Power tumbler Sarah Thompson dazzles her way to trampoline world championships in Quatro!
What is Power Tumbling?
The sport of Power Tumbling is one of the four events at the Trampoline World Championships. The events include Individual Trampoline (Olympic Sport), Synchronized Trampoline, Tumbling, and Double Mini Trampoline.
To qualify for the USA World Championship team, athletes in the Senior Elite level of competition compete in three national events and are ranked according to their scores, taking the best two out of three results. The athletes must also meet a minimum score to be eligible for the selection of the team.
Who is Sarah Thompson?
Sarah Thompson is an elite power tumbler from Davis, IL who will be competing at the 2021 Trampoline World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Sarah is a senior in high school and trains at J&J Tumbling and Trampoline Team under the tutelage of coach Megan Gearheart, former 1988 World Tumbling Champion. Sarah’s many accomplishments in power tumbling include being the 2021 U.S. tumbling silver medallist.
Overcoming Adversity
Sarah is no stranger to adversity. She overcame missing three years of Nationals on her way to becoming an Elite. In 2017 Sarah withdrew from Nationals due to a severe ankle injury that took her all summer to rehabilitate. The following year Sarah had a good competitive year but then in 2019, after being ranked as the top Junior Elite in the country, she suffered a full Achilles rupture at the National Selection. This injury was particularly devastating for Sarah because it required surgery and took a long time to rehabilitate. Needless to say, Sarah was unable to compete at Nationals that year and couldn’t compete in the 2019 World Age Group Championships (one step below World Championships) in Tokyo, Japan. The final and most recent setback that Sarah overcame took place in 2020 when Covid caused the cancellation of the majority of her season.
Despite all of these setbacks, Sarah’s steadfast commitment to the sport never wavered and to this day, she still continues to show grit, resilience, and mental fortitude. Sarah is working on building skills and upgrading her difficulty to make up for the years she was injured, but her strength and technical skills have helped her become a strong competitor in the Senior Women's division and she is progressing towards new goals for 2022.
Sarah’s coach, Megan Gearheart has nothing but positive things to say about her athlete. “Sarah's first year as a Senior Elite was this year and her results exceeded our expectations. She was named to the US National team as well as the US World Championships team consisting of four women, four men tumblers, and one alternate for each team. Sarah will leave for Baku on November 10th and this will actually be her first international competition, and it just so happens to be the highest level of competition for the non-Olympic events. Sarah has untapped potential and a strong drive for competition and has a future as bright as her smile ahead of her.”
Why Quatro?
Sarah loves the quality, comfort, fit, and style of Quatro leotards, and we are grateful to be a part of Sarah’s journey. We can’t wait to watch Sarah shine at World Championships! Best of luck!
