Sunderland pupil bounces his way into National Schools’ Trampolining finals

Finley Jones has learning disabilities which have resulted in him having difficulties with his memory retention which makes it more challenging for him to recall all the different moves in his trampoline routine.

Despite this, Finley has made it through to the British Schools Gymnastics Association’s National Finals where he will be competing against other children and youngsters with learning disabilities.

Finley has taken his pace in the finals after his repertoire of tucks, somersaults and back-flips saw him take second place in the regional heat in Billingham, before coming third in the semi-finals which were held in Salford.

He said: “I’m really excited about getting to the finals and it is amazing to get to the nationals. I am really proud to have got my silver medal in the qualifiers and my trophy from the semi-final.

"I am going to be the youngest in the final and so hopefully I can go one better and get a gold medal.”

Finley took up trampolining when he was in pre-school and joined AAA Sports, a gymnastics club based in Southwick.

He said: “I love trampolining and have done it since I was little. My favourite moves are somersaults and back-flips.”

Finley’s family and school are both proud of his fantastic achievement in making the national finals.

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Dad, David Jones, said: “Finley struggles with his memory and so he has worked very hard with his coaches to make sure he was able to remember his routine. The routine actually includes 10 different moves and there has been a lot of repetition over a long period of time to make sure Finley completed it.

"Both we as his family and the school are extremely proud of Finley. He is a happy and positive boy who tackles everything with a smile on his face.”

Finley’s class teacher Megan Reed added: “This is the first competition Finley has taken part in and we are so proud of his achievements. He is such a hardworking and positive boy.”

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