Gymnast, 14, Soars Beyond Cerebral Palsy Stigma With Ambassadorship

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville gymnast Sasha Reshetar told Patch it was "just pure excitement" when she found out she was selected to be an ambassador for the United States Tumbling and Trampoline Association (U.S.T.A). Sasha, an eighth grader at Gregory Middle School, said she's eager to bring attention to her team at Naperville Gymnastics Club, but she's also hoping the ambassadorship will help smash stigmas about a condition she has contended with since birth, cerebral palsy.

Sasha, now 14, was born at 28 weeks with cerebral palsy. She told Patch she's had "a couple surgeries" since then to help her live with the condition.

At age five, Sasha underwent back surgery because she walked on her toes. She told Patch surgeons trimmed her nerve endings to reprogram her brain signals to help her walk more regularly.

In 2021, Sasha had surgery to trim her ankle tendons, so they would be less tight. This surgery "really had a lot of positive effects," she explained, reducing the "overall impact" of her cerebral palsy.

The thing that's really helped Sasha step into herself, though, has been gymnastics and tumbling, which she started more than three years ago, before her most recent surgery. Even during her recovery, she kept up her practice on the trampoline.

"I remember being in casts on the trampoline," Sasha said.

Now, she's mastered 10 tricks on the trampoline, including straddle and tuck jumps, seat drops and stomach drops. She also enjoys performing on the mini trampoline.

“I love doing the sport itself because I think it’s so much fun," Sasha said. "I love the connections I get to make with so many different people."

Last fall, one of Sasha's coaches at Naperville Gymnastics Club, Kristle Lowell, encouraged the teen to apply for the U.S.T.A. ambassadorship.

Lowell told Patch Sasha is indispensable to the team for more than just her gymnastics skills.

"I could not do my job without my athlete, Sasha. We have a lot of Russian students, and Sasha has been so kind to translate my coaching into Russian, so new students can feel welcomed and get the proper instruction," Lowell said.

"Trampoline safety is so important, and I’m so grateful that Sasha takes the time to help translate, so everyone can understand."

Lowell said Sasha is "truly the team leader" and that her "overwhelming kindness and sense of humor" that makes her a natural ambassador for the team.

She is the athlete welcoming 4-year-old athletes to join the team and give trampoline a try. I often find Sasha in the lobby having conversation in Russian to help parents understand the sport."

Lowell explained that part of Sasha's role as U.S.T.A. ambassador will be to "promote 'competition trampoline,' which is drastically different [from] trampolines in backyards or at trampoline parks."

For both Lowell and Sasha, trampoline gymnastics has been a way to catapult beyond what society expects of people with conditions that may affect movement.

Lowell said, "I'm grateful for an opportunity to see Sasha promote the positive aspects of competition trampoline in U.S.T.A.. Trampolines can be used positively, and it’s often overshadowed by the backyard accidents. I myself suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. If I wasn’t a trampolinist, I might not have the ability to walk today. It’s a very low impact sport on joints that allow for movements to be done in zero gravity."

Sasha explained, "Many people believe that people with cerebral palsy can’t do a lot of things like sports and tumbling, but I personally am living proof that that is not true."

Lowell calls Sasha the "definition of inclusion athletics." She explained that Sasha competes in "an all able-bodied league" and advanced to the National Championships in 2023.

She added that "[m]any in the sport have a vision to see trampoline included in the Paralympics as a sport. I really hope I get to see that happen as a coach, and hope I can watch Sasha compete there one day."

In the meantime, Sasha will continue to use the U.S.T.A. ambassador role to "teach people and show people like me that you are very, very capable of doing things that you believe you can even if you have a disability."

To support Sasha during her ambassadorship and keep up with her gymnastics career, click the link to follow her on Instagram.