Athletes who train at a south end sports facility are jumping for joy after cleaning up at a provincial trampoline competition.
Vertical Zone Trampoline Club, located at 361 King St. Unit #7, has been around for 15 years and trains those looking for serious competition, while also offering recreational fun.
The club recently competed in an Ontario-wide competition and brought home first place in the province.
Allison Mackay is the competitive program director for Vertical Zone and told BarrieToday she was very excited for the club’s recent success.
“Everyone from the athletes to the teachers and parents have all worked so hard and it is really great to see the success spill over to show that,” said Mackay.
The 2023 Ontario Championships for Trampoline Gymnastics was held the first weekend in June at Durham College and saw approximately 40 clubs vying for the top spot in the province.
Athletes competed individually and gained points for their performance.
When all was said and done, Vertical Zone was the overall winner.
“Last year we got third place in the province and now we’re number one,” said Mackay. “We’ll be getting our banner soon and proudly displaying it on our front foyer.”
Vertical Zone is not a trampoline park, but rather a training facility, governed by Gymnastics Ontario policies and staffed with coaches who are trained in accordance with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).
With close to 50 members on their competitive team, the club offers recreational programs for all ages.
Vertical Zone also recently had success at the Eastern Canadian Championships that were held in Sherbrooke, Quebec from May 12-14.
A total of nine competitive trampoline athletes from Vertical Zone qualified and represented Team Ontario at those championships.
The nine athletes brought home nine medals and a total of 15 top 10 finishes in their events.
While the club gets ready for the 2023/2024 season, the facility is running some day camps and does allow for drop-ins but it is strongly recommended that people call ahead first.
“We have fun, for sure, but we take it seriously. Trampoline has been an Olympic sport since 2000 and we also have six athletes heading to Edmonton for the Canadian Championships on July 18.
For more on Vertical Zone and how to get involved, head to their website here.
