Whiz Kids: WBHS Students Represent USA in Italy

Every week, Patch spotlights young people in the West Bloomfield community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. We're pleased to introduce this week's Whiz Kids:

Allison Kohl, 15, and Ashley Lustig, 16

• School:
• Achievement: Allison and Ashley, teammates on the Detroit Skating Club's synchronized skating team Evolution for several years, were accepted to Team USA's Junior Team and competed Feb. 11-13 at the Spring Cup in Milan, Italy. Although both girls have competed nationally in the past, this was the first time that they have competed for Team USA.
  
  Evolution placed second in the short and long programs to earn the silver medal in Milan. Evolution ended its 2010-11 season by traveling to Ontario, CA, to compete March 3-5 in the U.S. Synchronized Skating National Championships. There, they competed against the strongest and most accomplished teams in the country, including many college teams, and placed fifth overall.
• Key to awesomeness: The team practices four to six days per week throughout the season for several hours at a time. In addition to on-ice team practices, the skaters are required to take ballet and to work with a trainer on strength, conditioning and flexibility exercises. Everyone on the team attends high school and is required to maintain academic grades and attendance while training, traveling and competing throughout the year. Both Allison and Ashley have done an exemplary job of doing so.

Do you know a special young person in the community who deserves a round of applause because he volunteers instead of playing video games after school? Or maybe your daughter's science club is trying to challenge the way we think about the energy crisis? Or maybe your son's lacrosse team won its first game in three years? Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

So email your Whiz Kid nominations to Editor Tim Rath at Tim.Rath@Patch.com. Please include the name, age, school, achievement and key to awesomeness, as well as a photo. Then come back every Wednesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight; you never know who will be up next.