In tackling the college application process, a challenge no longer sufficiently met with by-the-book essays and rigid formalities, students leap at an opportunity to further amplify the unique hues of their personalities. For Tufts sophomore and worldwide competitive rhythmic gymnast Brenann Stacker, mailing a blue and brown six-meter ribbon to Bendetson Hall with instructions for its use was her way of achieving just that.
With her transition from ballet to rhythmic gymnastics at the age of five, and from national to international competitions by age 11, Stacker maintained a disciplined adolescence.
She balanced academics and a rigorous training schedule for rhythmic gymnastics, a sport that combines the use of a ball, hoop, rope, ribbon and clubs to compose a gymnastic performance that is strongly reminiscent of ballet, jazz and modern dance.
Throughout high school, a traditional class schedule was virtually impossible, as on average Stacker missed 40 days of school per year due to competitions.
"I home-schooled in my sophomore and junior years of high school, but went back my senior year to prepare for college," she said. "People used to call me 'the ghost', because I would be there one minute and gone the next."
While at one point it interrupted her academic career, Stacker's dedication to the sport has paid off. With a fifteen-year rhythmic career under her belt, the Tufts sophomore has competed seven times on the USA Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, and was also a member of the 2005 World Championship Team in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In order to compete on the U.S. team at the World Championship, Stacker chose to defer her education at Tufts for a year.
"I was told, 'You can either go to school now or you can do this,'" she said. "I chose the competition."
While Stacker gained admittance into six schools of choice, Tufts gave her the warmest welcome in regards to her competition schedule.
"In choosing between two universities, I chose Tufts because the school was so supportive of me deferring to compete in the competition," Stacker said. "I got the nicest letter wishing me luck at Worlds and telling me to keep them updated. That made the difference for me."
Stacker traveled to Azerbaijan for a two and a half week stay to partake in the competition as a member of the U.S. team and event specialist for ribbon and clubs.
The competition consisted of four days, with each rhythmic discipline - ball, hoop, clubs and ribbon - comprising its own day, and with final events for each discipline cumulating in championship announcements.
"The U.S. team placed well, considering that we are working our way up. Rhythmic is so new here, we're still catching up to the Russians," Stacker said.
Rhythmic gymnastics is growing out of its infancy in the United States, according to Stacker. While very popular throughout Europe, it is less known locally and also comes with larger costs for U.S. athletes, according to Stacker.
"In Europe, the gymnasts often achieve celebrity status in their countries," Stacker said. "It's very different for them because they don't have to travel so far, with most events taking place in Europe. It's a lot more expensive and time consuming for athletes who travel from the United States to Europe or Asia."
The presence of both U.S. athletes and international competitors in the rhythmic scene is crucial, Stacker said.
"If you are not seen at every international competition, no matter how good you are, you're not going to keep up," she said. "There are a lot of qualifying steps, and a gymnast has to continually prove herself every year."
Still, Stacker has had an advantage with her roots firmly set in Chicago.
"Chicago is a Mecca for the best rhythmic coaches," Stacker said. "My local team is the largest in the country."
With several coaches to guide her, Stacker tediously trained in preparation for competitions often for up to ten hours a day for several weeks prior to a big event. During a typical season, Stacker still managed five hours of training, five days per week. "Before competition, we would spend all day running routines. I also spent additional hours in ballet and strength training," Stacker said. "Internationally, though, the best in the world train ten hours a day every single day. Rhythmic is their job."
During her career as a member of the USA Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, Stacker had the opportunity to travel often to compete and train internationally in a list of countries that includes France, Belgium, Portugal, Ukraine, Venezuela, Bulgaria and Brazil.
Such heavy travel combined with her status as a professional rhythmic gymnast provided an atypical lens when visiting foreign countries.
"When traveling as an athlete, you get to see things that you don't normally see as a tourist, such as how people really live in other countries and how the gymnasts train," Stacker said. "You're more immersed in the culture."
Retiring from rhythmic gymnastics three years ago, Stacker looks back on her last season as one of her best.
"My last season, I competed with an L2 fracture", Stacker said. "It was frustrating, but I continued because I wanted to, and it was one of my most rewarding seasons."
At Tufts, Stacker is majoring in drama with a film studies minor. Currently assistant directing the drama production Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the former global trekker still finds time to revisit the sport.
"When you do something for so long and then stop, it feels really strange," Stacker said. "Sometimes I will go to Jackson Gym and do rhythmic routines, just to feel it again."
