Jumpers at the South East Regional Championships 2024
Find out how your team has achieved at the South East Regional Championships 2024.
Our Story
A heritage of over 30 years
The Gillingham Jumpers Trampoline Club was founded on 7th November 1979 with four coaches. Since then the club has introduced many new bouncers to trampolining and has produced competitors from County, regional and National Champions through to the 2004 Olympic Finalist Gary Smith.
Over the years our success began to snowball. Over the following decade Zoe Finn, Samantha Vandome, Ben Colgate, Rebecca Jefford took medals at World Age Games in both individual and synchronsied events.
In 1998, a new breed of international performers earned their wings, in the form of Katherine Driscoll and Gary Smith: They represented their country at the Australian World Age Games extremely well and came back with valuable experience to help them push towards future international stardom.
1999 showed a rise in Gillingham Jumpers Impact when we had a team of 5 Gillingham Jumpers selected to represent their country at the South African World Age Games: Gary Smith, Matthew Swaffer, Dominic Swaffer, Katherine Driscoll and Natalie O Connor. Gary went on to represent GB at a senior level.
2004 will always be a very special year for Gillingham Jumpers and Great Britain in terms of trampoline, as it was this year in which Gillingham’s own Gary Smith competed and finalled in the Athens Olympic Games. Years and years of hard work and determination helped Gary to achieve his 7th place.
2008 came along and with it the European Championships in Odense. Jumpers had a team of 8 selected, 4 from Senior and 4 from Junior. (Matthew and Dominic Swaffer, Jason Plowman, Coreen John, Thomas Foreman, Mark Pennell, Adeva Bryan and Robyn Osborne)
2009 saw a team of 5 people travel to Russia to take part in the World Championships in Russia with 2 more selected for the World Age Group Games. (Senior – Matthew and Dominic Swaffer, Jason Plowman, Adeva Bryan and Robyn Osborne – Junior – Daina Rose and Georgina Varley) Daina Rose competed in Trampoline Individual and Synchronised, gaining a silver medal with her synchro partner Louise Whitters from East Kilbride.
2010 had not only a European Championships in Bulgaria but a World Championships in France. Jumper’s members selected included Matthew Swaffer, Robyn Osborne, Coreen John, Daina Rose, Rhys Gray and Jess Smith. Of all these people, extremely notable performances include Robyn Osborne achieving a European Silver Medal and Rhys Gray achieving a European Bronze Medal.
The Club has also achieved international recognition with two world record holders, one of which is still held to this day (number of somersaults in one minute – 84 by Dominic Swaffer on Record Breakers).
One thing which has not changed over the years is the passion, time and dedication which members and coaches have put into the sport. All of our qualified coaches have continued to work on a voluntary basis, to ensure that costs are kept down, and to enable the sport to be made available to all.
The Club grew so large, it was not able to meet normal training and competition needs at the old Black Lion site. The need became obvious, we needed a place of our own, a place to call home and dedicate to the sport. In 1995 the club made a successful application for National Lottery Funds and won a lottery grant of more than £700,000. This grant, together with all other monies, enabled it to build the very first purpose-built centre in Europe at a cost of over £1.2m. and moved into our own custom centre – the Largest in Europe at the time! The new Jumpers Rebound Centre boasted 15 Trampolines, 2 Double Mini Trampolines, A Skakun Original Tumble Track and a Foam Pit.
The Rebound Centre is now open seven days a week. It has C.A.S.C – Community amateur sports Club and Club Mark. It’s not only the headquarters of the Gillingham Jumpers.