Lachie Kirk leaps to personal best at World Tramp Champs

Lachie Kirk, back row, centre, with his ‘home crowd’ - his UK family members, during the World Trampoline Championships World Age Group Competitions in Birmingham, UK.

Central Hawke’s Bay athlete Lachie Kirk has returned from the World Trampoline Championships World Age Group Competitions in Birmingham, UK, with a personal best, placings of 11th and 18th, and a renewed thirst for success in his sport in a year that will see him go from age group to senior competition, against Olympic hopefuls.

Lachie, who competes in trampoline and double mini, came up through the ranks of Waipukurau’s Ricochet Trampoline Club under trainer Wayne Marsh, until last year when he relocated to the South Island for university.

All Lachie’s sponsors “had his back” at the World Trampoline Championships.

He now trains in Christchurch, but it’s the Central Hawke’s Bay community that “has his back” as he has had unwavering support for his competitive career in his home district, from donations, sponsors and fundraisers as well as numerous online followers for his overseas competitions.

The Birmingham competition started off extremely well, Lachie says, with not only a personal best in his first pass of the double mini competition, but the highest score overall, with the highest execution mark of the entire competition.

“That first pass was super nice. But the second pass didn’t go so well. I got a wrong angle, it’s the nature of the sport. In rugby if you get it wrong you have the rest of the game to fight back. With trampoline it’s a split second. Gravity doesn’t forgive.

“But that first pass was a real boost. Our coach has told us ‘you’ll never get a personal best at Worlds’, so that was huge.”

Lachie Kirk, fourth from left, lines up with fellow finalists at the World Trampoline Championships World Age Group Competitions in Birmingham, UK.

There are multiple judges watching each competitor’s routine, generally four judging the execution and four judging the level of difficulty.

“You can push for level of difficulty, which gives more points, or for form; the tidier you are the higher you’ll score. Precision and timing in the air will beat difficulty every time.

“Trampoline is getting more competitive all the time. There are points for how precisely you land...a camera records you and deducts points if you’re off-centre.

“I’m a perfectionist and really competitive so I always want to be the best, to win. It’s a good mindset most of the time, but I also want to enjoy what I’m doing. I like the travel and meeting people,” Lachie says.

“One great thing about competing in Birmingham was Mum’s family being there as well as Mum and Dad and my siblings. Mum’s from the UK so I had about 20 members of her family there to support me. It was nice, my own home crowd, overseas.

All athletes got given a certificate and a memorabilia coin from the World Trampoline Championships World Age Group Competitions in Birmingham, UK.

“The team supported each other as well. It was a good atmosphere - I saw friends I’d made at other international competitions. It’s a unique thing, it’s an individual sport but we still support and push one another.”

Lachie’s aim for the trampoline competition was top 15, so to finish 11th was a good result.

“It has given me a lot of motivation for next year, when I will not longer be eligible for age group competitions, I’ll be in senior comps.”

It will be a hard year, he says.

“There won’t be any world champs as it’s an Olympic year, there will just be world cups, with everyone trying to qualify for the Olympics. They have been chasing those points for the last four years.

“There’ll be no points for me - I’ll be up against Olympic hopefuls. It will be a big tester - a good challenge.”

First thing this year, Lachie and his trainers will be planning his campaign strategy for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“My new coaches are already pushing me, keeping me in line. This year we’re going to push even harder and see what we can do. Most trampoline competitors don’t hit their peak until they are 22-24 years old, so I still have five or six years in which to improve.”

Lachie says he is extremely grateful for the support he’s had from the Central Hawke’s Bay community.

“From individuals, businesses, larger companies, donating funds or items for fundraising auctions, all the contributions have just been awesome. Our community is just so tight knit and supportive, it’s a privilege to be supported like this and it wouldn’t be possible without everyone. ”

Lachie’s mum, Kiri Kirk says “David and I are really proud of Lachie, not just because we’re his parents but when he duffed his second double mini pass he held his head in his hands, clearly gutted . Yet was able to pick himself up, congratulate his competitors and go on to achieve his best ever trampoline performance on the world stage - from 28th in 2022 to 11 in 2023 is a huge lift and reflects the work he has put in this year in what is a technically challenging sport.

“We are very grateful to his sponsors Aonet Rural Broadband, CHB Boxing Club, Lions Takapau, Lions Waipawa, Felling, Milling and Firewood, Cookie Time Charitable Trust, and Farmers Mutual Trust, as well as the community who were behind him all the way.”