If you have been involved in Acrobatics for any period of time over the last 25 years, you are familiar with Jola Jones. If you are new to Acrobatics, you will soon come to realize Jola Jones is without a doubt one of the most respected and hardest working professional members of the USA Acrobatics Program. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she continues to go above and beyond any assigned task or job, not to mention most of the time on her own watch and dime. She has dedicated a lifetime of service to the sport of gymnastics and has made a considerable impact upon our sport.

This month, USA Gymnastics Acrobatics Program would like to highlight Jola’s accomplishments and significant contributions to the USA Acro Program.

Jola Jones has been involved in gymnastics for 39 years. Jola started as a volunteer in artistic gymnastics in 1970 and became an artistic judge in 1979.

In 1985 she became an acro judge and in 1990 a tumbling and trampoline judge. She has been judging all three disciplines ever since giving Jola over 30 years of judging experience.

In artistic gymnastics she was the Judges’ Assigner for six years in the 1990’s and also a judges’ trainer during that time. She has also been a National Judging Clinician for Acro since 1992.

She currently holds the highest rating for an Acrobatic Gymnastics judge with a Brevet Category 1. She is a national rated judge in the discipline of women’s artistic gymnastics and a National Category 1 rated judge for Trampoline and Tumbling.

She has judged every Acrobatic Gymnastics Junior Olympic Nationals, National Championships, and National Elite Qualifier and over 40 international competitions. She has judged almost every National Championships for Tumbling and Trampoline and three times internationally.

Jola served as National Technical Chair from 1990 until Acro joined USA Gymnastics in 2001. As Technical Chair she was responsible for the Rules and Policies and Specifications. In 2001 she became the Acrobatic Gymnastics National Program Committee Chair and retained that position until 2005.

When the organization was IFSA, Jola was a member of the International Judges’ Committee from 1995 until 2000 when Acro became part of FIG.

In 2004 Jola received the USA Gymnastics Star Service Award for Sports Acrobatics. The Star Service Award is given for outstanding volunteer service and dedication to the acrobatic gymnastics program. In 2007, Jola was the firstever recipient of the Janet Von Bargen, an award in which was created to recognize Acro judges that go above and beyond the call of duty.

In 2008, Jola Jones received a Brevet Category I rating for the 2009-2012 cycle in the discipline of acrobatics and continues to judge internationally for Team USA.