Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Sophie Perez

Competitive gymnasts are some of the toughest athletes in any sport. The sport has a demanding and rigorous schedule, with practice lasting from 3-4 hours six or seven days a week. The physicality and risk of performing high-level stunts also carry the price of potential injury. However, those who chose to perform these tasks are often rewarded by gaining a hard-working mentality, impeccable organizational and time management skills, and becoming an advocate and supporter of their teammates, all characteristics that accurately describe our Oswego East student-athlete of the week, Sophie Perez.

Sophie started tumbling and recreational gymnastics at the age of four. But when the Phenom gymnastics building was constructed near her house when she was 7, Sophie began training competitively.

Club gymnastics carries a demanding schedule, and Sophie put in the time and work to rise to almost a level 8 gymnast. As the pandemic altered everyone’s life, Sophie was undecided on whether to continue with her club team or join the Oswego Co-Op. “Our state tournament for Phenom was canceled in March of 2020, and that summer I had time to think about what path I wanted to take,” says Sophie.

Sophie joined the team as a sophomore, and her talent and enthusiasm immediately fit in with her teammates, and Sophie knew she had made the right decision. “For my club team, I was always one of the oldest on the team, but when I started competing for the high school, I competed with girls my age and knew I had made the right decision. My only regret would be not having joined right away as a freshman,” says Sophie.

Tracy Perez, Sophie’s mom, understands the positive impact both club and high school gymnastics had on her daughter, saying, “Gymnastics have helped Sophie with time management and leadership skills,” says Tracy. She goes on to say, “Club gymnastics helped build the foundation that gave Sophie the confidence to move to Oswego Co-Op and compete with athletes her age.”

In conjunction with being a member of the Oswego Co-Op, Sophie would continue to work privately at her club, just not compete with them. Amanda Zielske, head gymnastics coach, understands how much work Sophie put into improving her skills and how much her leadership has meant to the team.

“What I admire most about Sophie is her ability to work through mental blocks and not give up on hard skills,” says Amanda. She goes on to say, “Sophie trained her yurchenko vault for two seasons before competing in them this season, and was able to PR with a score of 9.05 twice this season on vaults, and a PR of 8.75 on the bars. She has been a phenomenal leader for our team by pushing her teammates to work hard toward their team goals, and providing constructive feedback to her teammates over the years.”

At regionals, Sophie was able to place 3rd on the vault and tie for fifth on bars. The team captured the conference championship this season but fell short of their state bid by placing 4th in the most difficult sectional in the state, a score that was still good enough to place 10th overall in the state.

The demanding schedule for gymnastics has not prevented Sophie from being a leader in the school as well. She is a member of the Key Club, Business Professionals of America, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa, SNHS, and National Honors Society, and became a two-sport athlete her junior year when she joined the track team. She also works a part-time job at Altitude Trampoline Park while maintaining a 4.6 GPA.

Sophie’s hard work is already showing dividends, as even though she is unsure of exactly where she will attend college in the fall, she would like to major in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management or Marketing. One of the schools Sophie is considering after her acceptance is the University of Illinois’ Business Program, one of the top 10 public business schools in the country.

Head track coach, and Sophie’s AP World History teacher, Steve Ideran, knows what makes Sophie so special, saying, “Two-Sport athletes are rarer and rare these days, so to see a kid embrace and excel in multiple sports is a great model for our younger girls to follow.” He goes on to say, “Sophie has a wide range of skills to be successful in any kind of competitive environment. Not only does she put the work in herself, but she raises the effort of those around her. That ability to both compete and collaborate with her team has a direct connection to the business world.”

With March around the corner, Sophie and her classmate's senior year is rapidly coming to a close, but that will not prevent Sophie from competing with her track teammates and continuing to excel in rigorous courses such as AP World History, AP Calculus BC, and AP Environmental Science to earn credit before she steps foot on a college campus. Sophie’s advice to future Wolves looking for similar success is to, “get involved because there are so many opportunities to research through teachers, announcements, and online where you can meet people with similar interests.” Sophie’s involvement makes her a true example of what it means to be a student-athlete at Oswego East and leaves little doubt about how that involvement has helped set her up for future success.