The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
men's gymnastics profile Stacey Ervin Was Born To Be A Wolverine Gymnast Ervin competed for the U.S. National Team this summer, and he placed fourth on floor, fifth on parallel bars, 12th on vault, 17th on high bar, 19th on still rings and 20th on pommel horse at the P&G U.S. Championships. photo courtesy Michigan Athletic Media Relations When Stacey Ervin, now a junior on the Michigan men's gymnastics team, was 6 years old, he saw a kid in his kindergarten class do a back handspring on the playground during recess. The adventurous youngster was immediately drawn in by the acrobatics. With no training or experience, he decided to give it a try right then and there. Ervin's first attempt, predictably, ended with him flailing on the ground. By the end of recess, though, he was doing back handsprings on his own. "I still remember that day so vividly," Ervin said. "Seeing him do it, and then figuring it out for myself. It was so exciting." His newfound interest in gymnastics quickly evolved into flips off the living room couch at home and, eventually, a self-taught back flip. "That's what really scared my mom, the no-handed flip," Ervin said, with a laugh. Terrified that Ervin would hurt himself flipping in the backyard, his mom, Stephanie, found a recreational center in Romulus, Mich., that had an introductory tumbling class. "The instructor of that class recommended that we go to an actual gymnastics facility, because I was too advanced for their course," Ervin said. "I played tee ball at that point. I was given the choice of continuing that or trying gymnastics, and it was so easy to decide. There was so much more fun and freedom in gymnastics." Ervin, a Taylor, Mich., native was soon enrolled in the Future Stars program, a developmental program for elementaryage kids who are "the cream of the crop,"