Florida State campus is home to ‘high flying’ students

Today’s column grew out of a recent chance encounter that took place in one of the outpatient waiting rooms at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. A gentleman’s cell phone rang.

It was a familiar ringtone to the ear of anyone who follows college sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The phone blared the distinctive “war chant” of the Florida State University Seminoles. The owner shared that he is a proud graduate of FSU.

 

The “tomahawk chop” became engraved in the culture and tradition of Florida State. 

The gesture developed along with the “war chant” in 1984 during a home football game against Auburn. 

He also boasted that his alma mater in Tallahassee, Fla., is about the only college in the country that offers an “acrobatics program” for its students.

Indeed, the campus organization known as the “FSU Flying High Circus” with a real “big top tent” was established in 1947. 

The campus map shows that the circus grounds are located adjacent to the Seminoles’ baseball stadium, just beyond the right field foul pole.

 

Or at least, that’s where the big tent structure used to be. A string of three tornadoes blasted through the campus community on May 10, 2024, destroying the iconic circus facility. 

The university is “rebuilding,” and the circus should be back in full operation for the fall 2025 semester.

The costs associated with the recovery project are expected to exceed $2.2 million, according to recent Tallahassee news reports. The university contracted with Canobbio Textile Architecture, a third-generation, family business in northwest Italy, to manufacture a large replacement tent.

 

A marketing photo provided courtesy of Canobbio Textile Architecture illustrates a sample of the work performed by the company.

Just a few days ago, the tent arrived in the United States via cargo ship; it is scheduled to be delivered to Tallahassee in late March. Assembly will begin immediately, reported Chad Mathews, director of the FSU Flying High Circus.

“It’s about a two-week process to put up the tent, but it will take several months to get the entire interior ready for use,” Mathews said. Student performers can hardly wait, but they’ve been diligent staying in shape and practicing their routines in temporary quarters.

As background, FSU was established in 1947, when the state legislature sought to accommodate returning World War II veterans seeking a college education under the GI Bill. The Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee became a coeducational institution and was renamed as Florida State University; male students began to enroll.

At that time, “student life” endeavors were delegated to FSU’s new athletic director Dr. Howard Danford, who previously ran the Madison, Wis., city parks and recreation department. 

Dr. Danford brought with him Glenn “Jack” Haskin to organize a “just-for-fun campus circus club,” with the goal of effectively integrating male and female students into a single extracurricular activity.

As a former high school physical education teacher, Haskin had experience staging student gymnastic exhibitions. From the very beginning, the Flying High Circus has held open auditions, and all FSU students in good academic standing are eligible to try out.

The aerial tricks performed by students on the flying trapeze are often more difficult than those found in professional circus acts, according to Mathews.

 

At FSU, students are involved with the circus as aerial performers, acrobats, dancers, clowns and ringmasters. Others provide technical support in lighting and sound as well as perform other behind-the-scenes roles. Each circus member is required to maintain a “C” grade point average to continue.

 

Mathews said the bonds formed lead to lifelong friendships. The circus alumni group stepped up in the aftermath of the tornado devastation to invest heavily in the recovery efforts.

Dr. Nicole Fearnbach Viverito (shown below), a program director in FSU’s Office of Research Development, performed with the Flying High Circus as an undergraduate. She said: “It’s the biggest family I’ve ever had.”

 ---

Suzan Kurdak, a staff writer for the Florida State University campus news bureau, has been following the FSU Flying High Circus story as it has unfolded. Here is some of her work:

While a student from 2007-12 at Florida State University, Nicole Fearnbach, a native of New Jersey, earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in psychology. During that time, Nicole was a member of the FSU Flying High Circus who specialized in the flying trapeze.

She has remained involved with the circus through alumni relations and fundraising efforts to continue the program’s legacy. Her father, Wayne Fearnbach, was a high-wire performer at FSU from 1969-1973, and was instrumental in convincing his daughter to enroll at FSU.

 

Nicole met her husband, Matt Viverito (shown below), through the circus. He went on to be a professional flying trapeze artist for a time. Matt now works as Event Coordinator with the FSU Flying High Circus.

 

Dr. Niclole Viverito said her love for her circus family is genuine. “You make such wonderful connections with not only peers and their families, but the Tallahassee community as a whole The circus touches so many people in so many positive ways.”

The tornado damage has been a mere bump in the road. As Dr. Viverito says: “We’re resilient, and the show must go on.”

 

Another proud circus alumna from 2000-03 is Meghan Gudelsky, who works as a senior events planning and management consultant with Sequoia Productions in Los Angeles, Calif.

“When you are in the circus, your acts are a small part of the overall production,” Gudelsky said. “I loved practicing, performing, rigging, learning safety, coaching, holding lines, working the music, sewing costumes, putting the tent up and down, learning knots and how to engage an audience. It takes a team working hard together under pressure to put on a show.”

“The FSU Circus is a one-of-a-kind performing arts program that is crewed by student volunteers of all walks of life,” Gudelsky said. “It was my love, experience and unique understanding of the performing arts that opened doors for me and allowed me to succeed behind the scenes.”

Gudelsky credits her experiences for helping her learn resilience, hard work, teamwork and trust, which prepared her for her career. She is in her 20th year working in the event production industry, creating and planning large-scale events with live entertainment.