ISLE FILE
Hawai'i pair selected to U.S. team in trampoline

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii Academy athletes Randi Lau and Nani Vercruyssen have been selected to the 18-member JumpStart National Trampoline Team.

USA Gymnastics JumpStart is a trampoline-tumbling program.

Lau, an 8-year-old home-schooled third-grader, and Vercruyssen, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Hokulani School, will train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., starting next month.

Trampoline was introduced in Olympic competition at the 2000 Summer Games.

Co-ed JumpStart testing was done at the local and regional levels, with 50 athletes advancing to the national testing in Texas, Dec. 6-8. Only six athletes make up each age division team — 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12.

Lau placed first in the 7-8 age group, while Vercruyssen took third in the 9-10 group.

Lau, who trains in gymnastics with the Hawaiian Island Twisters, was also named to the U.S. Gymnastics National team earlier this year.

Vercruyssen placed second in trampoline, third in mini-trampoline and fourth in power tumbling in Level 8 competition at the Junior Olympics USAG Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships in Indianapolis in July.

BASKETBALL

• Hilo wins: Kyle Bartholomew had team-highs of 14 points and nine rebounds to help the University of Hawai'i-Hilo beat Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 82-80, last night in the AmeriSport Coconut Coast Classic at Afook-Chinen Civic.

Five other players scored in double figures for Hilo, which improved to 6-3. Ryan Abrahams and Osadonor Esene each added 13 points, while Brady Hyde, Ryan Hogue and Kimo Keiter-Charles each scored 10 as Hilo shot 57 percent (28-for-49).

Bunyan Johnson scored 24 points and Rod Edwards 22 for Ouachita Baptist, which fell to 4-4.