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Another appealing aspect is being able to make friends with players from other teams through the tournament.
"Trampoline Club"

Secretary General Takashi Mizunuma, 4th year student School of Human Sciences

In the trampoline club, we practice trampolining every day, aiming to participate in and win at competitions. When people think of trampolines, many of them think of playground equipment or ones used for weight loss, but we use official trampoline platforms that are bigger and have better bounce than those, and are also used in the Olympics.

Founded in 1967, this student club has quite a long history. To be honest, I don't know the circumstances under which it was founded (laughs). However, there are many former members of the club, and they accompany us to tournaments and regular practice, and we are grateful for their help. Our current coach, Hirofumi Morita (a certified coach of the Japan Gymnastics Association), is also a former member, and under his guidance, we practice mainly in Tokorozawa, with safety in mind.

A group photo with the members who will be competing in the 2023 All Japan Student Trampoline Championships. The championships are scheduled to be held in August 2024, and we are aiming to win both the team championship and individual prizes!

I joined the trampoline club because I wanted to try something new and play a unique sport in college. Since I had no experience in gymnastics, I started by learning the basics, but most students join as complete beginners like me and improve as they practice. If you continue practicing for about six months, you can reach a level where you can participate in competitions. Recently, more and more people with experience in trampoline competitions have joined the club, and beginner members receive advice, and experienced members teach each other to improve their own skills. We have fun practicing, creating a chemistry between each other, and we aim to do well in competitions.

They seem to be watching the jumps of experienced athletes for reference. Beginners will first aim to clear the standards set by the Japan Gymnastics Association based on the training menu adjusted by Coach Morita.

Our biggest goal for the year is to win a prize at the All Japan Student Trampoline Championships held in the summer. We have even won as a team in the past! We also participate in tournaments within Saitama Prefecture and international friendlies, and one of the great joys of competing in tournaments is being able to interact with players from other teams. When we took part in a tournament in Singapore, we had a cultural exchange in English with local players. I think that this kind of lively communication between players is a unique feature of trampoline, a sport that still has a small number of competitors.

Left: At the 2023 international tournament where the team won. Group photo of all participating players.
Photo on the right: Group photo from the 2022 Singapore tour

In order to increase the number of athletes at Waseda, the Trampoline Club is recruiting new members throughout the year, regardless of faculty or year (currently, about 1/4 of student club members are Waseda Campus students!). We are always accepting practice trials, so if you are interested, please feel free to contact us by direct message on our various SNS accounts. Only trampolines can offer the fun of moving your body freely in the air and the tension of giving it your all in a performance that lasts only a few seconds. Why not join the Trampoline Club and have a great summer?

A performance at the 57th East Japan Student Trampoline Championships held on May 26th. The performer, Kawae (1st year, School of Political Science and Economics), joined the club this year as an experienced trampoline athlete. "As this was my first competition as a university student, I was very nervous but happy that I was able to perform the tricks successfully," Kawae said.

[Official student club information]

◆ student club name: Trampoline Club
◆ Group classification: Student Association
◆ student club Founded: 1967
◆ Genre: Other Sports
◆ Activity date and time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 15:00-17:00, Saturday 11:00-13:00
◆ Number of participants: 21 people
◆ Location: Tokorozawa Campus Building No. 105 (Sports Hall), Tokorozawa City practice field
◆ X:@w_trampoline
◆Instagram:@waseda_trampoline