William Tennent Senior Taps Her Way To Gold Medal

WARMINSTER, PA —William Tennent High School Senior Sami Auspitz went to Germany and came back with a souvenir.

It's a little heavier than most items you might bring home from another country: It's a gold medal.

Auspitzwas the only Pennsylvania representative on the USA Tap Dance Team, competing in the World Tap Championship (the Olympics of Dance) in Germany last week.

And they won the gold.

"They made it to the semi-finals, then to the finals, and then won gold," said Sami's mother Cindy Auspitz, who kept school officials apprised of the outcome. "First in the world. I still can’t believe this just happened."

She said the finals Friday came down to the host Germany and Team USA with Switzerland finishing third. Sami —who dances for the American Tap Company —was in the adult formations group.

The team traveled to Riesa, Germany, and competed against dancers from about 30 countries, Centennial School District officials said.

They met dancers from Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, Japan, China, and South Korea. They also traveled to Dresden, Berlin, Meissen, and Prague to visit churches, museums, and World War II sites.

Auspitz is a student in the district's Centennial Virtual Learning Academy program, which gives her the flexibility to travel and compete while learning remotely.

"Such educational opportunities that extend beyond the classroom would not be possible without multiple learning modalities," school officials said.

(Photos Courtesy of the Centennial School District)