SHAPED BY BAYLOR

By: Emily Tobin

Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Emily Tobin, a three-time All-American and two-time NCATA Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year, helped Baylor acrobatics & tumbling win three-consecutive national championships and compile a 34-1 record over the last four years. A native of Templeton, Calif., she also won two individual national titles in the six-element acro and synchronized pyramid. Emily graduated from Baylor this month with a degree in marketing:

My time at Baylor

I went through my first two years of high school planning to go to our local junior college. It was the most practical option, and I didn't know what type of career I wanted to pursue. One day, I was talking to my cheer coach about college, and she said, "You're not going to a junior college. You're going to do college cheer." I had never really considered it, but I thought it might be fun, so I started going to cheer clinics and looking into potential colleges.

My problem was that I really loved stunting and tumbling, and the team aspect of the sport, but I didn't enjoy sideline cheer. I had resigned myself to suffering through sideline cheer in order to continue my competitive cheer experience, until another coach suggested Acrobatics and Tumbling. This created a new problem, because it meant giving up competitive cheer altogether, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to let go of it. I had been doing competitive cheer since I was 9 years old, and it had essentially become part of my identity.

I had been doing competitive cheer and it had essentially become part of my identity.

Now, as I look back on my senior year in high school, I can't believe I was even torn between Acrobatics and Tumbling and college cheer. Back then, it felt like the biggest decision of my life. Now, it seems like the easiest decision I had to make. My first experience with Acrobatics & Tumbling was when I visited an open practice at Baylor. What I loved right away about Acrobatics & Tumbling is that the sport focused on the skills the athletes were executing, with a lot of attention on technique.

I still wasn't fully convinced that A&T was for me until my recruiting trip at Baylor, when I was in the stands at McLane Stadium watching an Acro hype video play on the big screen. I loved the way the athletes were being shown as strong and powerful, and I realized this was exactly what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to be a part of A&T.

Baylor not only sold me on the sport, but everyone made me feel comfortable and welcome. I was impressed with how Baylor thought of everything. College wasn't going to be about just taking classes. I could tell that I would be truly supported, not just during my four years in Waco, but beyond graduation as well.

Now, as my Baylor journey has unfolded, I understand what it means when they say Baylor builds "Champions for Life," and I couldn't be more grateful. I have grown so much as an athlete and an individual because of the Baylor staff and my teammates. In the past four years, I've learned that my attitude and approach to athletics has been just as important on the mat as it will be to my "real world" experience in the future.

I've learned that being over-prepared makes you ready for anything.

Coach Felecia Mulkey has talked a lot about how being a great athlete is great, but mental toughness puts you on a whole new playing field. A large part of our training has been focused on building a mentally strong mindset. Coach Fee would say, "The mentally toughest team is the team that will win on the third day of the National Championship." She emphasized that perfection and confidence only come with countless repetition and hard work. On the Acrobatics and Tumbling team, the expectation to perform to the best of your ability at every practice never changed. And with 40+ athletes on the team competing for 24 spots, there was a lot of pressure. However, the past four years have pushed me to never stop reaching, and it's been an honor to work out with so many talented athletes.

The other thing I have learned is that every individual represents something bigger than themselves. We represent the Baylor Acrobatics and Tumbling team, as well as Baylor University, as well as collegiate sports for women across the nation. What that means is it's not about me. This realization has helped me look at my role on my team and among my teammates, and encouraged me to use my attitude and example to help motivate the team as a whole.

This environment has definitely kept me on my toes. It's taught me to look at the big picture and "roll with the punches." I've learned that being over-prepared makes you ready for anything. I've learned that the energy and commitment that it takes to be a champion, is the same "grit" that is going to carry me through tough times in the future.

This environment has taught me to look at the big picture and roll with the punches.

My faith

Growing up, I never wanted to go to church, because I thought it was boring. To be honest, I just went for the donuts. So, when I was deciding on colleges, I wasn't really looking for a Christian school. Little did I know, I would end up being baptized in the summer of 2021.

I started going to church with my roommates during my sophomore year and really enjoyed the music and the younger crowd. I had never really thought about my personal relationship with God, and I was treating my life and faith very separately.

My first couple years at Baylor were pretty stressful. Being a student-athlete and making time for everything was challenging, and being several states away from home was a huge adjustment. School was hard, and I was exhausted. In one of my most difficult semesters, I had a professor who gave us Bible verses that we could memorize for extra credit. The one he selected happened to be Matthew 6:33-34, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." This verse felt like a sign from God. It spoke right to me. For the first time, I really understood that God is by my side. I realized that I don't have to hold onto all my worries. I can let them go, and God will work things out.

I realized that I don't have to hold onto all my worries. I can let them go, and God will work things out.

During my junior year at Baylor, my teammates and I started a weekly bible study. We challenged ourselves to grow closer to God individually, and to spread God's love across the team. It has been so cool to see our mission unfold as interest has grown throughout the team. People who didn't have a strong interest before became curious and wanted to get involved. It was cool seeing that there were people who were very experienced with scripture and people, like me, who were new to studying and talking about the Bible. Our A&T bible study has really impacted my experience because I've learned how to bring my faith into my daily life. I have learned how to exemplify God's word through my sport by being a supportive and hardworking teammate. I feel proud to represent Baylor not just as an athlete, but as a Christian athlete.

The past four years have been truly amazing. I will be forever grateful for the people I have met and the opportunities that God has given me by guiding me to Baylor University.

A hobby

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed drawing, painting and crafts. So, when I took my first ceramics class in high school, I was hooked. For the first time, I actually looked forward to going to school. Then, during COVID, I stayed busy with hand-building ceramics and eventually decided I wanted to invest in my own wheel and kiln. The following summer, I started doing ceramics at home, in California, and ended up building up an inventory of projects. I thought I was going to have to take a break from my ceramics when I came back to Baylor, but I ended up finding Makers Edge. I was so excited to be able to continue doing ceramics in Waco!

Now, I am running an online business called Endless Designs by Tobin, where I sell various projects, including mugs, vases, planters, kitchenware, hand-sculpted sea creatures and much more. Everything is inspired by my love for the ocean and the endless beauty under the sea. Whenever I am not busy with school or practice, I am grateful to be spending my time using my creativity through ceramics. It has been both fun and stressful packing all my projects in suitcases for my parents to fly back home to Cali.

In addition to my online business, I was recently blessed with the opportunity to purchase a second business called Prints Charming. I'll be making hand and footprint keepsake plaques by appointment, as well as at preschools, childcare centers and craft fairs on the central coast.

Coach Fee emphasized that perfection and confidence only come with countless repetition and hard work.

SHAPED BY BAYLOR

Players Mentioned

Emily Tobin

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SHAPED BY BAYLOR

Players Mentioned

Emily Tobin

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