As I’ve already mentioned in my previous articles, sport is a wonderful aspect of our lives, which was totally foreign to me for a very long time. No one was able to persuade me into taking up the smallest physical activity, which I regret a lot right now. Unfortunately, I can’t put the clock back and fully enjoy the possibilities offered by a teenage body, as well as assets of having more freedom in life, which is worth being used for some extra sports activities.

Fortunately, there are also some young people who not only exercise, but also gain wonderful results, and what’s the most important, they are good at what they love doing. I’ve been recently truly moved by a story of my colleague’s daughter, which I had a chance to read in one of the posts published on facebook. Well, there is a beautiful, talented and hard-working girl – Erwina – who together with her team mates, wants to take part in the World Championship, which after all she has qualified for not thanks to her gorgeous eyes and kind voice, but thanks to hectolitres of sweat lost at the training hall, countless hours spent on tough trainings and mastering different routines, as well as recovering after exhausting workouts … and the only obstacle which stands in the way of her happiness is money. I had a thought then: ‘Wait a moment!’ … How is it possible that there is no support for such talented aerialists in the country which keeps spending money left and right? Luckily, there are still people with big hearts who take an active part in collecting money to help these young people make their dreams come true. In this short conversation you will get to know what Erwina exactly deals with and how her way to success looked like, as undoubtedly the place where she is now can be called a huge accomplishment.

Passion Piece: Could you tell my readers a few words about yourself?

Erwina: My name’s Erwina and I’m 17 years old. On a daily basis I train at the Power Studio in Chrzanów, I’ve been dancing for 4 years and I’ve been training Aerial Hoop for 3 years. I started everything from jazz 3 years ago, then I took up Aerial Hoop and pole dance, finally I decided to learn how to dance ballet 2 years ago. Occasionally, I train on vertical sash. Last September I completed an instructor course and since that time I’ve been teaching people how to balance their bodies and do routines on Aerial Hoop, vertical sash and how to do acrobatics. Last June I took part in my first competition of PFAPA Federation, in the category called Aerial Hoop Kids 14-17, which I finished in 4^th place. This year I’ve managed to gain 3 titles: Polish Championship in the category of Aerial Hoop Double Elite IPSF Federation in March, which qualified me for the World Championship in Canada; 3^rd place in the category of Aerial Hoop Double Adults PFAPA Federation and 3^rd place in the category of Aerial Hoop Professionals, which qualified me for the World Championship in Ibiza. It was a great honor for me, because I competed against the best instructors and coaches from all over Poland, in this category I was the youngest.

Passion Piece: Sport has undoubtedly been present in your life from a very young age. Which disciplines have you dealt with best at school?

Erwina: At school I’ve always been best at gymnastics and athletics. I used to ride a horse, which I also liked a lot.

Passion Piece: How did your dancing adventure start?

Erwina: It’s quite funny, as I was supposed to take up trampoline classes which were organized in another club. My mum, while registering me for these classes, went to a wrong club. The woman in reception proposed jazz classes to her, which I started attending since then. I really got to like this style.

Passion Piece: You started dancing quite recently, despite this fact you’ve already had a chance to try yourself in several styles. Which one reflects your personality best?

Erwina: I feel best at Aerial Hoop, and I devote most time to this particular activity. I think that my personality is reflected best by duet, which I feel wonderful about.

Passion Piece: You also deal with acrobatics. How do you use your dancing skills while doing acrobatics?

Erwina: Acrobatics is very important for me, as it’s a skill, which is additionally evaluated during different competitions, that’s why it’s quite useful. Dancing, and especially ballet, is usually evaluated in a few subsections which can be found in the scoring table, for example classic wave body motion, right finger placement, straight knees, as well as grace and posture on the aerial hoop.

Passion Piece: Last year you took part in your first competition of PFAPA Federation in the category of Aerial Hoop Kids 14-17. Could you explain us the rules of this sport in a nutshell?

Erwina: Judges evaluate the whole routine, compulsory figures which one needs to choose from the rule book, some federations also evaluate some extra elements, which are chosen by each individual on their own. The aspects which are subject to evaluation include: flexibility, posture, feet, fingers and facial expression. To tell the truth, every single detail is evaluated in a given routine. When it comes to duet there are some additional points which are evaluated by judges, such as synchronization and cooperation of the person who holds the flying person – this is of course done interchangeably by aerialists.

Passion Piece: This year you’ve already gained three titles, including the possibility to take part in the World Championship, which will take place in Ibiza. How much do you exercise to gain such results?

Erwina: I train 18 hours per week, but besides this I meet my partner with whom I do duet, and I take individual classes preparing me for solo performances. Additionaly, we have some rehearsals, for example before shows, which we organize twice a year.

Passion Piece: Despite your great success, which is being qualified for the World Championship, you still need to face some financial problems. How can we help you?

Erwina: People can help us by donating even small sums of money on our account or simply by sharing our fundraiser, so that more people could get to know about this action.

Passion Piece: Who was the initiator of the fundraiser for your team? How much money do you need to make your dream come true?

Erwina: The initiator of the fundraiser was my coach, and my duet partner at the same time – Ania. We still lack around 33 thousand zloty. There are 11 people who are going to take part in the World Championship, so the amount of money needed to participate in the competition is really huge. However, I hope that we will manage to make our dreams come true.

Passion Piece: Besides being a sportswoman, you’re also an instructor. Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Erwina: In 10 years’ time I see myself as a proud coach and sportswoman.

Passion Piece: Have you got any other passions besides dancing and acrobatics?

Erwina: I don’t know if it could be called a passion, but I really like hanging out with my friends.

Passion Piece: Which motto would you like to share with my readers?

Erwina: I guess it won’t be a very sophisticated motto, but I believe that we should always be persistent while pursuing our goals and making our dreams come true. For sure we should never give up, as sometimes we need to lose to win something wonderful in the future.

Passion Piece: Thank you very much for this truly inspiring conversation. I hope that you will manage to take part in the World Championship, I keep my fingers crossed for you!

It often happens that we are unaware of the fact that we are surrounded by pearls. If you want Erwina to make her dreams come true and represent Poland in such an important competition like the World Championship, I invite you to take part in the fundraiser, which still continues!

See you around!

Yours,

Passion Piece

Photos by: Malowanie Światłem – Tomasz Gas