Space Coast Yoga Athletes Prepare to Represent the United States at World Championship in Italy

community fundraising effort underway by longtime Titusville restaurant and Merritt Island yoga studio

Merritt Island-based team includes national champions and athletes ranging from youth competitors to the 65+ division 

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — Five yoga athletes from Brevard County are preparing to travel to Italy this December to represent the United States at the World Championship of Yogasana Sport, backed by a community fundraising effort involving a longtime Titusville restaurant and a Merritt Island yoga studio.

The Brevard athletes — Donna Trantham, Jacob Balmer, Sydney Windsor, Joe Elliott and Sophia Conneen — will compete as part of Team Sunshine, a seven-member traveling group that includes two coaches.

The team will join more than 150 athletes representing more than 30 countries at the 17th World Championship of Yogasana Sport, scheduled for Dec. 4–6 in Marina di Camerota, Italy.

The championship will be held at the Palazzetto dello Sport and organized by the International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF).

Now in its 17th consecutive year, the event is described as the longest-running international Yogasana Sport championship in the world. Athletes will compete in individual, pair, and group categories.

For the Space Coast contingent, the trip represents the culmination of years of training, competition, and community support — and an opportunity to put a Brevard yoga program on an international stage.

National champions lead Team Sunshine

The Team Sunshine roster spans generations, from an 11-year-old youth competitor to an athlete competing in the 65-and-over division.

The group includes two reigning USA Yoga national gold medalists.

Joe Elliott, co-owner of H.O.T. Yoga on the Island (HOTY), won back-to-back gold medals in the Masters Men 65+ division at the 2026 USA Yoga Nationals. He will now take that experience to the international championship in Italy.

At the other end of the age spectrum is 11-year-old Sydney Windsor, who won gold in the Youth Girls 9–11 division at the 2026 USA Yoga Nationals.

The team also includes Sophia Conneen, 18, of Melbourne Beach. A graduate of Melbourne High School who now attends Eastern Florida State College, Conneen placed third nationally in the 15–17 age division in 2025. This year, she will compete in the 18–34 division.

Conneen said representing both her community and country is a responsibility she intends to embrace.

“Representing my community and the United States is an honor, and I intend to bring even more honor home with me from Italy,” said Conneen, who has practiced yoga since childhood under the guidance of her mother, a yoga teacher.

“You can do anything you put your mind to. If you could, then you should.”

The team’s athletes also include Jacob Balmer, who will join his fellow Space Coast competitors on the international stage.

A 32-year yoga journey meets a 40-year restaurant legacy

For Trantham, the trip to Italy brings together two major parts of her life.

Owner of Mr. Submarine & Salads in Titusville, Trantham has run the family restaurant for nearly 40 years while maintaining a 32-year yoga practice.

Known throughout Brevard’s yoga community as “Donnarasana,” she sees the World Championship as a milestone that reflects decades of persistence.

“For over three decades, my life has been a beautiful balance between two worlds: owning my busy submarine shop for almost 40 years and practicing yoga for the past 32 years,” said Trantham.

“Operating a fast-paced restaurant demands constant energy and focus, but it is my dedicated yoga practice that has kept me grounded, resilient, and centered through it all.”

Trantham said competing in Italy is the realization of a long-held dream and a chance to demonstrate what sustained dedication can produce.

“Traveling to Italy to represent the United States at the World Championship of Yogasana Sport is a dream milestone,” she said. “To stand on the world stage represents 32 years of quiet discipline, overcoming health setbacks, and proving that passion has no age limit.”

She added that she plans to carry the support of her customers, community, and teammates with her to Italy.

“It means carrying the spirit of my loyal restaurant guests, my local Florida community, and my teammates with me across the ocean to show the world what a lifetime of dedication truly looks like.”

Community support behind the competition

Although Yogasana Sport can be practiced as an individual discipline, HOTY owner Suzanne Elliott, who also serves as 2026–2027 USA Yoga president, said the local team has developed a strong sense of community.

The athletes train and compete without corporate sponsorship, making an international championship a significant financial commitment. Travel expenses include airfare, lodging, and competition registration.

That has prompted HOTY and Mr. Submarine & Salads to organize a community fundraiser designed to help cover the costs for all five athletes.

“I’m incredibly proud of our athletes for what they’ve built here — Yoga Asana Sport is often practiced as an individual journey, but this team has turned it into something communal,” Suzanne Elliott said.

She said the athletes have consistently supported one another throughout their competitive journeys.

“They’ve come together to support and lift each other in a way you rarely see in an individual discipline.

That’s no accident,” Elliott said. “Our commUNITY has been the backbone of this team for years, and we simply wouldn’t be sending this many athletes to Worlds without that support behind them.”

Fundraiser runs through November

The fundraising campaign will continue through the end of November and includes several ways for community members to contribute.

At Mr. Submarine & Salads, a portion of proceeds from every Italian menu item will benefit the Team Sunshine trip. Customers can also contribute through a donation jar at the restaurant.

Two “Dine to Donate” spaghetti dinner nights are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14, and Wednesday, Nov. 18.

The team is also accepting direct financial contributions online through its GoFundMe campaign.

The effort gives Brevard residents an opportunity to support athletes ranging from youth competitors to a Masters 65+ national champion as they prepare for one of the most significant competitions of their careers.

For Trantham, the journey also underscores the connection between personal discipline and community.

Her nearly four decades in the restaurant business have placed her in daily contact with generations of Titusville customers, while her yoga practice has provided a parallel path of physical and mental discipline.

This December, those two worlds will travel with her to Italy.

The five athletes will compete under the United States banner alongside competitors from more than 30 countries, bringing the name of the Space Coast and the Team Sunshine community to the international Yogasana Sport stage.

More information about the World Championship of Yogasana Sport is available at iysf.org.

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