- December 4, 2025
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Erik Deubler remembers shaking to the point of tears when he first tried gymnastics at 9 years old in Frisco, Texas.
Now, Deubler expects only gold medals.
Deubler and his acrobatics partner, Arina Kosakovskyy, won four gold medals in the Elite Junior 12-18 Mixed Pair division at the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Rhode Island from June 16-21.
The two compete out of Circus Arts Conservatory rather than a gymnastics-only studio.
“I cried every day,” Deubler said of his first experiences in gymnastics. “I was weak.”
Deubler has since devoted himself. He practices three hours a day and hits the gym afterward to maintain his strength.
Nowadays, strength isn’t a concern, especially when he has to lift his 10-year-old partner Kosakovskyy, who is 4-foot-5 and weighs 66 pounds.
The size difference between the pair (Debuler is 5-foot-8, 155 pounds) gave them a point deduction at the national championships. In gymnastics, there is slightly less than 12-inch (30 cm) allowance between partners. The difference between the two is just over 12.
But the pair still won gold in Balance Routine, Dynamic Routine, Combined and All-Around.
The path from miserable practices to a gold-medal expectation took time for Deubler.
“My mom didn’t want me to stay home,” Deubler said of how he first got into gymnastics. “A lot of people think it’s not a sport, so they decide not to do it, but they say that because it’s difficult. I think it’s one of the hardest sports out there. It’s gymnastics, acrobatics,dancing, lifting people and catching them. How do you do that? It takes practice.”
After starting out at WOGA Gymnastics in Frisco, Texas — the home of Olympic champions Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin and Madison Kocian — Deubler relocated to Florida in 2023 when his older brother, Alex Deubler, moved to the area to attend EVO Gymnastics in Sarasota.
Deubler, who was partnered with Arina’s older sister Milena, convinced the Kosakovskyy family to relocate too.
“We didn’t want to lose this wonderful gymnast and my partner was his partner,” said coach Slava Kosakovskyy, who represented Ukraine in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and won a world championship in 1993. “So we left Texas and came here. He is committed 100% every day in practice. For me as a coach, that is very important. Even if you’re not talented enough, it doesn’t matter. We can work with a good athlete.”
Having a passion for gymnastics was more natural for Arina, who started tagging along to her older sister’s gymnastics classes at 2 years old.
Almost immediately, her father saw she was “naturally talented and strong,” and she has been competing in events since she was 4 years old.
In Sarasota, Deubler and the Kosakovskyys joined Circus Arts Conservatory after Kosakovskyy pitched the idea of the circus adding gymnastics.
“Gymnastics and acrobatics are a foundation of the circus arts, so it’s always been part of the school model,” CEO and President of CAC Jennifer Mitchell said. “Two years ago, Slava approached us and spoke to us about joining the program as a coach and bringing a professional and elevated and structured gymnastics and acrobatics program. It has elevated all of the programming.”
Performing in circus acts wasn’t an easy transition for two gymnasts who were used to strict rules, pressure and intense competition.
Incorporating dancing into their routines under choreography coach Yuliya Suvalava was the most challenging aspect for Deubler.
“At the beginning it was horrible,” he said. “I couldn’t move anything.”
Now adjusted to performing in circus acts, Deubler and Kosakovskyy said the circus side of gymnastics has sharpened their mental edge.
Deubler said he was stressed out at competitions, but isn’t nervous about circus arts, which has allowed him to channel more energy and confidence rather than focusing on his nerves.
As of now, Deubler and Kosakovskyy are the only gymnastics-focused athletes at CAC, but Mitchell said the duo’s success will hopefully inspire other circus students to follow their lead.
“It gives students the opportunity to see, ‘Oh, wow there’s a different path,’” Mitchell said. “Maybe I’m not meant to be always in a show. Maybe I do want to compete, or maybe I want to go onto the national circuit and see what else is out there.”
Next up for Deubler and Kosakovskyy is training for the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which will take place from October 17-25 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
But even if there are no more gold medals to be won for the pair, the daily process of refining their skill to compete on a national and world stage has given them more than a medal or trophy can represent.
“We are trying out new skills and new interesting routines,” Suvalava said. “Even at nationals, we went there to show what we have and have fun. When you compete, you don’t focus on enjoying the process. Even now, when people ask, ‘OK, what will be next after nationals and worlds?’ It doesn’t matter. The process matters. What you have here and now is the most important thing in life.”
