National Ski Team Buy’s Trampoline

The Coaching talent that helped Rosie MacLennan earn Canada’s first Gold Medal of the XXX Olympiad in London has also been helping the Canadian National Freestyle Ski Team on its road to the 2014 Sochi Games.

MacLennan, a trampolinist, trains at Skyriders Gym in Richmond Hill, Ont. under the direction of Canadian tramp guru Dave Ross.

Not only has Ross been helping out Canadian Freestyle Halfpipe and Slope-style National Team athletes during camps at his Ontario gym, but with assistance from Own the Podium, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association also purchased a unique trampoline that Ross designed and built by hand.

The “Supertramp” is essentially a giant-sized trampoline that has turned out to be a perfect training tool for free-skiers.

According to Halfpipe Team Head Coach Trennon Paynter, “The Supertramp is awesome for us. It helps you go higher with more airtime [than a traditional trampoline] and do bigger tricks.

It actually lets you get close to the airtime you would get jumping out of a super pipe, that’s about 2.4 seconds in the air.”

Moreover, said Paynter, because the bed has more surface area it moves up and down more than a traditional trampoline with each jump – about  60 centimeters more travel with each bounce. “That makes for softer and smoother landings which is less aggressive on the body and reduces the risk of injury.”

World Champion Halfpipe skier Sherwood Park Alta.’s Mike Riddle has been doing a lot of training on the Supertramp this summer with his teammates. “I think it’s pretty awesome that we have access to such a great training tool. It’s definitely a huge advantage to help us improve our air awareness and work on our tricks. It makes doing difficult tricks like double corks very easy and slow, it’s like learning in slow motion, so we get super comfortable and consistent with our technical skills.”

The CFSA is hoping that some of the trampoline magic Ross brought to Canada in the London Olympic Games will rub off on it for the next Winter Olympics.