Who says kids can’t fly? Eleven-year-old Mikal Soto is proof that they can and do!

Mikal is just starting his first season as a Level 7 gymnast, a sport he’s been involved in almost since he started walking. In fact, he took his first gymnastics class when he was only 18 months old.

Today, he’s the nation’s Level 5 champion in rings, pommel horse and parallel bars. Earning perfect scores on rings and parallel bars during the National Gymnastics Association finals meet in Virginia Beach last summer.

He has been so successful and his skill continue to improve so fast that Mikal actually skipped Level 6 and will now be the youngest member of the Level 7 team at USA Youth Fitness Center in his home town,  Queen Creek.

It’s a big jump doing something he loves.

“I love how you can make new friends and do cool skills,” he said. “They can be a bit challenging,

but with a lot of practice, you can make those cool skills happen. And it’s really fun to feel like

you’re flying in the air.”

That explains why floor is his favorite event. He gets some big air with long tumbling sequences!

As he moves up the levels and gets more competitive, Mikal spends more and more time in the gym. He practices three hours a day, four days a week, and he attends big meets – often in other states – at least a couple of times each month.

All of that makes it hard to keep up with school, but like many of his teammates, Mikal goes to ASU Prep Digital, an online school that lets him get his assignments done on his own time. Usually, he does his schoolwork in the mornings.

“I love how you don’t have to sit in a chair for eight hours straight,” Mikal said. He’s a master of time management, so he has a system for getting the work done efficiently when he knows he’ll be competing or visiting family in Texas.

Aside from the flexibility, Mikal really likes his teachers. “They really try their best to make learning fun.”

That’s good news, since he hopes to finish high school early and attend college on a gymnastics scholarship. When it comes to his future, Mikal has other big plans, too. “My goal is trying to get to the Olympics,” he said.

For now, though, he’s gearing up for a busy start to the new year with competitions in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Houston.

“I’m feeling confident but I’m feeling a bit of a challenge,” Mikal said. Fortunately, he’s prepared to face those challenges.

“If I’m ever stressed out in a meet, I just take a deep breath and that immediately makes me better.”