Johnson transferred to Temple following an announcement that the Talladega College gymnastics program was going to be shut down due to funding. The program was just the second HBCU program, coming in one season after the Fisk University squad.
Kyrstin Johnson thrived in her first year, winning a national title in the vault at the USA Gymnastics Championships. As the first athlete to commit to Talladega’s inaugural gymnastics program, Johnson scored 9.8750, surpassing competitors from Texas Women’s University and Cornell.
Not only did Johnson achieve athletic success — she also found personal growth and community. Reflecting on her time at Talladega, Johnson highlighted the supportive environment which allowed her the confidence to wear her natural hair.
“It’s something I just started. I feel like now that I’m at Talladega, I can actually be free to be myself,” Johnson told HBCU Gameday in April. “I felt like in J-O (junior olympics), I always had to pull my hair up or put it in a braids. I would see the other girls braiding each other’s hair, doing this, and I would be in the back struggling, trying to take off my bonnet, trying to lay down my edges, and try to make sure the part was straight in the back of my head. But now I can just do a wash and go. Let my hair out and flow and just do my thing out on the floor.”
Months later, however, Kyrstin Johnson has been forced to take her talents elsewhere as the second HBCU gymnastics program has been put on the shelf.
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