Niagaran gets a jump on competition
When Kieran Lupish won two gold medals last month, he jumped for more than joy.
Lupish, 13, a gymnast in training, used to compete in rings until he injured his shoulder in 2013 while practising his routine.
In the face of adversity, the Vineland native would not let a minor setback, such as a bum shoulder, stop him. Immediately after the injury, he wanted to try the trampoline, and the rest of history.
“It’s really fun, learning and new skills and the thrill of competing and wanting to win,” Lupish said. “I would like to do this when I’m older. I want to be able to make it to the Olympics or something.”
He competes in the men’s under 17 division. At his level of competitive gymnastics, athletes are classed based on performance and ranked into six divisions. Lupish is well ahead of the curve in terms of development, on the verge of adding triple spins to his bag of tricks.
Ceilings are high, but the sport can be dangerous. Completing spins at such a velocity and height takes the utmost concentration.
But the aero-gymnast is constantly pushing himself and is already competing at level six, the highest level possible for his age. Lupish’s competitors are as many as four years older than him.
A routine normally takes anywhere from eight to 10 seconds. when Lupish competes with high skill, he raises the danger factor.
“The nerves run before you get out there,” he said. “Once you’re standing there and you’re ready to present, I’m really focused.”
Lupish made his debut at level six in February and took home a bronze medal. The one thing he is most proud of is how high he’s managed to bring up his difficulty level in the three years since he’s started training.
Last month, Lupish won two gold medals in double-minis at the Ontario Cup. He also placed fifth in his first Level 6 synchronized routine, where he competed with one of his teammates at B.G.’s Trampoline and Tumbling in Burlington.
“That was my first synchro in that level. I did one previously, but it wasn’t as big a thing as this one was to me,” he said. “My degree of difficulty is high.”
“I don’t always get the best scores ever, but I do really hard stuff for my level.”
Lupish trains up to four days a week and is working toward making his routine tighter. He will be in Calgary this weekend competing in the Canada Cup.
“I just want to finish my routines and hopefully come top two,” he said. “Last competition, I dropped out because I wanted to get ready more for this competition, I didn’t want to get injured.”
Dave Lupish said his son’s determination enables him to compete against much older competitors.
“His goal is obviously to do well in Calgary and qualify for worlds,” the father said. “He hopes to be Olympic-bound and that would probably be in 2024.”
“The goal is to really to try and get him some international competition.”
Toward that end, the family is seeking sponsors to defray the cost of competing at worlds in Bulgaria, where the next world championships will be held.