By Brenna R. Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP - Fifteen-year-old Jordan Bonne, a world-ranked trampoline athlete from Anderson Township, died Monday, two days after he fell from a trampoline during a gymnastics competition in Tennessee.

The Turpin High School sophomore, who had won numerous state and national trampoline competitions, hit his head when he fell in front of spectators at Knoxville Convention Center.

"He was an extraordinary young man, not only in his athletic ability, but in his character as well," said David Cole, president of Top Flight Gymnastics in Crestview Hills, where Jordan trained.

Teammates, school friends, church friends and people he had never met tried to console each other and extended their prayers to Jordan's family as word of his death spread Monday.

"He is the most gentle, kind-hearted, soft-spoken guy I have ever known," said Wendy Smith, director for senior high school at Crossroads Community Church in Oakley. "And he's got an incredible smile that just lights up the room."

Jordan was so skilled at trampoline gymnastics - which debuted as an Olympic sport in 2000 - that he and his partner placed 16th at an international competition in Germany in November.

Jordan and 14-year-old Jonathan Bender of Fort Thomas represented the United States at the World Age Group Games in Hanover, Germany, where they placed 16th in synchronized trampoline.

They also won among those in their age group at U.S. National competition with a routine that included 10 skills in about 20 seconds.

Monday, Top Flight offered counseling to the 30 to 40 athletes who had attended the Knoxville competition.

"Our main focus at this time is to try to support the family," Cole said.

By Monday afternoon, the gym's Web site featured pictures of Jordan and a message board where people from as far away as Alaska offered prayers for his family. Many of the postings were from the thousands who witnessed the accident at the Flip Fest Invitational, where 1,200 athletes were competing.

Jordan fell and hit his head at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, said Flip Fest director Boog Potter, who witnessed the accident.

Emergency medical personnel immediately came to help, and someone called 911. Jordan was taken by ambulance to University of Tennessee Medical Center. The competition continued.

"We had no idea how serious the injury was," said Potter, who learned of Jordan's death from his family Monday morning.

On Sunday, Brian Wells, a pastor at Jordan's church, flew to Knoxville to be with the Bonnes, who are longtime members of the Oakley congregation.

"They are an amazing family," Wells said as he prepared to fly back to Cincinnati. "They are very sad and very strong. They know very well where Jordan's faith was."

The family has four other children, ranging in age from a freshman in high school to 2 years old.

About 35 of Jordan's friends and classmates gathered at Crossroads on Monday. The teens wrote messages to his family on cardboard hearts and talked in small groups about their friend.

Nadia Hourani, 15, remembered Jordan's smile. "He was kind of shy but he always had a smile on his face," she said.

Today, grief counselors will meet with students at Turpin, said Principal Peggy Johnson.

Jordan, an honor student, was the "kind of kid you would want to have 200 of in your building," Johnson said. "He was such a good kid; he was on his way to making a contribution to the school."

Potter, who also owns Premier Athletics, a Knoxville gym, said trampoline accidents in gymnastics are rare. "I spoke to people this morning who have been in the sport 30 to 40 years who have never seen this happen," he said. "It's just an unfortunate accident, absolutely unbelievable."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that since 1990, six children under age 15 have died in accidents involving trampolines. They did not have statistics for accidents in competition.

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E-mail bkelly@enquirer.com