Athlete Profile

• Name: Simon Butterworth
• College: King’s
• Degree: Bio NatSci
• Hometown: Wadham, East Sussex

Like many of us, Simon Butterworth first set foot on a trampoline as a child. But while most of us shake the habit later on, it’s an activity that has remained a firm fixture in his life, having joined up with Cambridge University Trampolining Club (CUTC) in his first year. A qualified trampolining judge, he has since represented the University at the Southern Universities Trampoline League in the last three years, and will be part of the Cambridge team representing the University at the Irish Student Trampoline Open at the end of Lent term.

Can you give us a summary of what trampolining at Cambridge involves?

There are three main aspects to trampolining at Cambridge: training sessions, competitions and social events. We run relaxed training sessions several times a week and during all holidays, where you learn and practise new skills. The sessions are quite open, so you can decide for yourself what you want to work on, but we always have several qualified coaches on hand to give you as much support as you want.

There are quite a few competitions throughout the year, including Cuppers, Varsity, BUCS, and the Southern University Trampoline League competitions. These are all optional – some club members really enjoy competitions, while others prefer to work on their own things without the pressure of preparing to compete.

Trampolining is great in that you can compete at any level at all these competitions – a beginner could learn a routine to compete at a competition in just a couple of weeks!

How did you get into the sport?

My story is a pretty common one for our members: I did a little bit of trampolining where I was about 10 years old, but then forgot about it for years. Halfway through my first term in Cambridge, I spotted an advert for trampolining in one of those massive bulletin emails we get sent by CUSU, and thought “I used to enjoy that, I might try it out again” – and I’ve never looked back since. We welcome all newcomers – plenty of members have never bounced before they join us, others have been trampolining since they could walk!

Rogue Sport of the Week: Motorsport with Richard Morris

What separates a good trampolinist from a bad one?

As a qualified competition judge I can tell you that there are very exact criteria. Each move in a routine is marked by a panel of judges based on the shape (either perfectly straight or tightly folded), the timing of different phases on the move, and amount of travel across the trampoline (ideally none). All of these combine to give a neat and graceful appearance. The best trampolinists are those that make all this look effortless at the same time.

What’s the hardest thing about the sport?

The hardest thing is developing the physical awareness of what your body is doing while you are performing different moves, and then understanding how to modify what you are doing to improve. Trampolining is a very individual sport – you don’t do it in a team, you don’t compete directly against other people, there isn’t even any equipment or accessories other than the trampoline apparatus itself – all that matters is how you use your body to direct the power stored in the trampoline.

Rebounding and somersaulting on a trampoline is unlike any other physical experience, even among other gymnastics sports, and the sensations take a while to get used to and understand. You don’t need to know the biomechanics of what you are doing, but you need to be able to recognise how your body feels and how to change it to make the best use of the trampoline and execute different moves correctly. And bear in mind a single move only takes about a second to perform, so you don’t have a lot of time to do this!

What do you need to be a success at trampolining?

The most important thing is not very exciting: practice. It’s fair to say trampolining is quite an unnatural activity, so there are very few people who are innately good at it. There are a few qualities which make it easier to progress: decent spatial awareness will make it easier to recognise and modify how you bounce for example.

Fearlessness can also be useful! Trampolining can be a bit scary, particularly as you get more advanced; sometimes you just need to trust that your body knows what to do – or at least trust that your coach knows what to do if it goes wrong.

The last thing is patience. Because trampolining involves complex physical sensations, progress is sometimes slow because you need to develop that awareness of what your body is doing. That helps keep you safe and to understand what to do next to improve your skills or learn a new one. This doesn’t happen instantly, and sometimes going away for a few days, mulling it over and then coming back can lead to some big improvements.

Who is the most famous athlete in your sport?

There are more than a few legendary people in the trampolining world (try searching Greg Roe on YouTube), but the ones I have to mention now are the British team at the recent Rio Olympics: Nathan Bailey, Kat Driscoll and Bryony Page. Having three competitors in the Olympics was an achievement in itself, but Byrony made history by winning the silver medal and becoming Britain’s first-ever Olympic trampolining medallist.

Rogue Sport of the Week: Korfball with Bethany Mason

How does Cambridge provide for trampolining? What kind of facilities do you have access to?

We have some of the best facilities in the country! At the University Sports Centre we have eight powerful trampolines which are all owned by the club. Five of them are the same standard as those used in the Olympics and other international events – more than any other club in the country. We also use an overhead rig built into the ceiling, which is a kind of harness that allows coaches to catch trampolinists mid-air while they are bouncing, adding an extra level of safety when learning complex somersaults.

We also have a number of qualified trampoline coaches, several of whom are qualified at the highest level. We also subsidise the coaching and judging courses offered by British Gymnastics, and as a result many of our coaches are current Cambridge students.

What is your training schedule like?

We run three training sessions a week during term time and two a week during the vacations. However, there is no obligation to go to all of these – you can come to as many or few as you like or as fits around your schedule. Our session times are always outside of regular work hours (Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons) so there are usually no clashes with lectures or practicals. I find that most people come to two sessions a week – usually the sessions that have a trip to the pub afterwards!

And how do you reconcile a Cambridge workload with your training schedule?

Trampolining is such an exhilarating sport, it gives you such an adrenaline rush which is a great relief from the regular stress and pressure of Cambridge. After a tough or tiring day I really enjoy the release of focusing all my energy on something so physical and individual – it’s really the highlight of my week.

There’s so much you can take from it: you can view it as exercise, you can use it [as] stress relief, you can focus on the competitive side and train for competitions, or you can just bounce for fun!

How might somebody interested in trampolining get involved?

You can come along to any of our sessions, which are listed on our website and try it out for just £4. If you’re a complete beginner or have been bouncing for years, we have the facilities and coaching expertise to cater for you – everyone is welcome. You can have two taster sessions before you need to either become a club member or pay for insurance. If you don’t have time at the moment, we also run completely free taster sessions at the start of Michaelmas every year. Anyone who wants to join up or who has any questions can take a look at our website or just drop us an email.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.