GALLERY: A step sequence to triumph
NORTHCLIFF – Mariëlla Kojala choreographs her way to ultimate glory through a graceful sport.
To the unsuspecting eye Mariëlla Kojala (15) looks like any teenage girl would, happy-go-lucky with a free spirit yet, etched with a whisper of shyness.Those who see her on the ice however, have a different perspective, they get to see a confident skating beauty.
Kojala said that she started skating at the tender age of three after being compelled to take part in the graceful sport having watched the movie Ice Princess. She said what keeps her interested in the sport are the competitions and the love she has for the costumes she gets to help design. Her mother, Lizelle Kojala, said that ever since her daughter got the skating fever, it has never left her.
Mariëlle trains five days a week for two to three hours. She also goes for ballet lessons at least four times a week to help with muscle development.
“Lots of sacrifice goes into this sport,” said Lizelle. “She has had to maintain a healthy diet and keeps a strict schedule.”
The Northcliff resident managed to represent South Africa in Slovenia and Paris and was also trained in Prague. Kojala hopes to one day make a career out the sport she loves so much.
“I want to one day own my own company and later teach,” said Kojala.
One of her coaches, Irina Bogomolova, who is originally from Russia and has herself been skating for the past 25 years, said that she has been Kojala’s coach for the past eight months, and she is always in awe of her dedication and talent.
“In Mariëlla I see a young girl full of potential who is highly disciplined and also a hard worker,” said Bogomolova.
Kojala currently has provincial and national colours.This year she hopes to achieve her junior women’s colours.
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