2002 - 2003

Kirk Breuninger, Darren Carey, Sara Clarke, John Comberiate, Steven Folkes, Lisa Ford, Erica Friedman, Michael Hawkins, James Hong, Kevin Hooper, Dana Kogan, Chris Kosecki, Tracy Lambert, Amara Lattimore, Young Lee, Tracy Lin, Brittney Manvilla, Jaclyn Morally, Susan Stern, Christopher Way, Matthew Wilkinson, Mark Wolfe, Jessica Zeiler, Tiffany Aungst, James Bathurst, Larry Brice, Rob Choate, Jamie Copelin, Rochelle Day, Ariel Goldberg, Kristen Handy, Matthew Mayer, Emily McLaughlin, Lessica Mislevy, Judith Ottley, Alison Schlenger, Meredith Zaslow, Angela Zavaglia, David Coleman, Sara Condron, Rachel Pedri, Nikki Saddic, Margie Armacost, Thomas Hamblin, Michael Kelmachter, Dalia Leven, Billy Rappolt, Mary Smith, Michael Thompson, Aimee Becker, Matthew Berens, Justin Williamson, Jon Engel

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: Margie Armacost

  • Secretary: Alison Schlenger

  • Treasurer: Dave Coleman

  • Historian:  Jon Engel

Award Recipients

  • Best Female Trouper: Margie Armacost & Alison Schlenger

  • Best Male Trouper: Larry Brice

  • Best Act:  

2002-2003

Construction on the Comcast Center, now known as the Xfinity Center, was completed in October of 2002, and Gymkana had the pleasure of performing at the first-ever event there on October 11th, Midnight Madness. As President Billy Rappolt wrote, “We were all nervous about the show considering our new surroundings and the fact that we were the lead attraction, but the crowd was loud and they loved the performance. We received a standing ovation from the 15,000 in the audience.” 

The show season was disrupted by snow, and the troupe’s spirits dropped when they had to cancel a road show and a halftime performance. As President Billy Rappolt remembers, “That’s when Coach Welsh decided that we were going to have a show [the following] Friday no matter what. It did not matter if the school cancelled classes. Either we were traveling there to have a show, or we would perform for ourselves in our own gym. The show was cancelled, but we had our performance. We had an audience of ten, but we managed to make the gym as loud as 500 screaming kids do.”

This season, coaches commented on the reliability of female troupers, and commended male troupers for breakthroughs on apparatus. Acts like Rings, Pommel Horse, and High Bar saw an increase in performers. Home Show was performed in the new Comcast Center for the first time that year, and if the new location made troupers nervous, it didn’t show during the performance. The show featured a short act of two women performing a “doubles” routine on the uneven bars simultaneously, demonstrating trouper’s creativity and dedication to turning traditional solo apparatus into group acts.