How Gymnastics and Stunt Prepared Eve Doudican for Life After Sports

By Mikayla Nagl, Sports Reporter, Fan Day Nation

Eve Doudican, a powerhouse in the world of stunt and cheerleading, exemplifies strength and dedication as a cheerleader at Dallas Baptist University.

Eve Doudican, a senior at Dallas Baptist University, has been an athlete her whole life, but this will be the first time since she was two years old that she doesn’t have a sport to fall back on. Eve started doing gymnastics at a very young age, then found her niche in tumbling when she was eight years old, where she was a natural. Eve said that she was more talented in tumbling than gymnastics overall so it just made sense to make the switch. 

Throughout her younger athletic career, Eve was on a national team for seven years before heading off to college. She loved tumbling and had so much motivation for it because “there was always another goal to reach.” Once she mastered a skill, she would start working even harder on the next one. 

Winning feels even better by the water—Eve Doudican stands tall, bringing her victory to the shores in this unforgettable moment.

Eve has kept in contact with her old tumbling coach she had throughout her middle and high school career. He helped her build her confidence and she still sends him videos and updates showing him what skills she has been working on and how much he has helped her throughout the years. “He has been there through everything and is one of my best friends,” Eve said. Her old coach is not her only inspiration. Her parents have been a big part of her athletic journey as well. They come to all her competitions and support her in everything she does. Eve and her teammates' parents bring energy to their games and competitions whilst dressing up and cheering them on. 

Eve started her college career at Oklahoma City University and was on the stunt team there. A stunt team, Doudican explained, is like cheerleading set up in a game format with four quarters. Each quarter has partner stunts, pyramids, jumps, and tumbling. Teams perform routines, and judges award points based on performance. Possession switches after each routine, and this continues throughout the game. After two years at OCU she wasn’t truly enjoying her time and started to look at other schools. When she visited DBU, “it immediately felt like home,” Eve stated. She then transferred and joined the stunt and cheer team. Eve had never done cheerleading before, so the sport was very new to her. Luckily, a lot of her skill set matched up with how they needed to perform. 

Victory in motion—Eve Doudican celebrates with her team as they clinch the 2024 Lone Star Conference Stunt Championship, a testament to their hard work and teamwork.

DBU’s stunt team won Conference last year and their cheerleading team won Nationals. This was such a surreal moment for Eve because not only did both of her teams make it far, it was her last year competing on either team. Doudican is graduating this year in December and is starting her Doctorate degree for occupational therapy at Baylor University this January. 

Stunt and cheer competitions are year round sports so she debated whether or not she would stick around for another semester, but decided it would be best for her school and future career if she started grad school right away. 

Eve wants to be remembered as someone who works hard, is kind to everyone, and is someone people can lean on. “Being an athlete has truly made me who I am,” Eve stated, and she can’t wait for her next chapter in life and she starts her journey at Baylor University in the spring. 

Follow Eve Doudican on Instagram, X, and TikTok.

For more inspiring and entertaining interviews, check out these articles:

How the Mental Game can Change the Physical Game

Tommy Bruner: How to be Different and Stand Out

Chasing Dreams: How CC Crawford Balances Volleyball, Family, and Future Ambitions