7 Year Old Gymnast Wins Second Place at The National Level Has His Eyes Set on Bigger Goals

By: Edir Coronado
Local Mountainside Gymnast, Sasha Rozenshteyn is only seven years old, but at this young age he’s already accomplished a plethora of accolades, earning second place at the 2016 Trampoline Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While Sasha came in second at the National level, he earned first place at the state and regional level.
Sasha began four years ago in Olympika Gymnastics, where he entertained the idea of gymnastics, by playing around in the gym. Here, coach, Stoyan Grigorov noticed Sasha’s potential. Sasha’s talents began to unravel 2 years later and at the age of 7 Stoyan saw the determination needed to compete. This willpower, coupled with the incredible amount of talent portrayed in the gym, yielded the equation of a winning formula.
Coach Stoyan explains that his young protégé has not only the physical skills to compete, but the mindset that he holds carries him through his failures and gives him an inability to fear the competition. “He just wants to win,” expressed Coach Stoyan. He points to examples in the gym where he faces off against the older more experienced gymnasts and expects to win. This type of gumption allows young Sasha to be courageous is how he faces defeat is what’s really mentally impressive. Where most adults might quit, Sasha’s tenacity kicks in pushing him through his shortcomings to create success. “Most kids his age are scared of the competition, but Sasha shows no fear, which is why in the future he is going to represent his country on international level,” expressed Coach Stoyan.
Sasha’s training regimen includes a rigorous hour and half session three days a week, where coach Stoyan goes over techniques, as well as conditioning and flexibility through stretching. While Sasha is mentally strong, it is easy to forget he is only seven; during these training sessions, Coach Stoyan makes sure to build on that mental toughness Sasha already possesses. Coach Stoyan explains that he uses Sasha’s yearning to be a champion as a way to motivate him and reminding him what it takes to be a champion and what needs to be accomplished to achieve those goals. Sasha responds positively and always comes to practice with laser focus, ready to improve.
Thus far Sasha has participated in 6 competitions, most at the state level, but with his recent success at the national level, coach Stoyan determined that within two years Sasha could see international competition.
Currently Sasha is hard at work with Coach Stoyan and there are mountainous goals Sasha hopes to achieve in the near future. Coach Stoyan has installed a new training regimen tailored to the higher level of competition he will be entering next year in the national level. Coach Stoyan explains that Sasha will move from level 7 to 8. There are 10 levels in total before reaching the elite level. These are the progressions that will be taken before reaching the final goal, being considered the best, and winning gold medals. Sasha has a lot of work ahead of him, but with the help of his coach, Sasha seems destined for success.