an invitation to perform for Maryland basketball’s Midnight Madness event. 

Cole Field House was filled to capacity for the first time at such an event. The crowd was electrified because of the recent overtime football victory against Georgia Tech and the preseason number-two ranking of the basketball team. Once again Gymkana was the highlight of the night. The crowd was on its feet by the first criss-cross pass and they did not sit down until we were packing our equipment to go back to the gym. The Troupe President Billy Rappolt recalled the performance as “the most exciting vaulting show in which I have ever performed.”

The annual performance at Hagerstown was dedicated to Patsy Johnson, one of the original members of the Gymkana Troupe in the 1946-47 season. Patsy passed away in 2001, and was a frequent audience member at the Hagerstown showcase her entire life.

This year, Gymkana’s women troupers were highly praised for their skill and enthusiasm, and women’s apparatus thrived. Uneven bars was a highlight of the season, with showings on the apparatus three separate times during each Home Show evening. Troupers performed impressive and unique release moves and dismounts, keeping the audience on their toes. Balance beam was another of the most popular acts of the season, and due to time restraints at Home Show, half of the troupers performed on Friday and the other half on Saturday. The act was peppered with difficult flight skills such as handsprings, roundoffs, back tucks, and back layouts. Four male troupers performed on the difficult pommel horse apparatus, and there was a comedic juggling act as well as a comedy p-bars routine. The 2002 Home Show was the last time the statuary act was ever performed, with four poses highlighting the importance of community in times of struggle within the United States.