Nanaimo Gymnastics School athletes are reaching great heights on the trampoline.
The local club has had a lot of success of late at trampoline and tumbling competitions, including provincial and Canada Cup championships.
“The T and T season has gone really well…” said Megan Conway, Nanaimo Gymnastics School coach. “Our T and T team is about the same size as we’ve had the last couple years, but I think we’re having more athletes at the higher level now.”
Adin Brenner and Blake Mould recently returned from the Canada Cup in Calgary where they combined for five top-three finishes between them, including Brenner winning the trampoline competition and Mould winning on double mini trampoline.
“They had a really strong showing,” Conway said. “We had lots of good feedback from the judges about how strong they looked and how good they looked, and some of our best finishes.”
Brenner, a previous Indo-Pacific champion on double mini, said he has gotten taller and gained muscle mass which has helped him with liftoff on the trampoline. It allows him to do a lot more in the air, he said, and so the event has become his focus.
“You have to have cat-like awareness in the air in case you get lost and go, ‘Where’s my feet? Where’s the ground?’ It’s different than a lot of sports,” he said.
Training for trampoline also keeps him sharp on the double mini, he said, and he finished first in that event at provincials in Port Coquitlam in April.
“I actually felt [my preparations were] kind of strong,” he said. “I had everything done before I went and then I just did the same thing I did in the gym there and it worked.”
Nanaimo Gymnastics School had three other provincial T and T champions: Karli Boylan on trampoline, Cassidy Bodnar in tumbling and Cole Simpson in tumbling.
Trampoline and tumbling provincials were held in conjunction with the artistic gymnastics provincials this year, so Nanaimo had a lot of athletes in PoCo and a lot of team spirit.
“Everyone’s watching and cheering everyone on. It’s just really fun,” said Bodnar.
The season continues as Nanaimo will have athletes at the Western Canadian championships in June and nationals in July.
For recent trampoline and tumbling results, please see below.
Gymnastics B.C. Trampoline and Tumbling Championships
Port Coquitlam, April 7-9
Level 2 - Karli Boylan, first, trampoline.
Level 3 - Emily Mould, second, synchro trampoline; Kayla Howell, second, synchro trampoline.
Level 4 - Sierra Schuler, second, tumbling, second, synchro trampoline; Cassidy Bodnar, first, tumbling, second, synchro trampoline.
Level 5 - Sierra Schuler, third, double mini; Emily Mould, third, tumbling.
Level 1 boys - Cole Simpson, first, tumbling.
Level 2 boys - Owen Harbo, second, tumbling.
Level 5 boys - Adin Brenner, second, tumbling, third, synchro trampoline, second, all-around; Blake Mould, third, tumbling, second, synchro trampoline.
Level 6 boys - Blake Mould, second, double mini, third, all-around.
Junior boys - Adin Brenner, first, double mini.
TAG Cup
Port Coquitlam, April 21-23
10 and over mixed - Avery Cooper, second, double mini, second, tumbling; Maddie Simpson, third, tumbling.
Level 2 - Karli Boylan, first, trampoline.
Level 4 - Sierra Schuler, first, tumbling.
Level 5 - Sierra Schuler, first, double mini; Emily Mould, third, tumbling.
Level 1 boys - Cole Simpson, first, trampoline.
Level 2 boys - Cole Simpson, first, tumbling.
Level 5 boys - Blake Mould, second, tumbling.
Level 6 boys - Blake Mould, second, trampoline.
Junior boys - Blake Mould, first, dbl. mini.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com