Riverside secondary students have displayed amazing and unique talents throughout the years. Grade nine student, Maki Koci, confirms this fact with her dedication and passion for her sport of gymnastic trampoline. This sport has been an event in the Olympics since 2000 and requires the athlete to perform routines in the air, including tricks such as forward and backward twisting. This year, Koci has had the opportunity to travel to Russia to compete in the Junior World Championships for trampoline.
Koci has been competing and training in this sport since she was eight years old, after previously training in artistic gymnastics with events such as balance beam and floor routines. She trains three days a week, for three hours each day at Club Aviva with other athletes just like her. Trampoline has been a passion for Koci ever since she started. “The sport is just really fun for me. My favourite part is probably that I get to travel to new places to compete against new people. I don’t even have a least favourite part,” said Koci.
Koci has had a past of winning medals at several competitions during her career in trampoline, yet this is the first time she is attending the junior world championships. She is going with Team Canada to St. Petersburg, Russia for ten days for the competition. There will be around 30 other athletes competing against her from all around the world.
Her idol in trampoline is an athlete named Rosie MacLennan. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Canada. MacLennan inspires Koci to push the limits and keep going with trampoline.
We wish her all the best at the championships!
Feature photo curtesy of Graham Dodd.
