Canadian trampoline athletes ready to compete for Olympic spots

Qualifying for the Rio Olympics next summer will be the focus for Canadians when they compete at the world trampoline gymnastics championships in November.

Gymnastics Canada announced the team that will be competing in Odense, Denmark from Nov. 26-29, on Thursday.

A total of 25 athletes will be led by defending Olympic gold medallist Rosie MacLennan, who also captured the Pan Am title in Toronto this past summer.

Olympic and Pan Am medallists Karen Cockburn and Jason Burnett will also be heading to Denmark.

This is the first of two qualifying chances for Canadians to secure berths at the 2016 Olympics.

Olympic qualification process

The top eight men and top eight women at the world championships will lock up Olympic berths.

Athletes ranked ninth to 24th will have another opportunity at the Olympic test event in Rio next April.

The top five men and five women at that event will move on to the Olympics. Any remaining spots will be awarded after the test event.

"I'm confident that we have all the current elements in our team to qualify two women for the Olympics in trampoline for the fourth time in a row and we are hoping to qualify one man at these championships without having to wait until the test event in April to do so," said Stephan Duchesne, High Performance Director for Trampoline Gymnastics.

"We also have very strong medal chances with our teams in women's trampoline and women's and men's double mini-trampoline. Qualifying for the World Games in tumbling, double mini-trampoline and synchronized trampoline will be a real thrill for these athletes as it's their equivalent to the Olympic Games."

Canada's roster for world championships

Trampoline — Women

• Rosannagh MacLennan, Toronto
• Karen Cockburn, Toronto
• Samantha Sendel, Aurora, Ont.
• Samantha Smith, Richmond Hill, Ont. 

Trampoline — Men

• Jason Burnett, Toronto
• Keegan Soehn, Red Deer, Alta.
• Kyle Soehn, Red Deer, Alta.
• Trevor Stirling, Kelowna, B.C.

Synchronized Trampoline — Women

• Rosannagh MacLennan, Samantha Sendel

Synchronized Trampoline — Men

• Keegan Soehn, Kyle Soehn

Tumbling — Women 

• Jordan Sugrim, Mississauga, Ont. 
• Raphaëlle Villotte, Saint-Lambert, Que.
• Erin Templeton, Regina

Tumbling — Men​

• Jonathon Schwaiger, Calgary
• Nicholas Jackson, Cambridge, Ont.
• Michael Chaves, Mississauga, Ont.
• Dakwan Henry, Mississauga, Ont.
• David Findlay, Hamilton, Ont.

Double Mini-Trampoline — Women

• Tamara O'Brien, Coquitlam, B.C.
• Danielle Gruber, Kelowna, B.C.
• Karine Dufour, Laval, Que.
• Arden Oh, Calgary, Alta. 
• Jordyn Miller-Burko, Toronto 

Double Mini-Trampoline — Men

• Jonathon Schwaiger, Calgary
• Denis Vachon, Hamilton, Ont.
• Kyle Carragher, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
• Douglas Armstrong, Surrey, B.C.
• Colton Kent, Calgary