Collegedale Academy’s gymnastics team, Acroforce, recently traveled to Florida on tour. After not traveling in two years due to COVID, they performed in two different locations, Tampa and Orlando. First, the team arrived at Tampa Christian Academy and performed twice; for the elementary school and for the middle and high school. Soon, the team rushed to Orlando to perform at Forest Lake Education Center. This performance was extra special because Coach Hodge’s old acro coach from Fletcher was in the audience. The final show occurred at Orlando Junior Academy, and with four total performances, the team was exhausted!

Many Acroforce members agreed that the best part of the shows was the young kids in the audience, who thoroughly enjoyed watching Acroforce perform. Junior Betsy Guerra also mentioned that the performances taught her that “You can accomplish a lot even when you think you can’t.” 

Performing wasn’t the only part of the trip however, as the team had many fun activities planned. Acro took a bus stop on the way to Tampa to tube with manatees at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park. Thursday night the team visited Disney Springs and enjoyed the food and attractions there. Friday, Collegedale Academy took a trip to the Kennedy Space Center where they saw The Atlantis Space Shuttle and threw acro moves in front of it. The team even played a building wide game of freeze tag to have some fun! On the final day, Acro visited Universal Studios for a day full of rides and shows. Team Captain, Senior Jack Bell said that “People watching at Universal was my favorite part of the tour.”

Over the course of the trip, many Acro members grew closer to each other and to God. Jack Bell mentioned that he felt closer to some freshman on the team, such as Chris Biggs. The vespers and sabbath school attended over tour also impacted many people. Saturday after church the team went to the beach and had a short worship, where students revealed how Pastor Chandler’s words helped them. 

A huge part of this trip was the help behind it. Without Coach Hodges and Assistant Coach Zepeda’s guidance, Mr. Tyler Hodges and his wife’s help, Mr. Mcquistan’s bus driving skills, and Mrs. Kauffman’s contribution to the team by feeding all the hungry teenagers, this tour would not have been possible. 

Overall, Acro Tour 2022 was a success, full of fun excursions, exhausted students, difficult performances, perseverance, and bonding for the team. This trip was full of fun memories that the students and chaperones on Acro are sure to never forget!