Shasta Trampoline Club swept the national awards category at the Gymnastics B.C. annual awards reception last Saturday.
The Queen's Park Arenex-based club took both national athlete of the year awards, while also garnering the coaches of the year category.
Poppy Quinlan, 18, and 13-year-old Ben Blais of New Westminster were named the top national trampolinists in B.C. at the awards night.
Both Shasta tumblers were part of a highly successful eight-member contingent to Team Canada that just returned from the Indo-Pacific championships in Sydney, Australia last week.
Quinlan came back with a pair of medals from the international competition, including a gold with Shasta teammate Brittany Falconer on women's synchronized trampoline after a fourth-place finish in the preliminaries.
Quinlan also placed third in the individual double-mini competition for women 17 and above. She was sixth on the individual trampoline.
Earlier in the season, Quinlan, who was ranked 10th on trampoline at the World Age Group championships in Birmingham, England last year, was a double silver medalist at the Canadian championships in Regina last May
Blais had three top-10 finishes at the Indo-Pac in Australia. He was a triple gold medallist at the spring nationals this year.
Shasta's other six Team Canada members in Oz also qualified for finals in one or more events against the best trampolinists from New Zealand, Japan, Thailand and the host country.
Duncan Blais topped the field in the boys' 11 and 12 double-mini category by almost three points. He also placed sixth on trampoline.
Laim Doherty, Tyler Edwards, Cameron Quinlan and Olivia Bortolazzo from Burnaby also posted top-10 results.
The results speak to the high level of dedication and talent of the Shasta members, said club coach and founder Val Johnson.
"That is our philosophy, to make (the gymnasts) the best they can be in a supportive team atmosphere," she said.
Johnson shared the coaches' award with former club athletes Curt DeWolff, Christie Hayashi, Lindsay Hannah and former Olympic reserve team athlete Bryan Milonja from Quebec.
"One thing our club has going for it is the longevity of our athletes," Johnson said, adding many go on to coaching and judging after their competitive careers are through. "They make really long-term relationships. It's a plus I think is very important."
For Johnson, that commitment to the sport has spanned almost 45 years, including the last 37 with Shasta, which started up in 1975.
During the day, Johnson works on the recreational side of trampoline with the New Westminster parks and rec department.
It's a program that has really caught the attention of young tumblers following Canada's gold-medal win on trampoline at the recent London Olympics.
Almost 1,000 youngsters are currently enrolled in some form of gymnastics activity at the New Westminster Arenex.
It's a venue that lends itself to providing further opportunities for up-and-coming trampolinists, said Johnson.
"Kids in the recreation program are exposed to the competitive part. A lot of them say, 'I want to do this and I want to do that,'" Johnson added. "We're really busy."
