Jesse White Tumblers To Hold Tryouts For New Members
by SheRico Jones
In 1959 Jesse White, Illinois 37th Secretary of State, started the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling team. The team started off as a one-time performance at a Chicago Park District event and turned into a well-known and admired organization with over 200 active members.
The Jesse White tumbling team wows audiences with their gravity-defying acrobatics and agility. The team can be seen in their signature red and white uniforms somersaulting high in the air over 12 foot banners and each other. The teams training program teaches its members discipline and enhances their existing tumbling skills
White started the team as a delinquency prevention program for Chicago youth living in housing projects. Since its creation, the Jesse White Tumbling team has had over 10,000 members and has appeared in several movies including Ferris Buehlers Day off and Meteor Man. The team has also performed at halftime shows for the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the 52nd and 53rd presidential inauguration parades.
Jesse White was the first African-American to be elected Secretary of State in Illinois. He served as a paratrooper in the United States Armys 101st Airborne Division, was a member of the Illinois National Guard and held several political offices including Recorder of Deeds of Cook County. White worked as a teacher and administrator for Chicago Public Schools for 33 years before being elected Secretary of State in 1998. Notably, in the 2010 election, White received the most votes out of anyone who ran for public office in the state of Illinois.
Athletically, White was a minor league baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and has been inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as well as Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. At 76 years old, White is an active coach of the team and performs with the team. At a recent performance, White was seen doing a handstand while the team did somersaults over him.
The tumblers are coached and mentored by White along with 5 other coaches: Perry Browley, Robert Channel, Golden Lyles, Princeton Lynch and Eric Maxey.
Many of the teams members come from single family homes and see White as a father figure. They perform in over 1000 shows a year and are a highly-anticipated act in Chicagos annual Bud Billiken back to school parade.
The team members are required to maintain a C average in school and stay away from gangs and drugs. In addition to tumbling, the organization also provides tutoring and has given over $280,000 dollars in collegiate funding over the past 10 years.
On October 1, 2011 from 9:00am to 12:00pm, the team will be holding tryouts for new members at Moody Bible Solheim Center located at 930 N. Wells in Chicago. Applicants must be between the ages of 6 and 16 and possess some basic tumbling skills. All applicants must be accompanied by a parent and must bring a copy of their last two report cards. For more information contact the Jesse White Tumblers main office at (312) 266-7498.
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