Trampoline success catapults Lachie from Central Hawke's Bay to world champs in Bulgaria

Trampolinist Lachie Kirk and his coach Wayne Marsh will travel to Bulgaria as part of the New Zealand Gymsport squad at the World Age Group Championships.

Lachie Kirk, a Year 13 student and prefect at Central Hawke's Bay College, has been named in the New Zealand Gymsport squad to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the World Age Group Championships in Bulgaria from November 23 to 26 this year.

His coach, Wayne Marsh, was also selected to support the wider NZ team, a reflection of his success with Lachie and his volunteer-run club Ricochet Trampoline over the past 30 years.

Lachie will be competing in the 17-to-21-year age category in trampoline, double mini trampoline and tumbling at his first world championships.

It's been a bit of a journey, says Lachie, as he was first selected to represent New Zealand at Australian Nationals back in 2019 but a competition injury forced a late withdrawal. Covid border restrictions subsequently prevented representation in 2020 and 2021.

This year, with the uncertainty of Covid, Lachie elected to make the jump to compete at senior level and increase his chances of international selection.

"I gained the national title for tumbling and narrowly missed on the double mini title. But importantly, my routines and execution exceeded the world qualifying points for all three categories of trampolining and put me in the frame for selection," Lachie says.

The sport of trampoline is both technically and physically demanding, with athletes experiencing three times their body weight every time they contact the landing mat, so body conditioning is an important aspect. Coach Wayne says Lachie doesn't rely on his natural talent and works hard to be an all-round athlete.

"The routines require us to perform at height, make split-second decisions and know where we are in the air," says Lachie.

"It definitely gets you buzzing when a routine you've been working on comes together, and you finally pull it off.

"Many of my fellow competitors have been competing since an early age, so I have had a lot to learn over the past five years since I first came to the sport," says Lachie.

"I am fortunate to have one of New Zealand's top coaches in Wayne who himself represented New Zealand long before I was born."

The combination has seen Lachie gain national titles in each of his five years of competing.

"In 2021 I managed to gain national titles for tumbling, double mini trampoline, and the overall Junior International Trampolinist Cup.

"It's amazing to think that a kid from a small volunteer-run club in a little country town in the middle of Hawke's Bay can gain the opportunity to represent their country on the world stage," says Lachie.

"I've got the motivation and I'm not afraid of the mahi, but any success I've had so far is definitely a team effort, an amalgamation of family, coach, club and local community support – as none of us achieve anything on our own, it's definitely humbling."

The trip to the world championships in Bulgaria this November will cost $10,000 for Lachie and Wayne to attend and is fully self-funded.

A givealittle page has been created to support their fundraising towards flights, accommodation and competition licence fees. givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-lachie-to-represent-nz-at-the-trampoline