Of Trampoline Memories

One of the many perks of graduating from RG trampoline gymnastics, is the chance to go back before the competition and act as judges to determine the fate of your juniors. So I reluctantly left my volleyball training and gave $10 to a taxi driver to return to Henry Park Primary School gymnasium, where I left my sweat, tears and blood right on that dirty yellow mat where warmups occur.

And the juniors start trembling right before the bell goes and they start their routine in front of the great judges.



For years, I looked forward to the day where I can hold a pen in my hands and make intelligent markings that will ultimately come up with the score deserving of their performance. But I realised I was wrong (as always).

My paper was mainly just scores I gave off the top of my head and anything that required a calculator... didn't require me.

So I stuck to taking pictures. And posing with the new leotard. All the time secretly glad that I wouldn't have to bare my flabby body in this skin-tight piece of cloth.

And here's the man who taught me to love and believe in myself. Simply because he believed in me more than I ever did. He put me in the face of pain, and I learnt to face pain itself. He made me see fear in a different light, until fear became no more than a driving force. He showed me the power of the human mind - it conquers all borders.

Mr Teo, thank you for being more than the best coach.

To the juniors, all the best. I hope you guys will never forget the experience of being a gymnast, no matter how short the time.

It has been many months since I set foot on the trampoline. And to my utter astonishment, I felt like I never left it. I just forgot the feeling of flying.

And because trampoline competition is on April's Fools Day, I did a little digging around and found my sec 4 performance. 20 seconds to do the routine, 2 years of training, a thousand disappointments, a lifetime of memories.

Once a tramper, always a tramper.