Coach ‘rapt’ with performances

ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS: Gisborne Trampoline Club members with their North Island championship medals. They are (from left): Seth Williams, Luke Low, Brea Low, Leah Scholefield, Hannah Scholefield, Lucy Mossman, Finn Vette, Jacob Scholefield and Raine Lamont-Milner. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

EASTLAND Port Gisborne Trampoline Club coach Doug Callahan was “rapt” with his charges’ performances at the North Island championships at Auckland.

“It was the second-to-last qualifying competition for the New Zealand nationals and the last chance to qualify for the Indo Pacific champs,” Callahan said. “And with over 240 competitors, it was the biggest North Island champs event for a long time.

Thirteen have qualified for nationals“As well as clubs from the North Island, we had clubs from the South Island and one from Australia. It was a massive event. We now have 13 competitors who have qualified for the nationals at Invercargill in September. The official number of qualifiers for the Indo Pacifics in Napier in October hasn’t been released but we’ll have some in that group.”

Callahan said that with the number of competitors in Auckland, the Gisborne contingent dropped the synchronised section.

“If we’d entered the synchro it would have gone on too long.”

The 13 who qualified for the nationals in trampoline and double mini were Taylan Barbara, Hannah O’Connor, Raine Lamont-Milner, Jacob Scholefield, Seth Williams, Stevi Reid, James van Aswegen, Ronan Wallace, Finn Vette, Kaiya Huta, Leah Scholefield, Lucy Mossman and Hannah Scholefield.

Hannah Scholefield and Mossman also qualified in the power tumbling discipline at the nationals. Mossman won gold in the 17-years-plus division and Scholefield was third in the 15-16yr class. Mossman also won silver in 17yr-plus double mini and bronze in 17yr-plus tramp.

Gold for two back from injury“We had two trampolinists returning from injury who won gold — Seth Williams in the 11-to-12-year tramp, and Finn Vette in the sub junior international division on double mini,” Callahan said. “Seth was out for nine months with an arm that was broken in three places, and Finn was out for four months with stitches in a cut on his knee. Both performed exceptionally well, especially with the limited training they’d had.

“I told Finn if he performed four passes well he would get on to the podium but he didn’t just make the podium, he was first. All told, we won six gold medals, five silver and four bronze.”

The other gold medal winners were Luke Low (13-14yr tramp), Brea Low (17yr-plus tramp) and Raine Lamont-Milner (10yr-and-under double mini).

“I was really pleased for Luke,” Callahan said. “He’s had a lot of third and fourth placings but he really stepped up and fully deserved gold this time. Raine added a silver on tramp.

“Brea (Low) was a comfortable winner on 17yr-plus tramp and won silver on double mini at junior international level, which was a really tough group . . . it had the highest number of competitors.

“Leah Scholefield, who is 13, was runner-up in the sub junior international 13-to-15-year and third in the sub junior international tramp division. Leah has been going from strength to strength and I wouldn’t be surprised if she qualified for the world champs next year.”

Jacob Scholefield rounded out the medal winners with bronze on tramp in the 10yr-and-under division.