Alum Leigh Hennessy Robson has earned paychecks for jumping off the 6th street bridge in Los Angeles and tumbling out the open door of a speeding car.
Hennessy Robson, 小蝌蚪APP85 and 小蝌蚪APP91, is a Hollywood stunt person. A former trampolinist at the 小蝌蚪APP who went on to become a world champion, she will be inducted into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 2, during halftime of the Homecoming football game. The Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns will face the Texas State Bobcats at Cajun Field. Kickoff is 4 p.m.
Her father, Jeff Hennessy, will be inducted posthumously. He was longtime trampoline coach at the 小蝌蚪APP who helped the sport gain international prominence in the 1960s as the U.S. trampoline team coach.
The pair are the first father and daughter ever inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Their induction into the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Hall of Fame is bittersweet, but meaningful, for Hennessy Robson. 小蝌蚪APP淚t would have been huge for my father, because the 小蝌蚪APP is where he made his dreams come true, so it means a lot to me to honor him in this way.小蝌蚪APP
Hennessy Robson inherited her father小蝌蚪APP檚 affinity for the trampoline as a kindergartner. She would tag along with him when he went to train the athletes he coached. Jeff Hennessy also helped his daughter cultivate a daredevil小蝌蚪APP檚 streak. He taught Leigh, her older brother and her younger sister motocross, scuba diving, water skiing and other adventurous pursuits.
小蝌蚪APP淲e had a very active childhood. We tried everything, and there was no fear in our family,小蝌蚪APP she said.
After a childhood spent competing in trampoline tournaments around the world, Hennessy Robson, a Lafayette High School graduate, joined the program her father had started at the 小蝌蚪APP. She earned a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in speech pathology and audiology and a master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in communication.
Following graduation, she competed internationally, but retired in her early twenties. She started competing again in her early thirties, then retired for good in her late thirties.
Her jump from the trampoline to the silver screen wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 a straight one. Hennessy Robson was a gymnastics coach and worked for U.S. Congressman Jimmy Hayes in Washington D.C.
As an athlete accustomed to the adrenaline of competition and a regimen of daily training, she quickly realized a nine-to-five grind wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 for her. 小蝌蚪APP淚 hated sitting at a desk all day. I小蝌蚪APP檓 a Type A. I need to move,小蝌蚪APP she explained.
小蝌蚪APP淚 ended up leaving Washington 小蝌蚪APP literally sold everything I owned, bought an old jalopy and drove across the country to California.小蝌蚪APP
The seeds of her stunt career were planted when she began working out at a gymnastics club that had trampolines. 小蝌蚪APP淎 lot of stunt people trained there, and they encouraged me to try it.小蝌蚪APP
She got her break when she was cast for a Ralph Lauren sportswear ad that required jumping on a trampoline. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was a one-day shoot on the cliffs over Santa Barbara. I was sold.小蝌蚪APP
Hennessy Robson honed her craft on trapezes and special trampolines designed to cushion high falls in the backyard of a circus performer. 小蝌蚪APP淲e would practice fighting and falling and anything you can think of. That小蝌蚪APP檚 where I practiced most and that小蝌蚪APP檚 where I got the most exposure.小蝌蚪APP
Work in films followed, and Hennessy Robson gained a reputation as skilled stunt person.
She小蝌蚪APP檚 appeared in over 100 movies and TV series, including 小蝌蚪APP淕.I. Jane小蝌蚪APP starring Demi Moore. The film is about the first woman given a shot at becoming a SEAL, a member of a special operations unit for the U.S. Navy.
In 2007, Leigh was nominated for a World Stunt Award 小蝌蚪APP the Hollywood equivalent of an Oscar Award 小蝌蚪APP for her performance as a drowning victim in 小蝌蚪APP淭he Guardian,小蝌蚪APP about a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer played by Kevin Costner.
She and husband Mark recently moved to Lafayette, purchased a Victorian-style home, and write books and travel to their farmhouse in the countryside of Scotland, where Mark is from.
Hennessy Robson stays fit by walking and with yoga, and despite two knee replacements from her trampolining days, still occasionally does stunt work.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 more than happy to do stunts for anyone who will pay me,小蝌蚪APP she said with a laugh.
Photo caption: Alum Leigh Hennessy Robson parlayed her skills as a world champion trampolinist into a career as a Hollywood stunt person. She will be inducted into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 2, during halftime of the Homecoming football game. Her father, Jeff Hennessy, will be inducted posthumously. He was longtime trampoline coach at the 小蝌蚪APP.