While many high schoolers are playing sports like soccer, basketball or football, Soffia Metzler, a junior at Foothill High School, is competing–and excelling–in sports acrobatics.
Metzler and her acrobatics partner Hannah Douglas of Tracy recently won gold at the U.S. Acrobatics National Championship. Shortly after, they were chosen as part of the U.S. national team, which will be competing in Glasgow, Scotland at the 2008 World Sports Acrobatics Championship Oct. 3-5.
“I’m very excited,” said Metzler. “It’s my dream and it’s coming true.”
While Meztler has competed internationally before, including competitions in England and Poland, this will be the first world championship for both her and her partner.
Metzler said she began participating in acrobatics when she was nine or 10. She had been taking gymnastics in Livermore when she saw acrobats training. According to Metzler, it was love at first sight.
These days, the 16-year-old dedicates a lot of time to the sport, with training both before and after school, but she said she still loves it. The rigorous training schedule, however, is not entirely responsible for her and Douglas’s success, according to Metzler.
“In my sport, the minute you walk onto the floor, the judges look at your face and decide if you’re a winner,” she said. “You need to present yourself like you have self confidence and nothing can get in your way.”
And the girls must show plenty of confidence, because they were selected for the national team over the champions of the higher levels at nationals. Acrobats are selected from levels eight and above for international competition. Metzler and Douglas compete in level eight and were selected, while no champions of levels nine and 10 were selected for the national team, according to Metzler’s father Hugh Metzler.
“Just to get selected to the team is quite an accomplishment,” he said.
Before competing in Scotland, Metzler and Douglas will train in London. Metzler said she enjoys traveling and is looking forward to seeing friends she has made internationally, as well as making new friends.
“I am looking forward to basically just enjoying the whole experience and everyone there,” she said.
