Web Exclusive

Trampling the competition

By Jessie Bazan, Comm '14

Above: Marquette sophomore Sonia Shah is a blur as she twists and turns while performing her routine on the double-mini trampoline. Below: Shah (center) is awarded a gold medal alongside fellow competitors.

Sixty-six feet is all that separates Sonia Shah from her trampoline, yet she does not look up. Staring at the mat below her feet, Shah visualizes being at her home gym instead of here, in front of flashing cameras and big crowds. Ever since her dad signed Shah up for gymnastics at the age of three, she has dreamed of moments like this. Confident, she takes a deep breath and begins her ascent.

The Indianapolis native and Marquette sophomore is the reigning world champion in her age group on the double-mini trampoline. Shah, a double major in chemistry and mathematics, competes in national and international competitions for USA Gymnastics and is currently training for July's Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships. With a good showing at nationals, Shah will guarantee herself a ticket to the world championships in Birmingham, England in November.

Though it is not yet an Olympic sport, the double-mini trampoline provides gymnasts with a unique set of challenges — the main one being the size of the trampoline itself. As the name would indicate, the double-mini trampoline is made up of two trampolines, the mount followed by the spotter. According to USA Gymnastics, the size of both trampoline beds combined is approximately 9 feet by 3 feet. This gives gymnasts like Shah, who are performing multiple flips and twists 10 to 15 feet in the air, a staggeringly small space to work with. So small in fact, that if completely spread out, the trampoline bed would take up less than a quarter of the floor space in a McCormick Hall room.

Currently the No. 1 ranked female in the country, Shah says she is nervous about nationals but also comfortable with the lead she established. She earned the top ranking because of a dedicated training regime she followed throughout the school year, which included traveling to Scramp's Gymnastics in Kenosha for conditioning and training sessions four times a week.

Being a world-renowned gymnast and an honors student is hard at times, Shah says, but she credits her strong time-management skills, parents, friends and Marquette professors for helping her along the way.

"Gymnastics is first priority," Shah says. "In high school, people didn't understand what I was doing and why I was doing it. At Marquette, I feel they understand a little more and are more supportive."