Synchronised trampoline duo overcome distance obstacle
20/10/2009 Living more than 2,700 miles apart, the US synchronised trampoline duo of Logan Dooley and Steven Gluckstein are already working with more of a handicap than their competitors.
Despite only being able to train together once every two months and competing in an event which demands meticulous accuracy, the pair are among the top-ranked in the world, reports the New York Times.
In August, Dooley and Gluckstein took gold medals at the tumbling and trampoline World Cup in Belgium and were briefly ranked second in the world.
The success of the pair, despite the odds being stacked against them, will encourage more people to take up the sport at a serious level, according to Steve Penny, president of US Gymnastics.
"I think as we see more success in trampoline, we will see more participation and much more consistency," he told the news provider.
Gluckstein and Dooley rarely speak to each other on the phone and often joke that they will have to start rehearsing via videophone.
The pair will be competing together at the 26th World Trampoline Championships in St Petersburg next month.
Despite only being able to train together once every two months and competing in an event which demands meticulous accuracy, the pair are among the top-ranked in the world, reports the New York Times.
In August, Dooley and Gluckstein took gold medals at the tumbling and trampoline World Cup in Belgium and were briefly ranked second in the world.
The success of the pair, despite the odds being stacked against them, will encourage more people to take up the sport at a serious level, according to Steve Penny, president of US Gymnastics.
"I think as we see more success in trampoline, we will see more participation and much more consistency," he told the news provider.
Gluckstein and Dooley rarely speak to each other on the phone and often joke that they will have to start rehearsing via videophone.
The pair will be competing together at the 26th World Trampoline Championships in St Petersburg next month.
