University of Maryland News

Contact Kelly Blake
School of Public Health Communications Director
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301.405.9418 for more information.
August 23, 2011

Maryland's Gymkana Troupe to Perform on America's Got Talent Semi-Final Competition, August 30th

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University of Maryland's own Gymkana gymnastics troupe has advanced to the semi-final competition of America's Got Talent and will perform live on Tuesday, August 30th.

The troupe first performed live on the NBC reality show on August 9 in the YouTube competition. America voted and put Gymkana through to the semi-final competition where they will face 24 other hopeful stars and have a chance at winning the one million dollar prize. Twelve acts will perform in the first of two semi-final shows tonight, followed by the rest of the contestants, including Gymkana, in next week's show.

In addition to their crowd-pleasing gymnastic routines infused with extreme acrobatics, what makes Gymkana a potential stand-out from the competition is their unique mission. Based in the University of Maryland School of Public Health, this student group acts as "ambassadors of healthy living" to young people and models healthy behaviors by pledging to remain drug, alcohol, and tobacco free and cooperating to accomplish challenging physical feats. They regularly perform shows for elementary, middle, and high schools in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia region and mentor kids ages 5-16 through gymnastics classes and a six-week camp each summer.

"We are going to focus on keeping it professional in the semi-final," Gymkana member Alex Mateik said, referring to the comment from America's Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne "I can't believe you guys aren't professionals!" in response to their first performance. "We may not have Olympic-level athletes, but we have a serious work ethic and the ability to represent ourselves—and the University of Maryland—well."

"We're so proud of our Gymkana troupe for their positive outreach to kids, and for their success on America's Got Talent," says Dean Robert S. Gold of the University of Maryland School of Public Health. "We expect that their increased visibility from participating in this show will enable Gymkana to expand their outreach to schools and to inspire even more young people. The troupers have all signed over any individual rights to prize money, and in the event that they win the competition, the monies will go to a Gymkana foundation account so as to give back to the program that has been so rewarding for them, and to assure that it continues for future students—both the troupers and younger children who are influenced by the program."

Gymkana director and head coach Scott Welsh, himself a Gymkana alumnus, wants people to know that the group of 15 performing on the show is just a representation of the larger troupe of 80 students that participate in Gymkana. Gymkana has always valued the community and camaraderie among teammates, and while the entire troupe could unfortunately not participate on America's Got Talent, fellow troupers and alumni have been involved in a variety of ways to make their participation possible.

"There's a lot of behind the scenes work that has gone into this," says Julia Ruth, a Gymkana member who is the troupe's Head of Publicity for the coming school year. "The coaches and some alumni worked hard to build props, and many of the other troupers were there for the long rehearsals to help give feedback and refine the routine. I'm incredibly excited about them being on the show and have been there for all their practices."

Ruth sent the team off with care packages on their return to California. "I think about the position that they are in in representing us, and I am just so impressed with all that they have had to do to prepare," she says. "What we do as Gymkana is for the entire university. We are so excited to represent the University of Maryland in this way."

Be sure to follow Gymkana on Facebook and Twitter and visit their NBC contestant page visit their contestant bio page on NBC for updates: here.

Tune in to watch their performance on the America's Got Talent semi-final on Tuesday August 30th at 9 PM (NBC) and vote for Gymkana!

Watch their August 9 performance: here.

Visit Gymkana's website.