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Unicamp Newspaper - May 2000

page 6

SPORT
Jumps to Germany
Unitramp achieves excellent results at the Hannover International University Acrobatic Trampoline Championship

NADIR PEINADO

CLike any sport, acrobatic trampolym requires determination and dedication. Our Acrobatic Trampolinism team, Unitramp, is very clear about this. Proof of this commitment were the memorable results achieved at the last International University Acrobatic Trampoline Championship in Hannover, to which they were invited at the last minute. After all, they decided to participate in November, and the competition took place on January 22nd. But the intensive training, carried out at the facilities of the Department of Physical Education of the Institute of Biosciences at Unesp, in Rio Claro, which has equipment equivalent to that of international championships, gave the team excellent results, both in the individual category and as a team.

Aware of the German competitors, champions in the acrobatic trampolinism modality, the team made up of five students from the University, Patrícia Mamede and Letícia Castiglia, both students at the Institute of Arts, Claudia Vasconcellos, a student at the Faculty of Food Engineering, Ana Paula Sato, student at the Faculty of Physical Education, beginners in the modality, and Daniel de Brito Mota, trampolinism technician from the Unitramp extension project, since 1997, dedicated himself with special dedication to training. They started in November with an intense daily routine of nine hours of activities and ended in the first half of January. There was only rest during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The four athletes started the sport in September last year encouraged by Daniel, who is a student in the area of ​​recreation and leisure at FEF, with the aim of participating in the 5th São Paulo Acrobatic Trampoline Championship (Cupta), held at USP. The experience earned Unitramp first place in the individual female beginner category, with trampolinist Claudia first place in the female beginner team category, and Daniel second place in the male individual category. But this was not his best record: in 97, in the 3rd Championship held at Unesp in Rio Claro, he became São Paulo university champion.

Satisfaction with the sport increased after this victory, say the athletes. They have incorporated trampolining into their lives and are unanimous in stating that they do not intend to leave the sport. "Those who start practicing trampolinism feel pleasure with the challenges imposed by the device. The feeling of time in flight, of the body slow and in the air, and doing acrobatics, which are man's fascination, constitute a fantastic experience", says Daniel.

Technical preparation – This motivation led Unitramp to travel to Germany, where it achieved 11th place overall in the team category. Daniel reached 10th place in the general placement in the men's category and 1st place in the internal placement. The general placement refers to the official ranking of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Hochschulsportverband – ADH (German University Sports Union) and the internal ranking belongs to the unofficial ranking by the University of Hannover and ADH, of the best placed trampolinists in the championship who started practicing the sport at university. In addition to Brazil, Germany and Chechnya also participated in the International Championship, totaling 124 competitors.

The rush was not only to achieve the necessary technical preparation, but also sponsorship that would make participation viable, including travel, uniforms and accommodation. In this race, the general coordinator of Unitramp Jorge Sergio P�rez Gallardo, a professor at FEF, and the technical coordinator Daniel, prepared the sponsorship project. The venture was successful. They obtained resources from Unicamp in the amount of R$ 2.740,00, enabling the purchase of two airline tickets, thanks to the 50% reduction in the value of all tickets through Lufthansa Linhas Añreas Alemanes, and the same discount was given by the company Fits All, which made the uniforms used in the competition.

Trampolinism is currently exclusive to a few clubs and universities, as it is a sport that is still little explored, and its practice is mainly aimed at demonstrative sports, a situation that may soon change with the inclusion of this type of sport in the Olympics. 2000 in Sydney, Australia. From then on, it will become an official sport with prospects of getting more athletes practicing this modality.

With this expectation, Unitramp intends to promote acrobatic activity through the representation of Unicamp in national and international events. They are scheduled to participate in at least four championships and demonstration festivals between universities in São Paulo - which will be held in the second semester of this year at the University - FEF Gymnastics Festivals, World Championships and again the International University in Germany in 2001. That's why they are investing in beginner, intermediate and elite trampolinism training teams throughout the year.

The team carries out two hours of training daily, using equipment from the FEF Gymnastics sector, which consists of an Artistic Gymnastics platform, two mini-trampolines, a double mini-trampoline, an acrobatic trampoline, gym mattresses of different sizes. Unitramp is a university extension project of the General Gymnastics Research Group of the Department of Motor Education (GPGG-DEM), linked to the Development and Sports Coordination (Codesp) and coordinated by professor Jorge and by student Daniel.