Those enthralled by the feats of gymnasts would surely be impressed by acrobatics performed while on a cantering horse.

Three members of the 2007 national champion Woodside Equestrian Vaulting Club have spent the summer training and competing together in Europe in preparation for the World Vaulting Championships, which begin today in Brno, Czech Republic.

Elizabeth Osborn, 18, a recent graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School, is the top-ranked woman in the United States. She finished fifth in two events this summer in northern Germany, home to some of the finest vaulters in the world.

Osborn is described by Woodside Vaulters coach Isabelle Bibbler Parker as “an amazing athlete with an uncanny awareness of every muscle in her body.”

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Alison Divita, 19, is a graduate of St. Francis High School and a UC Berkeley psychology major. Divita took sixth in Germany. Megan Lanfri, 19, who attends West Valley College in Saratoga, is the team alternate. Rounding out the U.S. women’s individual vaulting contingent is Mary McCormick, who represents the Mount Eden Vaulting Club in Saratoga.

Parker was very pleased with her athletes’ performances in Germany.

“[They] are facing the world’s elite vaulters, most of whom are older, have more competitive experience and are more recognized on the world stage [among judges and fans],” she said.

In the women’s individual competition, vaulters perform a set of compulsory moves, a freestyle routine choreographed to music and one that includes five prescribed technical exercises. The athletes are scored on performance, form, composition (variety) and degree of difficulty. Twenty percent of the judge’s score is based on the athlete’s teamwork with the horse and its trainer. Lovino, the team horse, is at home in Woodside and did not travel with the team.

“Each horse has a different size, speed and tempo,” Parker said.

Divita agreed. “It’s a lot harder not having our own horse,” she said, but both women feel confident that the team has adjusted to the new trainer and horse, both natives of Germany.

The three Woodside vaulters are, according to Parker, “friendly, fierce competitors.”

They also have very different tastes in music. For her routine, Osborn selected “Apologize” from the pop group One Republic, due to its beat and flow, whereas Divita, a self-proclaimed “showman,” enjoys having fun and involving the fans with “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” from the musical “Hairspray.” Lanfri prefers classic Frank Sinatra with “I’ve Got the World on a String” as her accompanying music.

“I really like animals, and vaulting offers more of a team spirit than individual riding,” Osborn explained. She will be attending Wooster College in Ohio in the fall, where she will be a short-distance runner on the track team.

PERSONAL FACTS

Elizabeth Osborn

AGE: 18

HIGH SCHOOL: Menlo-Atherton High School

COLLEGE: Freshman-to-be at Wooster College (Ohio)

HIGHLIGHTS: Currently the top-ranked woman in the U.S., 2007 American Vaulting Association Gold Level Reserve national champion, 2007 AVA National High Point champion and 2007 United States Equestrian Federation Gold Level Zone champion, participated in 2006 World Equestrian Games in Germany

Alison Divita

AGE: 19

HIGH SCHOOL: St. Francis High School

COLLEGE: Sophomore, UC Berkeley

HIGHLIGHTS: 2006 participant in World Equestrian Games, 2004 AVA Silver Level national champion, 2003 Bronze Level national champion

Megan Lanfri

AGE: 19

HIGH SCHOOL: Valley Christian High School (San Jose)

COLLEGE: Sophomore, West Valley College (Saratoga)

HIGHLIGHTS: Alternate at 2008 World Vaulting Championships