Lichtenstein's trampoline career soars

There he goes, soaring through the air, twisting and turning his muscled 5-foot-8, 140-pound frame.

He has great precision, great care for his 60-second routine. James Lichtenstein performs daredevil moves, often reaching 20 feet in the air after springing from his 7-foot-by-14-foot base.

And then he does it again. And again.

The Stevenson sophomore will keep practicing his sport-of-choice, trampoline, at least twice a week, or maybe three times for the next few weeks, at the 5 Star Academy training center in Ringwood.

It's about an hour drive from his home in Buffalo Grove, and the reward for his hours of weekly practices and weight training will, he hopes, be awarded next month in Nice, France, of all places.

That's when Lichtenstein will participate for the second year in a row in the annual World Championships/International Age Group Championships, running from Nov. 11-19.

“I started in recreational gymnastics at (age) 5 and liked it, Lichtenstein said.

At age 8, he was asked to be on select age-group gymnastics team, and he started competing in artistic gymnastics.

“My favorite part of it was when we'd jump on the trampoline, he said. “And then I found out it was a separate sport all together. So I went to a gym to check it out.

He switched to trampoline at 11, and “I've loved it ever since, he said.

Now 15, Lichtenstein is one of the best in the U.S. When the 2010 World Age Group Championships (WAGC) Team Rankings came out in early August, Lichtenstein was ranked sixth in trampoline for boys ages 15-16 and ranked No. 1 in double-mini for his age group.

“I'm honored to be representing my country at a world competition, said Lichtenstein, who competed on the same world stage last year in St. Petersburg, Russia. “I made the team last year, so I was kind of expecting to make it again. But I'm sure it'll hit me more when I actually get there.

“The 2009 event in Russia was kind of interesting ... to see how they live. It was cool to see the sights over there.

Lichtenstein competed in August in the annual Visa Championships, held at the Chase Arena in Hartford, Conn. The Visa Championships are a national event in which the top gymnasts from the U.S. competed for a spot on the U.S. team to compete in France.

This year's Visa Championships featured various disciplines of gymnastics, including trampoline.

Lichtenstein placed fifth with 31.9 points. Jeremy Cooper of the California-based Skysurfers trampoline Club won Lichtenstein's Junior Elite-Male division with 34.2 points.

Lichtenstein, a high honors student at Stevenson, dreams of showcasing his skills at the 2016 Summer Olympics one of the reasons he was cheering for Chicago to win the bid that ultimately went to Rio de Janeiro.

And someday he also wants to set the world record for highest degree of difficulty in a trampoline routine. But that, he knows, is years away from achieving, if ever. The most difficult skill he's done to date ranks a 2.2. The world record is 18.8.

So is he nervous?

“Sometimes when I'm trying to do tricks, said Lichtenstein, whose routines just sound tricky, dangerous and risky.

His best has been a “triple front in the pike position, with a half twist at the end.

And, yes, he said it's very difficult.

But also “really fun, he said.

Lichtenstein showcased his skill to the Stevenson sophomores earlier this year at an assembly for classmates which featured a video of him on the trampoline.

“The reaction from those watching was a consensus, “That was awesome; I wish I could do that, Lichtenstein said. “Yeah, it's cool what I do since everyone thinks it's cool that I can do all those flips.