Many aren’t aware that Lafayette is a breeding ground for trampoline gymnastic stars and has been even before it became an Olympic sport in 2000.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, two local trampoline gymnasts from Lafayette’s Trampoline and Tumbling Express are making strides to possibly represent the 337 at the 2028 games.
At the USA Gymnastics National Championships on June 22-27 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two-time Olympian Alexi Shostak won the Senior Men’s Trampoline National Title. On the women’s side, Sarah Webster earned the Women’s Trampoline bronze medal.
“I just wanted to go out there and finish a routine I was proud of and, although it wasn’t my best, I was happy to complete it,” Webster said. “That competition was a lot of fun because it was our last domestic competition of the season.”
For Shostak, this marks his second time winning the national title and second time doing so in Tulsa.
“I guess I need to buy a house out there or something,” Shostak said. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to win. I was kind of having a really rough week with training but I’m happy that it turned out the way it did.”
Shostak and Webster both fell in love with the high-flying sport, one that would make Lafayette their new home. The duo have trained and coached in the city under world-renowned coach Dmitri Poliaroush, who owns Trampoline and Tumbling Express. Since 1993, it has trained trampoline athletes, producing 14 World champions and six Olympians over the years.
Shostak and Webster hope to continue to carry on the city’s rich history in the sport as the next few years are stepping stones on the road to the LA28 Olympic Games.
“We’ve had representation in the games every single time since 2000 and Coach Dmitri is especially the one I thank for that,” Shostak said. “He’s very consistent. He’s a very good coach and he’s pushed me the way I needed to be pushed to get to where I’m at and I’m very thankful for that.”
In addition to Shostak and Webster, Trampoline and Tumbling Express had two other athletes earn U.S. National Team status. Nicole Ahsinger made the U.S. National Team while Graham Foreman made the U.S. Junior National Team.
Together, alongside Poliaroush and the Trampoline and Tumbling Express staff, they are putting the 337 on the global trampoline gymnastic map.
“Just being able to jump and feeling free in the air and flipping around is what made me fall in love with the sport,” Webster said. “My main goal is to qualify and compete at the 2028 Olympics, but there are so many other competitions in between that hold a lot of importance like the World Championships and the World Cups.”
Shannon Belt covers high school sports, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and LSU men’s basketball for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Get to know two Lafayette trampoline stars on the road to LA28 Olympics
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