Bouncing for joy at finals day

Bouncing for joy at finals day

8 June 2016

THE Trampoline Network celebrated five years of competitive history with five medallists in the Northern Ireland Trampoline Championships over the weekend.

The club entered five competitors and all five came in the top three places in their various categories.

Top of the list was Eoin McNally, who took two first places. The first trophy was in the FIG (premier division equivalent) event in his own age group, 15-16 boys.

The second was even more impressive with a win in the open men’s competition for any age of competitor, to find the overall male champion of Northern Ireland. With an impressive score of 81.0, he just beat his close rival, Padraic McConville, from Tir Na Nog Trampoline Club based in Newry.

After the first round compulsory routine Eoin was just ahead by a fraction of a point, but Padraig had a more difficult voluntary routine which automatically gave him a 0.9 advantage going into the round.

Eoin had to hold his nerve and deliver a top quality routine if he wanted to win. Padraic went first but crashed out near the end of his routine. Eoin delivered a safe routine to clinch this coveted title.

Eoin lives in Ballynoe and trains with The Trampoline Network in Downpatrick, Carryduff and Lisburn.

Anna Boe was the next to have an impressive competition. Anna went in the National Development Plan (NDP) 5 event, 15+ girls. It was clear from the style that Anna had been working hard on the quality of her routines.

She scored well on execution in both rounds but with the second routine being lower on difficulty than her opponent she was pushed into a creditable  second place. Anna trains with The Trampoline Network in Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Lisburn, and Lough Moss Centre, Carryduff.

In the NDP 2 event 13+ boys Ryan Black took the next trophy. Ryan had struggled with routine consistency throughout the season and qualified for the final in Ards Leisure Centre with a wild card entry, having scored 0.4 below the qualifying mark in the last of the qualifying rounds.

It was therefore a tremendous effort to hold his nerve having failed in the routines before. The quality of his training finally coming through despite the nerves of competition and he too took the second place trophy. Ryan trains with The Trampoline Network in the Lough Moss Centre.

Last, but not least, a second and a third for Rowan Hynds and PJ Grant in the NDP 2 11-12 boys category. Both boys have been friendly rivals throughout the competition season but neither could sneak a victory. However, the boys did the club proud with their places.

This completed the day’s toll of five medallist and six trophies in total with all five entrant from The Trampoline Network picking up a prize and Eoin managing two trophies.

 Eoin will now have a trial to get on the Northern Ireland Squad next weekend. He was previously on the junior Northern Ireland Squad but never made it into the senior squad when he became too old for the juniors. With his current form it would be hard to see how he could not get into the senior team that he and his coach Graham Erskine have been targeting.

Graham said “This is a milestone for the club to produce a Northern Ireland Open Men’s champion and to achieve this at just 15 is an excellent result for Eoin. Everyone at the club is proud of Eoin’s achievement and wishes him well in his trampoline career.”