Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52“I went to a birthday party at a trampoline club,” re- calls 16-year-old Clayton McIntyre of what might other- wise have passed as a trivial event in his young social life three years ago. “The club’s owner was also an Olympic trampoline coach. She asked where I’d been training, and I told her honestly: ‘nowhere.’” Clayton’s previous “training” had happened exclu- sively at home, where he’d enjoyed a recreational tram- poline for years. But that limited scope was about to change, thanks to his chance meeting with Stacey Turpin. “She noticed that I had no fear – that’s the key to suc- cess on the trampoline – and that I could do a number of manoeuvers in a row. She suggested I try out for the club’s competitive team.” Once he became a member of Stacey’s team – and with a mere eight months’ experience in formal competition – Clayton won the Canadian “Easterns,” a regional precur- sor to national-level meets. “There are three events in a meet: trampoline, tum- bling, and ‘double-mini.’ I do the regular tramp’, too, but double-mini’s my best event, and that’s the one I won at the Easterns.” “Double-mini,” as its name suggests, presents com- petitors with two small trampolines. With a running approach, the athletes use the first – slanted from the ground – as a springboard to the second, which sits level. At the conclusion of a routine, the dismount, onto a well- padded tumbling mat, takes the competitors just beyond the second. Similar to marking used in figure skating, trampoline competitions demand compulsory and free-style routines in determining a champion. What makes superior athletic talent shine through? It can develop gradually over time, the product of countless hours of practice and diligent hard work. It can surface immediately, thanks to favourable heredity. Or perhaps a parent holds particular passion for a specific sport, and cultivates a similar interest in their child, who then excels. And sometimes, latent talent may be discovered entirely by accident. ...................... Please turn to page 4 Clayton McIntyre, showing one of the many manoeuvers he displays at trampoline meets. FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2016 3