Skip to main content
UMD College of Behavorial & Social Sciences UMD College of Behavorial & Social Sciences
MENU
  • About Us
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Diversity
  • Undergraduate
    • Welcome
    • Academic Programs
      • Majors & Minors
      • Bachelors/Masters Programs
      • Living & Learning Programs
      • Academic Honors & Awards
    • Feller Center - Advising & Career Planning
    • Prospective & New Students
      • Welcome, Admitted Students!
      • Applying to Maryland
      • New Student Orientation
    • Current Students
      • BSOS Undergraduate Scholarships
      • BSOS Undergraduate Experience Funds
      • TerrapinSTRONG
      • Student Leadership
      • Undergraduate Research
    • Resources for Faculty
    Tydings Hall
  • Graduate
    • Prospective Graduate Students Welcome
    • Our Degree Programs
    • The Graduate School at the University of Maryland
    • Graduate Student Resources and Points of Contact
    Chincoteague Hall
  • Departments, Programs & Centers
    • Departments
    • Programs and Centers
  • Research
    • Research Hubs
    • Research Spotlight
    • Research Administration
    • Dean's Research Initiative
    • Guide to Research Data and Computing
    • UMD Division of Research
    • Undergraduate Research
  • Alumni & Giving
Search

Main navigation

  • Undergraduate
    • Welcome
    • Academic Programs
      • Majors & Minors
      • Bachelors/Masters Programs
      • Living & Learning Programs
      • Academic Honors & Awards
    • Feller Center - Advising & Career Planning
    • Prospective & New Students
      • Welcome, Admitted Students!
      • Applying to Maryland
      • New Student Orientation
    • Current Students
      • BSOS Undergraduate Scholarships
      • BSOS Undergraduate Experience Funds
      • TerrapinSTRONG
      • Student Leadership
      • Undergraduate Research
    • Resources for Faculty
  • Graduate
    • Prospective Graduate Students Welcome
    • Our Degree Programs
    • The Graduate School at the University of Maryland
    • Graduate Student Resources and Points of Contact
  • Departments, Programs & Centers
    • Departments
    • Programs and Centers
  • Research
    • Research Hubs
    • Research Spotlight
    • Research Administration
    • Dean's Research Initiative
    • Guide to Research Data and Computing
    • UMD Division of Research
    • Undergraduate Research
  • Alumni & Giving
  • About Us
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Diversity

Search our site:

Trampoline Gymnast Jumps to the Top

Criminology and Criminal Justice Undergrad Heads to World Championships with Olympic Berth on the Line

Jessica Stevens ’24 starts out steadily. One bounce. Two. Three. Then suddenly, she rockets into a triple flip, two stories in the air, and springs back up into a dizzying series of tucks and twists, forward and backward, like Tigger unleashed—but with perfectly pointed toes.

This isn’t playtime on a backyard trampoline. The University of Maryland senior is one of the world’s top athletes in trampoline gymnastics. She won two gold medals (in the individual and synchronized events) at last week’s Pan-American Games in Santiago, Chile, and is heading to the World Trampoline Championships in Birmingham, England, opening Thursday, where she hopes to place in the top eight and qualify the United States for a berth at the 2024 Olympic Games in July.

It’s not a leap: Last year, she came in sixth—the best result for an American since 2005 in a heavily Chinese- and Russian-dominated sport—and second in the team all-around.

“I’m really proud of where I am right now,” Stevens said. “I really want to get to the Olympics, but you also have to enjoy the journey.”

Trampoline gymnastics, an Olympic event since 2000, is a separate discipline from better-known artistic gymnastics (which includes balance beam, uneven bars, vault and a floor routine). Trampoline athletes are judged on how well they can execute 10 skills during a roughly one-minute routine as they reach heights of 15 feet or more, flipping and twisting while trying to stay centered.

“I love the feeling of flying,” said Stevens. “It’s so peaceful up in the air.”

Read more of Karen Shih's article in Maryland Today. The photo of trampoline gymnast Jessica Stevens '24, left, and Nicole Ahsinger, flipping through the air during their gold medal-winning synchronized routine at the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, on Nov. 4 is provided by USA Gymnastics.

 

Published on Thu, Nov 9, 2023 - 9:45AM

College of Behavorial & Social Sciences
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Zenfolio
Contact Us

Tydings Hall, 7343 Preinkert Dr.,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

Undergraduate Education:
301-405-1697

Office of the Dean:
301-405-1690

Contact Us

Links
  • UMD Land Acknowledgement
  • Undergraduate Student Blog
  • UMD Staff Directory
  • Give to BSOS
  • UMD Web Accessibility
  • Alumni
© 2025 College of Behavorial & Social Sciences. All Rights Reserved.
Login