Mt. Hebron junior bounces into the spotlight

It takes a lot to admit when it's time for a change.

For Spencer Jefferson, a rising junior at Mt. Hebron High School, that tough realization came three years ago.

Having taken up a serious interest in artistic gymnastics at the age of 6, Jefferson realized before the eighth grade that he had likely gotten the most he could out of it.

"I wasn't getting better. I was stuck between levels and the skills were getting really hard for me," he said. "I knew that I still enjoyed gymnastics, I still liked all the kids and coaches, but I needed to try something else."

That something else turned out to be a less publicized form of gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling. And although the decision meant a switch of locations and learning an entirely new set of skills, it quickly became obvious the change was for the best.

Working with coach Vadim Bindler at United Gymnastix, in Reisterstown, Jefferson proved to be a fast learner.

By the end of his first year, he qualified for nationals and finished second there in the tumbling competition. The following year, he made nationals again and was top five in both trampoline and double-mini trampoline.

This summer, after a season of focusing entirely on the trampoline, Jefferson has qualified for Nationals July 9-15, in San Antonio, in three different events in the 15-16 age group: trampoline, double-mini and synchronized trampoline.

"He's a natural. Coming in with big gymnastics experience — good coordination and good form and work ethic - has really helped him learn quickly," said Bindler, a once world-class tumbler himself.

Jefferson has worked his way up to Junior Olympic Level 10 in all four of the trampoline and tumbling events, the highest level of competition before achieving elite status.

"It's pretty amazing that he was able to pick it up so fast, but this really has been the perfect fit for him," said Karen Jefferson, Spencer's mom. "The parts of gymnastics that he liked, he really liked. The problem was he didn't have the option to pick and choose from the six artistic events.

"T and T has allowed him to focus in on what he's good at."

For Spencer, the things he's excelled at haven't typically been mainstream. His current hobbies include playing the oboe, table tennis and riding a unicycle.

So the fact that he's found success in an under-the-radar sport such as trampoline and tumbling would seem a serendipitous choice.

"I'm pretty much terrible at the typical sports like basketball … when we play pick-up, I'm always one of the last ones picked," he said. "I do better with the obscure things for whatever reason and trampoline is pretty obscure."

At a really young age, Spencer's parents had him try a little bit of everything from soccer to karate. That penchant for making their son well rounded is how Spencer got involved with gymnastics in the first place.

When he was 3 years old, he began once a week classes at Top Flight Gymnastics in Columbia.

"At the time, it was just something for him to burn off some energy in the winter," Karen Jefferson said.

By the time Spencer reached the first grade, though, his interest in gymnastics had blossomed and he was asked to join Top Flight's artistic pre-team. Throughout elementary and middle school, he improved steadily and developed a solid foundation.

Eventually, though, his passion waned and he started exploring other interests. Word of mouth introduced him to T and T, but it wasn't a program that Top Flight offered.

So, with some reservation, he decided to make the move to United Gymnastix.

"For whatever reason kids are made to think that they are downgrading if they go to T and T," Spencer said. "In the beginning, I definitely felt some of that."

That feeling quickly went away once he got going, however, with Bindler helping him develop a variety of skills.

Tumbling pulled from some of the skills related to the floor exercises he did during artistic gymnastics. Trampoline, though, was completely different. The aerial flips and maneuvers he began to develop were all new.

"You realize pretty quickly how much of a head game trampoline is," he said. "I feel like it's 70 percent mental and 30 percent physical. If you think you can do the flip, you usually can. But if you're not committed, it's easy to mess up."

The routines go by quickly. Tumbling routines last roughly between seven and eight seconds, while trampoline routines consist of 10 skills done in span of 15 to 20 seconds.

Maximizing that short period of time is something Jefferson has learned to do well over the past couple of years. This past year, he narrowed his focus by taking a break from tumbling and decided to try his hand at synchronized trampoline in addition to the other trampoline events.

He partnered up with Westminster resident Matthew Joy and the duo meshed almost instantly.

"It usually takes a while to develop chemistry, but they had it right away," Bindler said. "They have similar form and way of doing the skills … good compliments to one another."

Their chemistry was on full display at this year's USA Gymnastics Trampoline and Power Tumbling State Championships in May, where they took the gold medal. Their score of 39.9 not only won, but also qualified them for nationals. At that same meet, Jefferson also won gold in individual trampoline with a score of 55.1 and silver in double-mini trampoline with a score of 62.9. Both efforts qualified him for nationals in those events as well.

And it's at the upcoming championships in San Antonio that Jefferson will be going for his first national gold.

In terms of the big picture, trampoline and tumbling still isn't offered as a sport on the collegiate level. Jefferson points out that the lack of scholarships is one of the main reasons the sport hasn't grown anywhere near the level of artistic gymnastics.

That, however, hasn't stopped Jefferson himself from thinking big. If he advances to elite status, something his teammate Ayanna Austin has achieved in tumbling and double-mini trampoline, he will have the chance to compete on an international level.

"A few years ago I didn't even know about T and T and now I'm competing with some of the best kids in the country," Jefferson said. "My goal is to reach elite and make the world championships before the end of my senior year. It's going to take a lot of work, but considering how far I've already come I feel like it's definitely possible."