Fisk University’s historic gymnastic team has landed its docuseries after making history as the first HBCU gymnastics team to compete at an NCAA event earlier this year.
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The docuseries Flipped will follow the only college gymnastics BIPOC team as they deal with the pressures of their first season while dealing with the stereotypes and culture of women’s athletics, according to a Deadline exclusive. The team does not have its university gym, but they strive for excellence under the tutelage of Coach Corrinne Tarver. The team includes first-year students determined to be the best in NCAA gymnastics, regardless of their circumstances.
Deborah Riley Draper, a filmmaker, will direct the series, and Robin Lyon, CEO of Baller Alert Films, will develop it. The women will executive produce alongside Gail Lyon, Hope Hartman, Paul Lee of wiip, and Fisk University.
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The team consists of Division-I athletes who de-committed from high-profile programs and participated at the 2023 Super 16 gymnastics invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this month. Morgan Price,17, a Frisk University freshman, competed in all four individual events and earned the highest score, a 9.9.
“This is the most aspirational coming-of-age sports story of the year. We have not seen this before and its happening in real time. My work as a filmmaker has always and will always be about unpacking and centering stories of extraordinary Black women as they navigate the intersection of race, gender, and class. Watching this unfold in gymnastics will be a blueprint and a lesson for equity and access,” Draper said.
Fisk University Executive Vice President Jens Frederiksen said in a statement that the school is at the forefront of social justice and has an impact from several prominent figures.
“Fisk University has always been at the forefront of social justice and impact from W.E.B DuBois, to Diane Nash, and Nikki Giovanni. This remarkable gymnastics team continues this unique legacy by paving the way for the next generation of HBCU athletics and Black gymnasts.”