The eye-catching stunts, the acrobatic flips, the high-energy routines.
It all comes at you right from the moment the music starts. STUNT the sport is one of the most breathtaking displays of athleticism and mental fortitude. These competitors push themselves to the limit in a number of ways to score points and perform daredevil-like routines to take home a win through four quarters of play.
Through the many bodies that make their way onto the mat, one position group stands out each and every time - the flyer.
Those are the individuals who are thrust into the air, contorting their body to showcase incredible control, and have to have undeniable trust in their teammates to ensure that an attempted routine runs smoothly.
With the position being so physically demanding, the selection process to become a flyer is strict. Ashland University head coach
Denise Farnsworth specified that there is much more that occurs behind the scenes to ensure the right person takes to the sky.
"I am looking at many qualities when selecting the lead flyers for our STUNT team, but they must stand out for their core strength, flexibility, balance and their ability to control their body while in the air," Farnsworth said. "In our sport, each routine is different, so I look at my list of flyers and try to best match their strengths and weaknesses to the routine that best suits each individual."
While the physical attributes are essential for a flyer, the mental fortitude needed also cannot be understated.
"There are definitely mental battles all over the place in our sport," Farnsworth said.
Certain athletes and position groups have to perform advanced flips or tumbling routines, but flyers seem to be at center stage when in daredevil-type situations. They have to overcome the fears of falling down to the mat below while being thrown into the air, placing unwavering trust in their teammates to prevent an injury.
"I try to slow everything down in my head and focus on all the small details within the skill," senior flyer
Kylie Adams said. "For example, when we are working on level 6 pyramids, there is a skill in which I am tossed into the air and do an Arabian into a handstand being held by the mid-layer. During this skill, there are many things to think about. Prior to the skill, I tell myself that I am calm, confident, and in control. This really helps me feel prepared."
A clear mind is important for these athletes, as without it, fear can start to creep into the picture.
"Mental blocks mostly stemming from the fear of falling or hitting the mat and performance anxiety from executing dangerous elite skills in front of large crowds are two things that pop-up from time to time," specified Farsnworth. "Our entire program is strongly based on building love and trust amongst each other, and I believe that helps alleviate some of the safety aspects.
"When they feel deeply connected to each other, they all feel safer."
Adams believes in this mentality as well. If she can trust her teammates, it makes her job a lot easier to do.
"Trusting the people under you is so important in a stunt, but in my experience, it's honestly easier to trust the people under you than it is to trust yourself," she said. "If I start doubting that something will hit, then it won't. My bases give me the confidence that I need to believe that I can do the skill and trusting them makes it easier to trust myself."
Alongside Adams, senior flyer
Alyssa McLaughlin tries to practice these same mental points.
"Sometimes it can be tough to break the mental barrier of trusting my teammates when trying new stunts that I've never done before," McLaughlin said. "When we have new teammates join each year, it takes time to build that trust with them. Our team is huge on safety, so there are always spotters on stunts, which helps to break that mental barrier.
"When flying, I am thinking about staying tight the whole time, and the corrections I've been told by the coaches to make sure each skill hits well."
In previous years, the Eagle faithful would recognize the three main flyers as Adams, McLaughlin, and
Lily Boldman. However, due to graduation, Boldman will be replaced by senior
Elly Dukes.
"
Lily Boldman was certainly a standout player for our team for the past four years," Farnsworth said. "She came to us with a lot of experience, and we were able to build on that as we gained each other's trust and respect. One player that has really stepped up to fill some of Lily's roles this season has been
Elly Dukes, and I am super excited for everyone to see her in a lead role on the mat."
Dukes' new role alongside Adams and McLaughlin has allowed for her to excel early on. She, just like the other two, continues to trust her teammates to ensure her safety is a top priority on the mat.
"I think having a team as close as ours makes it so much easier to build the trust aspect," she said. " In the air as a flyer, a lot of corrections are going through my head, and just the idea of staying as tight as possible in order to help the bases do their jobs.
"The relationships we build as a team are the core aspects of the trust that goes into flying."
Heading into the 2025 season, Farnsworth and the Eagles will look to the three starting flyers in Adams, McLaughlin and Dukes to lead the team on the mat.
"We are looking forward to building on the success that we have created over the past couple of years, challenging ourselves in new areas and representing Ashland University to the best of our abilities," Farnsworth said.
The Eagles will kick off the 2025 season on Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. against Northern Kentucky and 1 p.m. against Missouri Baptist. They will hit the mat in Lexington, Ky.
