There is something about the gymnastics' disciplines of tumbling and trampoline that really appeal to spectators.

For that reason as well as others, all eyes at Durham College and UOIT (Ontario Tech University) in Oshawa will be on six representatives of the Sudbury Laurels - Gymzone and their counterparts from across the province as the Ontario T & T Championships wrap up the season for many.

The local tumbling crew includes Brielle Tremblay, Lily Caverly, Hector Loiselle and Isabelle Croteau while the duo of Jacob Costello and coach/athlete Brent Farnsworth carry club hopes on the trampoline.

Bursting on to the scene as a Level 1 trampoline competitor in 2021-2022, Jacob Costello qualified for nationals for the first time this winter, quickly ascending to the Level 5 grouping.

"I've had a massive upgrade in levels," said the 16 year-old grade 11 student at St Benedict Catholic Secondary School. "In March of 2023, my level of difficulty was around 4.90; I'm now at 9.20."

"That's a massive jump."

While greater consistency to his routines was key, so too was the introduction of several new skills in his 10-element performance including a "Rudi-Out" (double front flip with 1.5 twists) and a "Half-Half" (double back flip with a half twist on both first and second flip).

While the former took longer than the latter to master, both were developed quite gradually, following a pathway that offers a tried and true methodology. "There's definitely some builders that you can do, building up to a skill," explained Costello.

"We can go off the trampoline to the foam pit or one of the big mats (until full rotation is achieved)."

Though he looks at provincials as something of a test run to his upcoming debut at nationals (Gatineau - June 6th to the 9th), Costello suggested that he is feeling "pretty confident" heading into the weekend.

"I've been working on it for a while now and I feel ready to compete."

It really will come down to the very start of his routine, in all likelihood.

"The Rudi-Out and Back Pike are the first two skills," said Costello. "If I do those badly, I will be going all over the place (on the trampoline) for the whole routine. I just have to slow it down in my mind and mentally, I say: set now, hold, hold, hold, twist - and the big block, kick out."

Like Costello, Isabelle Croteau did not take to competitive gymnastics until her teenage years. Unlike many of the competitors she will face this weekend in the Level 1 - Age 15+ bracket, the grade nine student at Sacré-Coeur did not move to tumbling from a background in women's artistic gymnastics.

"I was a dancer when I was little but I wasn't very good," said Croteau, a native Torontonian who moved to Sudbury some seven years ago. "Out of the blue, I wanted to do gymnastics and I decided on tumbling."

"I thought that I wanted to move my body like that; it just looked really fun to do."

With her sights set on the jump to Level 2 next year, Croteau has been thrilled with just how much she has improved this year, a function of both physical and mental development in her case.

"I've been trying more new skills," she said. "I'm not so scared to try new skills anymore. I just go with the flow now. I think I am getting stronger in my legs (causing her back tucks to soar). I do legs at home wiht my dad - we have a home gym."

"I've been working the legs a lot."

And with any luck at all, everything will fall in place as the Laurels look to close out the year with a bang.