Delphi Student Wins Top Honors at Moscow Meet

(Westwood, MA) – Erica Wu (age 9) of Canton has a long list of accomplishments on her rhythmic gymnastics resume. In addition to being the 2008 National Champion in Level 4, Erica has been undefeated this year as a level 5 rhythmic gymnast, placing 1st at the Mass State Meet, Connecticut Rhythmic Invitational, Coaches Cup, Aviator Meet, Rhythmic Stars Invitational and most recently at the International meet The Boston Cup. Erica is blessed with extreme flexibility and grace and this precocious talent has not gone unnoticed by the international rhythmic gymnastics community. By way of a very special invitation by the Russian Federation, Erica recently traveled to Moscow, Russia with her coach, Varduhi Nahapetyan to compete in the prestigious “Ruby Stars” International Rhythmic Invitational Cup which was held on April 17-19, 2009.

This international meet included more than 150 of the most talented young rhythmic gymnasts representing numerous different countries. Erica was not intimidated by the competition and she competed impressively taking 3rd place for the floor and finishing 4th all around. Her beautiful expressive performances were noticed by the judges and she was awarded the coveted title of “Miss Grace”- an honorary prize of the championship.

States Erica, “I was very excited to compete in Moscow! All of the best rhythmic girls come from this country so I was a bit nervous. It was fun to meet girls from many different countries.”

Erica’s next goals are to compete well at the Regional meet and to defend her National (now as a level 5) title in May. Erica practices at the New England Sports Academy (NESA) and is coached by Varudhi Nahapetyan. Varduhi is a 3 time National Champion rhythmic gymnast from Armenia. She started NESA’s rhythmic gymnastics program 6 years ago and has built the program into one of the most successful programs in the country. In addition to Erica, Varduhi has also qualified numerous girls to Nationals and has produced 2 other National Champions in her short time in the USA.

About Erica Wu

Erica has been doing rhythmic gymnastics for almost 3 years. Erica was born in the United States, but her parents are from the Canton area of China (quite a coincidence that they now reside in Canton MA. Erica practices 3 hours a day, 5 times per week. When not participating in NESA’s rhythmic gymnastics program, Erica also practices Chinese dance and acrobatics. She is a third grader at Delphi Academy in Milton MA.


About Rhythmic Gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single competitors, pairs, trios or more manipulate one or two apparatuses, including rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. It combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, theatrical dance, and apparatus manipulation. The victor is the participant who earns the most points, as awarded by a panel of judges, for leaps, balances, pivots, flexibility, apparatus handling, and artistic effect.


About NESA
The New England Sports Academy (NESA) is a unique, comprehensive, multi-activity sports facility for children, with over 2,000 students in numerous different sports and activities. Headquartered in Westwood, MA, NESA provides sports instruction, training and related activities for children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Programs are designed to provide children with world-class training and instruction. NESA is located at 345 University Drive in Westwood, MA.

For more information about Delphi Academy visit us at www.delphiboston.org.