Simply beaming
CRANBERRY TWP — Only an incoming junior at Mars High School, it didn't take Karla Frank long to make an impact.
In another country.
Frank, 16, is a Level 10 gymnast at X-Cel in Cranberry Township and is a member of that gym's Xquisite competitive gymnastics team. Her mother was born in Thailand.
“Karla has dual citizenship,” said Lindsey Stancil, a coach and owner of X-Cel. “Her mother has involvement with the Thailand government and they were forming a girls gymnastic team over there.
“They felt Karla may be able to go over and help that team.”
The 4-foot-11 Frank not only made the Thailand national team, she had the highest floor score for the squad during competition in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Games held in Bangkok last month.
A 4.3 student at Mars, Frank plans to return overseas in September for the South East Asia Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She will again represent Thailand.
There were 128 athletes from 20 countries competing at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Games.
“That experience was amazing,” Frank said. “I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish there.
“Just competing in that type of atmosphere, representing a country ... It's something I'll never forget.”
Frank began training at X-Cel as a Level 7 gymnast five years ago. She trains five days a week, from 7 a.m. to noon, during the summer. During the school year, she comes in for two hours before school and four hours afterward, three days a week.
Stancil said her strongest attributes in the sport are on the beam and floor exercise.
“Karla's biggest strengths are her artistry and execution. She's just beautiful to watch,” the coach said.
Frank placed fifth on the beam with a 9.4 at the Pennsylvania Level 9/10 meet in March. She placed in the top 10 in vault, bars, beam and floor at the IGI Chicago Style Meet in February.
As a Level 8 gymnast in 2013, Frank's 9.8 in floor exercise made America's Top 100, as did her 9.9 on bars at Level 7 in 2012. She qualified for Level 10 regionals this year.
“She's come a long way and she can get a lot better. The ability is there,” Stancil said.
While Frank admitted that “every gymnast dreams of the Olympics, that's probably too late for me.”
But she has plenty of reasons to continue honing her craft.“Having that avenue to compete internationally means a lot to me,” Frank said. “I feel like I can accomplish more when I go back over.“My goal is to compete in gymnastics in college. But my education will always come first.”Frank said she hopes to continue her education at the University of Pennsylvania and get into the medical field. Penn has a gymnastics team.“I'd love to become a pediatrician one day,” she said.She described herself as an active child who tried many sports during her youth.“I tried swimming, bowling, tennis, none of them really registered with me,” Frank said. “I found gymnastics fun. There are endless limits to this, so I can always push myself.“This is a very challenging and demanding sport.”But it's one she never grows tired of doing.“Competing on an international stage requires composure, confidence and nerves of steel,” Stancil said. “Karla has all of that and more. She really is an amazing kid.“Doing that well at an international event will look great on her resume' as she pursues college. And the whole experience did wonders for her self-confidence.”
