The story began with history, stirred into controversy, and now finds itself at a crossroads. Well, back in February, shockwaves rippled through the collegiate gymnastics world when Corrinne Tarver—the trailblazing inaugural head coach of Fisk University’s gymnastics team — announced her sudden departure mid-season. It stunned many, after all, Tarver was their heartbeat since it founding in 2022—the first-ever HBCU gymnastics program, debuting in the 2023 season. As the first Black woman to win the all-around national title in 1989—Tarver inspired a generation, including Fisk’s breakout star, Morgan Price. Yet despite her influence, Tarver walked away in silence! But this wasn’t the end…

That same month, Morgan Price the first gymnast from an HBCU to score a perfect 10,  announced her commitment to the University of Arkansas, the very program she once left behind to make history at Fisk. And then came the final blow! In June, Fisk University announced it would shutter its gymnastics program following the 2026 season. The decision blindsided many. No financial emergency was cited. No scandal exposed. “The rationale they’re using for why they dropped the team is ridiculous, and it’s shortsighted,” Tarver finally said in an interview with Andscape. Actually, what was given as the reason behind the shutdown of the program? 

When announcing the decision to end the gymnastics program, Fisk University’s athletic director, Valencia Jordan, stated on June 6, “While we are tremendously proud of the history our gymnastics team has made in just three years, we look forward to focusing on our conference-affiliated teams to strengthen our impact in the HBCU Athletic Conference.” Furthermore, there are recruitment issues. 

Fisk’s 2025 roster featured five seniors and one graduate student, and with the recent developments, some of the remaining athletes may likely choose to transfer, just as Morgan Price did. This could make it difficult for the program to put a full team on the mat next season. However, Corrinne Tarver disagrees with the idea that recruitment was a problem in the past. “I didn’t have to reach out to girls for recruiting. I didn’t have to beg people – they wanted to come to Fisk. I got a number of emails from athletes who wanted to go because they wanted to go to an HBCU,” Corrinne said.

A prime example is Morgan Price, who left a top-tier program like Arkansas — where her sister Frankie Price still competes—to be part of Fisk’s groundbreaking team. But following Tarver’s departure, stability may have been hard to maintain. Still, the administration is exploring ways to keep the program afloat, at least in the short term.

The gymnastics program still has hope

On June 17, the future of Fisk University’s pioneering gymnastics program took center stage during a crucial stakeholders’ meeting, and for the first time in weeks, a glimmer of hope emerged. Forbes Sports journalist Carolina Price reported key moments from the meeting, including powerful words from Fisk Board of Trustees member and proud alumnus Samuel Williams, class of ’68. His message? Resolute, yet cautiously optimistic. “If we come up and we raise some money,” Williams said, “I don’t think that they’re going to let (Fisk Gymnastics) go.”

Williams emphasized that the university’s leadership isn’t eager to part ways with something that’s brought pride and progress to the campus. “As a member of the Board of Trustees at Fisk, I don’t think we want anything good to leave our institution,” he added. “The mere fact that the President indicated that she would continue to program for at least a year is a positive sign..” 

But the clock is ticking. With emotions high and time short, the question now is: how far is the Fisk community—and the greater gymnastics world—willing to go to save this historic program? The financial struggle facing HBCU athletic programs is nothing new. In 2024, Talladega College became the second HBCU to launch a women’s gymnastics team, joining Fisk in rewriting history. But the excitement was short-lived — the program was shut down just months later due to funding issues. Now, only Wilberforce University stands alongside Fisk. And if things don’t change, Wilberforce may be the last HBCU with a gymnastics program still active after 2026.

This is about more than scores and routines. It’s about preserving opportunity, visibility, and legacy. Whether Fisk Gymnastics survives will depend not just on dollars, but on determination.