Talk about a lucky bounce. Pamela Clark was just five when she happened to go to a friend’s birthday party where a trampoline was part of the entertainment. Her potential was obvious from the start.

Eight years later, and she can now perform triple somersaults with fancy twists and is rated one of the very best young British prospects. At the age of nine, she won her first British title (at under-11 level) and she is still well ahead of her time. 

This season, she captured the British under-15 Championship and was the top performer in a GB team competing in a major international event in Germany.  

A pupil at Calderglen High School in East Kilbride, 13-year-old Pamela is clearly on the fast track to success, and she is savouring every minute. 

Yes, she has to train for hours and hours every week under the eagle eye of her coach, Olivia Sorbie, but ask her what is the best aspect of trampolining and she enthusiastically replies: “It’s just such great fun and I love being able to go to so many places. 

“I’ve been to Belgium, Prague, Sweden and Canada and it’s lovely to get to see so many different countries. The set-up at East Kilbride is great. We’ve got a really good squad and Olivia is a great coach.”

While trampolining has yet to earn a listing on the Commonwealth Games programme – Pamela hopes it might be added by the time Glasgow 2014 rolls around – it is already an established Olympic sport.   

The one dark cloud hanging over Pamela’s rapid progress is that, according to the current rules, she will be too young to compete in London in 2012. But neither the youngster, nor her coach, has given up hope of a reprieve.

“I’m confident I could have her ready to compete the Olympics in three and half years’ time,” said Olivia. “They say she is too young, but she is already competing in older age-groups and doing exceptionally well.” 

Pamela will be 16 when London hosts the greatest sporting show on earth, and her father, Robert, remains hopeful that the criteria might be changed in time to suit his talented daughter.

“At the moment, she will be eight months too young,” he explained. “But it is just a GB rule and there is a new set-up in British trampolining aimed at producing the best results in London. I’m hopeful Pamela will be given a chance to make the team.”

In the meantime, she is content to try and clean up at British level. Already a member of the GB elite squad, she will attend a training camp in Gillingham this month (January) and her first competition in 2009 will be in Birmingham starting on January 31. 

She also has her first international event ringed on the new calendar – the Flower Cup in Aalsmeer in March.

“I’m lucky because my headmaster – Mr. McDaid – is very good and allows me time away from school to fit in with the competitions,” said Pamela, who showed a talent for a number of sports before concentrating on trampolining.  

“It’s a tough sport and I have had a few injuries. The worst was when I fell off and hurt my shoulder. But I really do enjoy it and it would be fantastic if I could get to the London Olympics.

EB
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