Natalie Hershberger was joined by her father and coach, Chris Hershberger, and Malabar Principal Andrea Moyer when she demonstrated her championship taekwondo form during a school assembly last spring.
A sixth-grader at Malabar Intermediate School is among five finalists for the Sports Illustrated Sportskid of the Year Award.
Natalie Hershberger, 11, holds two national titles in taekwondo. She demonstrated her athletic abilities during a Malabar “No Excuses” assembly last spring.
The Sportskid of the Year winner will be determined during a two-week voting period that continues through Oct. 13. Details about how to vote will be posted on Natalie’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tkdgold.
The award honors a young athlete, ages seven to 15, for superior athletic and classroom performance and service in the community.
As a finalist Natalie will be featured in the December issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. If she wins she will be on the cover of the magazine in January and receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City with her family to receive the award.
This past summer Natalie won her age group in the taekwondo AAU Nationals in Florida then won the 10-11 age division title at the USAT Nationals in Texas.
An all-As student, she has authored two books. Her first was “Tough Girls Finish First.” The second, “Kicking It With Natalie,” will be released soon.
Natalie has started a fitness series with schools in the area and volunteers to speak with girls about setting and achieving their goals.
Natalie’s father and coach, Chris Hersberger, is a former taekwondo world champion who operates NexGen Fitness in Masnfield.