'Terrible accident' claims life of gymnastics teacher
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

Marlboro

MARLBORO - Police are calling the death of gymnastics instructor John McCurdy a freak accident.

McCurdy, 27, of Old Bridge, died on Nov. 8 from head injuries he sustained the night before at the Jonas Gymnastics Academy and Cheer Center, Commercial Court.

McCurdy, an instructor at the facility, was not working on the evening of Nov. 7. He was practicing with an adult team that trains at the gym on Tuesday nights; however, he was not part of the team, police said.

According to Marlboro police Detective Sgt. Paul Reed, McCurdy, formerly of Mount Joy, Pa., was practicing a move called a quad front flip when he landed head first in a pit that is filled with foam blocks and foam padding.

The move involves a gymnast running, jumping onto a trampoline to gain elevation and performing four somersaults in the air before landing on his feet.

"It just seems like a terrible accident. All safety procedures were in place and the maneuver was well within his capabilities. Something just went wrong," Reed said.

A 6-foot-deep pit in the ground is used by gymnasts as a landing area, Reed said. At the bottom of the pit are pieces of foam padding about 1-foot thick. On top of the padding are foam blocks piled about 5 feet high.

Police said the foam pit meets or exceeds all gymnastic standards and the facility's safety equipment is in order.

McCurdy began the move but was not able to complete it. He was still in a tuck position when he went head first into the pit and landed between the pieces of foam padding and on the concrete below all of the protective devices, police said.

"He hit the wrong place at the wrong time, at the wrong angle," Reed said.

According to police, people at the gym initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts on McCurdy before Marlboro police officers arrived at about 11:50 p.m. and took over the lifesaving efforts.

The Marlboro First Aid Squad and the medic unit out of Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel, transported McCurdy to Bayshore where he was pronounced dead on Nov. 8 at 1:10 a.m.

Marlboro police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office investigated the accident.