Final Project - Brogan Gerhart

The Making of a Troupe Member: An Inside Look at Gymkana's Incredible Student Athletes

By Brogan Gerhart

Gymkana troupe members meet on the floor to start their weekly Wednesday night practice in the School of Public Health on Nov. 13, 2019. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Students practice their bridges in the School of Public Health gym on Oct. 23, 2019. Bridges are a great way to stretch out these athletes' backs before they perform. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Warm-ups during Gymkana's practices consist of many different exercises to get troupe members' hearts pumping. Here, troupe members do jump squats to prepare for their practice on Nov. 13, 2019. (By Brogan Gerhart)

A bird's-eye view of Gymkana warm-ups on Oct. 23, 2019, in the School of Public Health. Gymkana troupers stretch their wrists before practice so they don't injure themselves while performing. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Rami Eisenman, a recent University of Maryland graduate and a Gymkana alumnus, takes advantage of the School of Public Health's gym on Nov. 13, 2019. Eisenman jumps on the trampoline while the current troupe members prepare for an upcoming show. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Head Coach Josh Montfort reviews practice goals and gives instructions as to which acts will be using the floor first on Nov. 13, 2019, in the School of Public Health. (By Brogan Gerhart)

A Gymkana trouper jumps to the low bar on the uneven parallel bars on Oct. 23, 2019. "Though considered a traditional women's gymnastic apparatus, troupers on the uneven bars have often incorporated novelty skills and group routines as part of the act," according to Gymkana's website. (By Brogan Gerhart)

A student wears grips on her hands to practice an uneven parallel bar routine on Oct. 23, 2019, in the School of Public Health. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Students laugh on the floor in between Pyramid builds on Nov. 13, 2019. A good Pyramid in the Gymkana gym is only as strong as its base. These troupe members carry all of the weight of their fellow troupers on their shoulders during the Pyramid act. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Gymkana troupe members goof around on the floor before they begin practicing their next act on Nov. 13, 2019. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Students form a Pyramid during practice on Nov. 13, 2019. "This act always encourage[s] team unity and group strength," according to Gymkana's website. "For this reason, Pyramids [are] often the first act for new troupers." (By Brogan Gerhart)

Coach "Eddie," far right, encourages Gymkana troupe members during their Pyramids by lifting up his arms and smiling on Oct. 23, 2019, in the School of Public Health. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Students shuffle from the floor to the lockers in between acts on Nov. 13, 2019, to shed unwanted hoodies before they practice or to rest after a particularly difficult run through their skills. (By Brogan Gerhart)

A Gymkana trouper practices on the rings in the School of Public Health on Oct. 23, 2019. "On still rings, strength skills are an essential part of any routine," according to Gymkana's website. (By Brogan Gerhart)

Troupe members squeeze in a few more flips before the end of practice on Oct. 23, 2019. Wednesday practices run from 7-10 p.m. and, although students can leave at any time, many choose to stay past the official end of practice to get as much time on the floor as possible. (By Brogan Gerhart)

According to Gymkana's website, "The iron cross, [which] is eternally held by Gymkana’s beloved M-Man symbol, [is] widely regarded as the embodiment of strength." M-Man, pictured above, watches over the gym on Oct. 23, 2019, as practice ends, and troupe members head home to rest up for their next practice. (By Brogan Gerhart)