Super Kid: Nani Vercruyssen

Written by Malika Dudley - mdudley@kgmb9.com

April 10, 2008 08:17 AM

"Hi, I'm Nani Vercruyssen, I'm 16 years old, I go to Roosevelt High School, and I'm an elite trampolinist."

When most teenagers are still snug in their beds, Nani is up and at 'em. She starts her day by running the hill outside her home in St. Louis, 365 times a year, and has been for the past seven years.

"The hill is critical in her training because it defines her discipline. It's required by her coach to show that she's making the necessary commitments to be an elite athlete," says her father and coach Dr. Max Vercruyssen. "If she doesn't perform that token expression of her discipline, then I don't coach her.

"There's a big difference between what she does with me as her father, and what she does with me as her coach... When she's in the gym, she recognizes you get what you train for... At the elite level, you commit your life to it."

She certainly puts in the time, 25-30 hours of training a week, and it's paid off. Nani is a nine-time national champion and three-time age-group world champion. But it doesn't come without sacrifice.

"Just trying to fit a teen life with going to the mall, going shopping, having no schedule," she says. "But I think its worth it no matter what because of the experiences that I've gotten out of this sport."

In addition to her training schedule, she fits in events like performing at the Pro Bowl half-time show, finds the time to be a varsity cheerleader for Roosevelt High School, is one of the only athletes at the elite level that actually goes to school and coaches trampoline, something she really enjoys. "When the kids get new skills you see their expression and you're like I taught that to them... Yay!"

This 16-year old has some big decisions ahead of her. In the next world championship in Russia, she's been given permission to compete at the senior level.

"No more competing with your own age group. It's competing with the people in the Guinness Book of World Records, it's competing against the Olympic gold medalists. She's ready for that."

And after that, it could be the 2012 Olympics in London.

It's a dream that Nani has worked for her whole life. "You can't stop working hard because all the other countries, like Russia and China, they're always working harder, and so you have to work just as hard to be able to be at the same level as them."

So what makes Nani special?

"Nani is all heart. She's the Seabiscuit, she's the dark horse that comes from behind, because she engages in something and keeps going until she is successful. She's the conquering hero," says Dr. Max Vercruyssen. "So I hope she serves as this model of how dream as high as you can and go for it because there's a lot of Super Kids in Hawaii. She's just one of them."

For Nani to be in the Olympics, she must raise $260,000 for training camps around the world and competition fees to qualify. If you would like to help sponsor Nani's effort to be in the Olympics, you can make your tax deductible donation to Hawaii Academy or Hawaii Academy Booster Club (Nani’s Travel Fund). For more information, contact Shawna Northrop, Development Department Interim Chair, or Donna Mah, Academy Associate Director, at the Hawaii Academy, 842-5642.

Hawaii Academy
1314 Mo’onui Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Voice: 808.842-5642 Fax: 808.841-2564
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Webpage: www.hawaiiacademy.com

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