2019 - 2020

Director & Head Coach: Josh Montfort

Assistant Director: Ben Prescott

Assistant Coaches: Todd Supple, Angie Prescott, Sami Ahmed, Alex Mateik, Faith Kung

Officer Body

  • President: Scott Barnes

  • Vice President: RJ Talamini-Kelemen

  • Secretary: Henry Santer

  • Treasurer: Kamaria Davis

  • Historian:  Jaila Desper

Award Recipients

  • Best Act:  Dance, Teeter

  • Best Female Trouper: Jaila Desper

  • Best Male Trouper: Andrew Frumkin


A Season Cut Short

The 2019-2020 season began with some changes in the coaching staff. Assistant Coach Zoe Rosenblum departed to pursue graduate schooling abroad. For most of the 2019 Fall semester, Angie and Ben Prescott took family leave away from the Troupe as they welcomed a new baby boy, Kyler. The Troupe added two new assistant coaches to their staff, Alex Mateik and Faith Kung. Alex graduated from the University of Maryland in 2014 after having spent many years in and around the Gymkana Troupe starting as a young summer camper. He attended UMD and became a member, camp and class instructor, and served as a leader in many roles including President of the Troupe. Faith, a ladders and aerial silks specialist, was a former member and team leader who volunteered many hours to help support Gymkana after graduating from the University in 2015. Additionally, Dr. Joseph Murray volunteered a few hours a week to help coach skills in the gym.

The 2020 show season got off to an unusual start, perhaps foreshadowing the year to come. The roster size dwindled, losing many members for various academic and personal reasons, so the Troupe scrambled to retool many of its acts within the first two weeks before their first road show. The first road show’s setup experienced a delay due to a tornado warning. The second road show had to be cancelled due to illness among a third of the Troupe. Then a last minute scheduling change forced a hasty setup at the third road show that barely wrapped in time for showtime.

Meanwhile, the news of a global pandemic was heightening. Within a week before Spring break, the University of Maryland made the announcement on March 10th that all classes would be moved to an online format following the break. All subsequent major events of large gatherings would also be cancelled. This was devastating news to the Troupe because it meant the cancellation of all remaining performances including Home Show. It later turned out that Gymkana would have to cancel all of its Summer Camp and Saturday Program classes for the remainder of 2020.

What followed was a demonstration of the Gymkana Troupe’s incredible spirit and teamwork. Within 24 hours of learning that their season was cancelled, the troupers and coaches orchestrated an impromptu Home Show performance for their final practice of the season on March 11th. Complete with costuming, scripts, music, and a staging backdrop that was finished only a couple days before, the 2019-2020 Gymkana Troupe gave one last heartfelt performance in their practice gym that was streamed online for viewers on social media.

Itinerary

2/7/2020 - Wilson Wims Elementary School - Clarksburg, MD

2/14/2020 - Bates Middle School - Annapolis, MD

2/18/2020 - UMD vs. Northwestern men's basketball halftime show - Xfinity Center, College Park, MD

2/21/2020 - Lime Kiln Middle School - Fulton, MD

3/7/2020 - B'More Healthy Expo - Baltimore Convention Center

3/11/2020 - 2020 Mock Home Show - College Park, MD*

3/13/2020 - Parr’s Ridge Elementary School - Mt. Airy, MD (CANCELLED)

3/27/2020 - Hagerstown Community College - Hagerstown, MD (CANCELLED)

4/3/2020 - St. Timothy’s School - Stevenson, MD (CANCELLED)

4/17/2020 & 4/18/2020 - Gymkana Home Show (CANCELLED)

4/25/2020 - Maryland Day - College Park, MD (CANCELLED)

*unscheduled event