Advertisement

Roberts wins double mini trampoline national championship

Share

By Joe Naiman

Ramona’s Ryan Roberts is the men’s senior elite double mini trampoline national champion. He won the title at the national trampoline and tumbling competition in Kansas City this month.

“I’m super excited that it all finally happened,” Roberts, 21, said of his gold medal.

A double mini trampoline has a sloped side and a flat side, and the gymnasts use both in their routines prior to the dismount. Roberts scored 75.0 points to take first place. The silver medal winner had a score of 74.8 points. A successful protest made the difference for Roberts.

Scoring is based in part on degree of difficulty, and initially the judges claimed that during his first pass he repeated a trick he had used in the preliminaries. That denied him points for that part of the routine.

“After my first pass we had to protest,” Roberts said.

He won the protest and proceeded to his second pass. “Did very well on that one,” he said.

Roberts, a lifelong Ramona resident and a 2010 Ramona High School graduate, was 10 when he took up competitive trampoline and 11 when he won a gold medal in synchronized trampoline at the 2003 nationals.

This is his fourth year on the men’s national team. Although Grossmont College does not have men’s gymnastics, Roberts dives for the Griffins’ aquatic program in addition to his competitive trampoline and tumbling activities.

Roberts is ranked first for the men’s national team, which means that his expenses will be paid if he qualifies for the world championships in Bulgaria. A world championship qualifier next month in Daytona, Fla., will determine whether Roberts competes in Bulgaria.

Advertisement

At a time when local news is more important than ever, support from our readers is essential. If you are able to, please support the Ramona Sentinel today.