It's only the beginning for Roslyn gymnast Shani Sirota

There are expectations, and there is reality.

Roslyn’s Shani Sirota meets both.

She may have shocked the Long Island and state crowd at Cold Spring Harbor during the state gymnastics meet when she tied for first place in the floor exercise, but Sirota didn’t shock herself or her coach Stephanie Orfini.

Well, maybe a little.

“Shani is a level 10 gymnast with her club gym, which is right below Olympic level, so I knew she’d be a strong asset to the team” Orfini said. “But we still didn’t know what to expect. We were hoping she’d qualify for states, then have great placing but we didn’t have any expectations. It’s better that way because whatever happens will happen and if you miss the mark, there won’t be any disappointment.”

Sirota’s championship journey started at the Nassau state qualifying meet where she placed second in the all-around to earn a spot on the team in all four events. And it was in the floor exercise where Sirota finished on top in the state meet. She scored 9.625 for her routine, performing two difficult tumbling passes: a double pike on her first pass and a double tuck on her last pass. According to Orfini, Sirota was the only Nassau gymnast to perform the double tumbling stunts. Sirota also placed fourth in all-around with a score of 37.625.

“She went into states thinking it was a regular meet,” Orfini said. “Her strongest event is floor and she was able to show off her skills with the springboard mat.”

This is only the beginning for the freshman, who hopes to continue turning expectations into reality.. “We have three more years,” Orfini said. “Shani is a consistent gymnast with a great balance between her personal life, athletics and academics. There is much more to come.”