While many students have seen him doing flips in the Quad, juggling on the Parade Ground or just walking barefoot across campus, few know him by name.
Communication studies sophomore Gage Howell, affectionately called “the guy in the Quad,” is known for his gymnastics routines and capoeira performances. After learning his craft less than a month ago at the Southern Miss game, he’s quickly become a campus sensation.
Before the game, Howell laid out a tapestry on the Parade Ground, sat down and began juggling. Another student, Adeolu, asked if he could join Howell.
After a few minutes, Adeolu did a “crazy-looking” flip, and Howell knew he wanted to learn.
“We became soulmates, or best friends or whatever word could be inserted there,” Howell said.
Now the duo performs every Tuesday and Thursday in the Quad. On any given day, Howell spends between one and three hours “tricking,” performing anywhere and anytime he feels the urge.
“These are the things that make me most happy,” Howell said. “I strive to improve myself in every way possible to the greatest capacity that I can.”
While his performances draw large crowds, Howell said his tricking is just for him — he would be out there flipping whether he had an audience or not.
“A lot of people come and join or say they aspire to have my level of confidence,” Howell said. “I think, for a lot of people, it breaks the monotony of the daily routine and allows for a little bit of freedom.”
For many students, Howell’s routine outbursts bring entertainment and joy to what would normally be a stressful school day.
International studies and English junior Annika Sabella is one of those students. On one occasion, she said she saw Howell jump off a building and whisper-shout “parkour.”
While tricking, Howell plays music ranging from Led Zeppelin to Jersey Boys to a gypsy metal band called Epica. He said he tends to lean more toward heavy rock, operatic and jazz music, but just last week, he played music from the “Tarzan” soundtrack.
Before learning from Adeolu, Howell possessed little to no skills. However, he toured Europe this past summer on a study abroad trip performing aerial silks with the physical theater program. He performed in France and spent three weeks at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Trying to teach himself mindfulness, Howell hasn’t worn shoes for more than a hour at a time for the past seven months. Going through his routine without paying attention, he realized he could barely remember what he had done just a few hours earlier and set out to change his attentiveness.
“What I do is striving to help people see that there are other perspectives from which to view the world and to live a life beyond waking up in the morning, going to school, going to work and going to bed,” Howell said. “You can find a way to enjoy every single second of every day if you really want to.”
Along with tricking and juggling, Howell also dabbles in music, having played the guitar for 14 years. His music is influenced by his love for metal and classical genres, as well as Tim Burton movies.
Howell said he would love to perform his music or set up music and art festivals. He’s also interested in street performing and living the nomad life anywhere he can influence a large amount of people.
“The side effect of all of this is I get to meet a ton of people, and all of them have something that I can learn,” Howell said.
Communication studies sophomore Gage Howell practices gymnastics routines, parkour and capoeira in the Quad.
