Credit to Jasmine Dong

Sophomore Lucy Schmid performs her aerial silk routine at HI-NRG Gymnasium on Sept. 25 2024. Schmid has been performing aerial for the past 5 years after seeing older gymnasts perform while she was doing gymnastics while she was younger. “I would always watch the silks and just think about how cool it looked, so I tried it and have loved it ever since,” Schmid said.

For five years, sophomore Lucy Schmid has been balancing her school and social life with a fascinating sport, aerial silks.

“I was in gymnastics at my old gym and then I would always see the silks while I was doing it and I thought it looked really cool and so I wanted to try it out,” Schmid said. Schmid is now in the advanced level in aerial silks with the ability to do more challenging tricks. One of these tricks is a double star.

“You have to be pretty high up to do it, so it’s kind of intimidating,” Schmid said. “And then also you have to hold this hunched
over shape midair, like while you’re spinning fast, so it’s pretty difficult.”

Schmid’s abilities are not limited to her gym. She showcases her talents at events organized by her gym, and also in Renaissance fairs. Eight girls from Schmid’s program go and they each perform a few tricks. They alternate between performing with silks or on a sling, which is a fabric loop.

“One of my favorite memories is probably my second year I ever performed at the Renaissance Festival, which was last year,” Schmid said. “I did four days and I did all of them with my friend Grace that I met through silks, and it was just a ton of fun getting to hang out with her and do silks with her all day.”