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MSUCOM Student Head Over Heels

April 1, 2003

First-year MSUCOM student Josh Vance and his teammate, MSU student Keith Douglas, recently won a bronze medal in synchronized trampoline at the Canada Cup in Oakville, Ontario. Read more about Vance and the sport of trampoline gymnastics.

EAST LANSING - Even if Josh Vance isn’t at the top of his class, he can always jump over them.

The first-year MSUCOM student has been working hard to earn his osteopathic degree, but he’s working just as hard at his other passion: trampoline gymnastics.

Trampoline gymnastics is similar to regular gymnastics in that athletes complete choreographed routines and are judged on the difficulty and execution of certain skills. The difference is that trampoline gymnasts perform their routines at heights as much as 30 feet off the ground.

Vance first became interested in trampoline several years ago when a neighbor who owned a local gym introduced him to the sport. He was hooked immediately, and very soon began training at a competitive level. He has since gone on to compete at national and world championships and is currently on the U.S. national team in the trampoline and double-mini events.


Vance is currently ranked fourth in the nation on the trampoline but believes that he can do better. “I was a little disappointed in my finish at the last meet,” he says. He recently went up against some very tough competition at the Canada Cup in Oakville, Ontario, on April 4. Vance and his teammate Keith Douglas won a bronze medal in synchronized trampoline event.

(l. to r.) Josh Vance, his coach George Drew, D.O., and teammate Keith Douglas, an MSU undergraduate student.

Vance credits much of his success to George Drew, D.O. Not only did Dr. Drew encourage Vance in his pursuit of an osteopathic degree, he is also his gymnastics coach. At the same time he helped Vance work on his routines, he was helping him get into medical school.

“We spent 50 percent of his time working on gymnastics and 50 percent working on Josh’s academic goals,” said Dr. Drew, who holds a faculty position through the College of Human Medicine. He helped Vance with his application and interview techniques, while honing his skills on the trampoline. The work paid off. Josh was accepted at MSUCOM and in the same year he represented the U.S. at the World Championships.

Dr. Drew emphasizes that trampoline is a demanding sport, both physically and mentally. Athletes train long hours perfecting their complicated moves, and must also have a quick mind in order to adjust their bodies in mid-air.

The sport is extremely popular in Europe, and at one time was just as big in America. The threat of lawsuits over backyard accidents hurt trampoline in the past, but it is enjoying a resurgence since becoming an Olympic sport at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

Vance – who lives in East Lansing, but commutes to Grand Rapids everyday for training – has his eye on the next Olympics in Athens, but he knows he’ll have to work extremely hard to get there. Only one male and one female athlete per country can qualify.
Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
A306 East Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1316
Updated July 14, 2008
E-mail: web@com.msu.edu