by Will Menser, Staff Writer
As is the annual tradition at Asbury University, Jym Jam was back this year for Asbury students and the local community to enjoy on April 6. Jym Jam is an 83-year-long custom at Asbury that spawned the tumbling team in 1965, which is a ministry that has made a large impact in and around the state.
Coach Holland Michael explained what the Jym Jam event entails. “Our show consists of acrobatic skills, floor tumbling, trampolines and even a ring of fire!”
This event has not only made a historical mark on Asbury, but it has created a ministry that powerfully impacts schools in multiple cities. Over Spring Break, the team travelled to Louisville, Evansville and St. Louis to put on fourteen shows that reached over 5,000 people. The team members sacrificed time that could have been spent with their families on vacation to impact the lives of future college students.
“It is very fulfilling for [the] team to be able to serve in this ministry,” Michael said. “We love being able to use our unique skills and talents in order to show God’s love to children all around the country. It’s an amazing platform that has allowed us to enter schools and plant seeds for the kingdom in a unique way.”
An event like Jym Jam is not only the culmination of the entire program as a whole, but it is also an opportunity for Asbury students to go and show their support for the program. Without Jym Jam, the tumbling team would not be what it is today, and the storied history of the program, which includes performances at the Pentagon and the NAIA Division II basketball tournament, would be gone. Jym Jam and the tumbling team reflect all of what Asbury represents and are major facets of what make it a unique and amazing community.
The event and history of the team even impacts students who are a part of the ministry today. Senior Phillip Salmen is a prime example.
“At the end of this year, it marks my fifth year on the team [from when I was] a senior in high school to a senior in college,” said Salmen. “It’s been an amazing ride that has taught me to be responsible for my mistakes, respectful of others’ flaws and that God is always at work through us.”
Senior Jacob Junker is another member of the team who has experienced change.
“I came from a blessed background where I had pre-Olympic and Olympic-style coaching and got to help and be a part of big circuses. Leaving that kind of humbled me in the sense that the whole world is not five stars, but it also made me feel small because I realized how large God’s plan is,” said Junker. “On this tumbling team I realized that my part is just as big if not bigger than my pre-Olympic and Olympic days.”
Unfortunately, Junker suffered an injury during one of the shows over Spring Break. However, Junker still had a role, albeit small, in Jym Jam, which is a testament to his persistence and dedication to the program.
Overall, Jym Jam is an event where all of Asbury can unite to celebrate a tradition — a tradition that has left lasting marks on the many students who have passed through Asbury and the team itself. It is an opportunity for students to worship God and to realize the true potential for greatness in themselves. Before the show, Junker said, “I want the tumbling team to teach people that God qualifies those who are called, He doesn’t call those who are qualified. [Most of who’s on the team] had never done a handstand before, and in the show you’re gonna see, you would never know that.”
Photo by Josiah Downey
