When you walk into EVO Athletics in Sarasota, you’re met with high flying flips. And movements that defy gravity. 

Men’s gymnastics coach Grant Brittain says the level of talent at this gym is unmatched. 

"Usually to have elite athletes, one or two in the program is a big, big amount for the elite program, but we have 10 plus athletes training for the elite program, which is outstanding.”

Becoming an elite gymnast requires a high level of commitment. 

"These kids are training six days a week, four hours a day, pretty much a part-time job,” Brittain said. 

The men’s team recently competed in nationals where only the top gymnasts of each region qualified to compete. 

The 12 gymnasts that make up the team are Olympic hopefuls and on the track to become college gymnasts. 

But with the declining number of NCAA men’s gymnastics teams, the college opportunities are becoming scarce with only 15 programs in the nation. 

"With COVID-19, specifically the NCAA got hit pretty hard. We lost a couple programs and we didn’t have that many to begin with, so there’s a lot of people trying really hard to save the sport,” Brittain explained. "We have this new GymAct, which is coming in strong just to help replace the colleges we’re losing right now.” 

A new league called GymACT is trying to build back men’s collegiate gymnastics. The organization is dedicated to growing and maintaining programs using their own funding. 

EVO Athletics is a big part of that movement to save a sport that is uniquely challenging. 

"You can’t just be good at one thing,” explained Brittain. "Other sports, you get your position and you have to be good at that position. Here, everybody is require to train all 6 apparatuses. Each apparatus is almost it’s own sport. It demands different levels of flexibility, strength, movement, agility." 

The hope is to have a GymACT men’s college gymnastics team form in Florida within the next year, so young men like these gymnasts have a chance to take their talent to the next level. 

"Yea, football, baseball is fun, but you can’t go somewhere and have 10 people do backflips on the floor, but you can tell someone to go throw a football,” said elite gymnast Sammy Holland. "It’s just a unique sport in my opinion.” 

A sport that’s worth fighting for.