2 Chances for USA to Shine
Thirty-two outstanding gymnasts will be chosen to represent their federations in the individual Trampoline events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics this summer. Of the 19 countries participating in the 2008 Olympic Trampoline events, the US has been awarded a ticket for both Men’s and Women’s divisions, and China has taken the top 2 places in Men’s and 2nd place in Women’s on the list of federations competing in the category.
Gymnasts will compete for 2 sets of medals at the Beijing Olympics Trampoline events and will be required to perform several skills during the compulsory and optional routines. Each of 3 routines must showcase 10 officially recognized skills, including:
• A forward or back somersault
• A forward or back somersault including a full twist
• One landing on either the back or front of the body
• A single or double somersault containing at least a 540 degree twist

Points are awarded by five execution judges who evaluate each performance during the routines, with a perfect score being 45. Difficulty is calculated on the number of twists and somersaults in each routine and difficulty points are given by 2 separate judges who typically award between 11 and 15 points per routine. The highest and lowest scores are then dropped and the remaining 3 scores added together with the difficulty rating to determine the aggregate score for each gymnast. The top scoring athletes are then invited to perform a final voluntary round before the judges.

Olympic Trampoline Events
The 2008 Beijing Olympics trampoline events are scheduled for August 17th through the 20th and will be held in the Beijing National Indoor Stadium in front of an expected crowd of 19,000 attendees. The newly constructed stadium is located in the Olympic Green in Beijing and will also host the Artistic Gymnastics and Handball events.
First introduced to the Olympics in Sydney, Australia in 2000, Trampoline has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity and recognition in recent years, inspiring countless fans with its athletic grace and beauty. The Olympic Trampoline events are highly anticipated new additions to our international cultural repertoire, and the 2008 Trampoline competitions in Beijing promise to deliver all of the excitement and drama we’ve come to expect from this great sport.