WATCH: Birchleigh teacher also a champion gymnast
The IT and CAT teacher looks more at ease doing tricks in the air than she does on the ground.
Twenty-nine-year-old Anché Ströh from Birchleigh is somewhat of a modern-day superhero.
By day, she teaches CAT and IT to learners at Hoërskool Birchleigh. At night, she swops her role as a teacher for that of a gymnast – a good one.
Together with partner Armand Koekemoer, she recently won the Gauteng Majorette Cheerleading Association’s Stunt Fest, where six pairs battled for the title by performing gymnastic stunts.
Armand and Anché met at Gymfinity Gymnastics Club in Benoni when they were both five years old. Anché was only two when she started with her beloved sport.
“My mom thought it was beautiful and encouraged me to do it,” she told Express. She is seated on a small wall, next to the same hall where she has been training for 24 years.
She is holding a file that contains timetables, presumably her six-year-old daughter’s homework.
“I’ve always loved working with children,” Anché says, “which is why I decided to become a teacher.” After matriculating from Birchleigh, she studied somatology, followed by teaching. This year, she is celebrating her seventh year as an educator at her Alma Mater.
Her normal week includes 30 hours spent at school, about five to seven in training and the rest with her family. These hours of dedication prove that Anché adores what she does. “I love gymnastics because of the adrenalin rush. Nothing else gives me that thrill.”
At 1,67m, Anché is a particularly petite athlete. Her blond hair is in a bun, with a fringe that neatly frames her face. She appears laid back in jeans and a light blue shirt and seems shy while answering questions.
Moments later, however, her shyness fades away as she gets ready for practice. Now, dressed in a black skirt, knee-high socks, white sneakers and a red cropped shirt, she walks into the practice hall with the confidence only a professional athlete could have.
Here, 1.83m tall Armand lifts Anché effortlessly off the ground and lifts her above his head with both arms. She stretches her left leg backwards until it nearly touches her head.
When she finds her balance, Armand swops two hands for one and holds Anché for another five seconds. Despite the height and dangerous manoeuvre, both athletes look at ease. Around them, little gymnasts stop their jumping exercises to admire the pair.
“I never get scared,” Anché says, “and it definitely helps that Armand is the one holding me.”
He often feels different about the situation. “Sometimes I get scared for her,” he laughs.
These two are hard at work for their next competition together in April. “Our routine wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be, we want it to be flawless,” says Anché.
When asked what she does to relax, this dedicated athlete laughs. “This is basically what I do with all my time.”
But she does enjoy spending time with her daughter. Her advice to other young aspiring gymnasts is to ‘just take the risk.’
