Moser-Payne leads a hotbed of power tumbling

By Jeff Hare, Correspondent

Eastern Iowa is a hotbed for power tumbling, led by the many Moser School of Dance and Gymnastics clubs.

That can only be accomplished with top-notch coaching.

Carmen Moser-Payne of Edgewood recently was nominated for Iowa Coach of the Year. This isn't the first such honor for Moser-Payne or the schools, located in nine northeast Iowa communities.

“My sister Debbie and my mother Bernita also coach at the school,” Moser-Payne said. “The three of us were named national coaches of the year by the United States Tumbling Association in 2008. Then in 2009 we were honored as Iowa coaches of the year.”

Moser-Payne points to her students as the reason for her coaching success.

“We have some very dedicated kids and parents,” she said. “The training requires that most of our kids will come to our sessions once a week. We do have a few who will come to two or three a week, for extra work.”

That dedication and hard work paid off at the recent USTA nationals where 11 Moser students won gold.

The schools - located in Dyersville, Edgewood, Monticello, Manchester, Independence, Claremont, Elkader, Strawberry Point and Guttenberg - teach gymnastics and all types of dance.

Power tumbling, Moser-Payne explained, is about “the power and speed that must be attained to maximum height and stretched out skills. It is a continuous, speedy, rhythmic hand and feet movement without hesitation.”

But the coaching is not all about competition.

“What we want is teach them a lifetime activity,” Moser-Payne said.