BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CRESTVIEW HILLS -- Flipping and twisting 30 feet above a trampoline is more than fun for six Tristate athletes.
This team of tumblers and jumpers is headed to Australia on Thursday to compete in the Junior and Senior World Championships.
And their big goal is to be on the U.S. Trampoline Team for the 2000 Olympics -- the first time the sport will be recognized at that level of competition.
"This is much different than the trampoline we usually think of in the back yard," coach John Reeves said.
Competitors practice 12 to 15 hours a week at Top Flight Gymnastics. They jump, twist, tumble and flip in all sorts of combinations, at varying heights.
"It's quite similar to diving in the matter of the flipping and twisting," said Kyle Perkins, 18, a Thomas More College freshman.
Kyle's been working the trampoline for six years. Before that, he participated in artistic gymnastics. "My parents still don't know how to explain it to their friends," said Kyle, of Fort Mitchell. His teammates range in age from 12 to 25. And their coach, Mr. Reeves, was named national coach on trampoline for the senior championships. The team includes Mark Griffith, 25, of Anderson Township; John Collier, 15, of Fort Thomas, Tonya Spencer, 21, of Bellevue; Jenny Wiebe, 17, of Villa Hills, and Richmond Bramblet, 12, of Mount Sterling, Ky. Richmond is the current national trampoline champion in his age group.
"With the Olympics coming up, everybody has high hopes," Mr. Reeves said. "It will always be a tough competition and a tough race to get those few spots."
To win the chance to compete in the World Championships, competitors must place fourth or better in three other competitions.
The Top Flight team is well-prepared. They've competed in Japan, Portugal and South Africa.
And with trampoline poised to enter the Olympics, the popularity of the sport is growing. More people are signing up for trampoline classes, and more people are buying trampolines for exercise and cross training.
