Satinka Smith was left in a complete state of shock after producing a podium display on her debut competing in Aerial Sports.

After all, it was her first time competing in an event that was introduced to only five years ago.

The 13-year-old athlete earned the bronze medal participating virtually in the Lyra Hoop discipline in the Aerialympics Season VIII Regional, held in Portland, Oregon, from October 8 to 10.

“I was able to compete virtually and was shocked that I even placed,” an elated Smith told The Royal Gazette. “I didn’t think in a million years that I would place at all. It made me very happy.

“I was surprised to receive a bronze medal because it was my first time ever competing. I’ve never competed in any dance or aerial competition before.”

Smith was scored by the judges on difficulty, technical, artistry and composition, but although she described the scoring system as a complexed one, Smith stated that she was not overwhelmed by the challenge.

“The point system can be very detailed,” she admitted. “The competition wasn’t challenging for me because I’ve always wanted to compete in this sport.”

“To be honest, I had no expectations going into the competition. I had nothing else to compare it to, which I believe made me feel a bit more nervous stepping into the unknown,” Smith said.

Lyra Hoop is a form of Aerial Sports where the apparatus is a round hoop suspended from the ceiling with either a single or double point of contact.

A single-point connection allows participants to spin using the hoop while a double-point connection allows them to perform static, graceful poses.

The objective of the sport is to display a high quality combination of skills and abilities from the disciplines of dance, ballet, gymnastics and acrobatics on the aerial apparatus.

“It can be challenging because it takes you out of your comfort zone,” Smith added. “But at the same time it’s really fun for me because I love it.”

The athlete has been involved in the sport for the past five years.

She was initially involved in dance and gymnastics before progressing to aerial arts and ultimately competing in aerial sports.

“My dance and gymnastics class experiences prepared me before knowing anything about the aerial arts,” Smith said, who explained that a family friend introduced her to aerial arts.

“When I was about 8 years old, my mother and I were walking through Hamilton and she ran into one of her friends who worked at my former aerial studio,” Smith recalled.

“He took us to his job so that we could see it for ourselves. When we walked in I saw people dancing in the air and I fell in love with the sport from that moment. I was excited and could not wait to start taking classes,” Smith said.

The Aerial Hoop categories include Novice Mixed (10-14 years), Junior Mixed (10-14 years), Senior Women (18 and older), Senior Men (18 and older), Youth Doubles Mixed (10-17 years) and Senior Doubles Mixed (18 and older).

Aerial Sports, which also features other disciplines such as pole, silks and hammock, have become very popular and is among the fastest growing sport in the world.

The International Pole Sports Federation committee voted unanimously to add Aerial Sports to its disciplines in February of 2018.