By Betsy Stein
Three young acrobatic gymnasts from Annapolis have been named to the USA National Team and are headed to the Junior World Championships this month in Orlando, Fla.
Holland Koller, 11, a student at The Key School; Sophia Handel, 13, a student at Indian Creek Middle School; and Rachel Zorn, 15, who is home schooled, make up the three member competitive acrobatic gymnastics team.
“I am so proud that the trio has been able to achieve such a high level of success in their sport,” said their coach, Sarah Thomas, who is the acrobatic team director at 1st Class Gymnastics in Annapolis. “They have a lot to balance with their training schedule, school and family events. I give a lot of credit, not just to the girls, but to their parents whose unwavering support has been key to their success.”
What is Acro?
Acrobatic gymnastics, nicknamed Acro, is a competitive partner sport combining the strength, flexibility and technical precision of gymnastics with the grace of dance and the trust and camaraderie of a team. It is not currently an Olympic sport.
The girls, spotted in their classes at 1st Class Gymnastics, have been on the competitive team for four years an have been working together as a trio for three years, Thomas said.
“The girls have learned to respect each other’s talents and know that each one of them brings something special to the table,” Thomas said. “One cannot succeed without the other.”
Based on their performance at the Acro Cup, held at the Olympic Training Center in Huntsville, Texas, in early February, the trio was named to the USA National Team in the 11-16 age group and was selected to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships April 16 to 22. They represented the United States at international competitions in Belgium and, most recently, in Poland last summer where they won a bronze medal.
“Our goal is for the trio to be in the top eight at Worlds and make the finals where the medals will be decided,” Thomas said.
