Photo by © Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

Canada’s Jason Burnett (silver), USA’s Chris Estrada (gold), USA’s Ryan Weston (bronze)

“The Pan Am Games have been a great experience and it’s been really fun to compete here,” Estrada said. “After my final routine, I just waited and watched for the scores to come. When I realized I won, I was happy because I went in to finals to impress the judges and was able to do it. This is a totally different atmosphere with the international competition and it was good to feel the pressure. This is really going to help me be prepared going in to World Championships.”

Estrada earned a score of 38.80, 0.2 points ahead of silver-medalist Jason Burnett of Canada, who posted a 38.60. Weston’s 37.30 earned him the bronze medal.

“Today, (coach) Dmitri (Poliaroush) said, ‘You need to go for it, you have nothing to lose,’ so I did, and I did a pretty a pretty good routine,” Weston said. “I decided I didn’t need to hold back and it went a lot better for me today. I still feel like I have some technical things that I need to work on, so I’m definitely going to go back home and work on those things so I can up my performance score, which is where I’m getting hurt a lot—in the performance of my optional (routine).”

2004 Olympic silver-medalist Karen Cockburn of Canada won the women’s trampoline title with a score of 37.50, one point ahead of teammate Rosannagh MacLennan, who won the silver medal with a score of 36.50. Brazil’s Giovanna Matheus rounded out the medalists, claiming bronze at 34.30. Alaina Williams of Amarillo, Texas, just missed medaling with a fourth-place finish at 33.70, while Brittany Dircks of Orland Park, Ill., was seventh with a score of 21.70.

“I think I did pretty well, but you can always do better,” Williams said of her performance. “It was cool getting to compete with the crowd around in such a big venue. It’s new, it’s different and it was really fun. It definitely gives me some confidence because it’s something I’m not used to and next time I go to a competition, I can use it to be a little more prepared.”

“In finals, I was pretty nervous and I didn’t do as well as I could have,” Dircks said. “But the overall experience was good because there was a lot of pressure and it was a good experience being out here and seeing different crowds and different people. The crowd was really loud and it was good to experience that because I’m sure that’s how most World Championships and Olympic Games are. It gave me goosebumps every time I went out onto the floor.”

This year marks the first time that trampoline has been included in the Pan American Games since 1959. Each athlete performed one voluntary routine in the final round. Yesterday’s preliminary round determined the starting order for today’s finals.

“Overall since I have been in Rio, it has been a good experience and it’s amazing to see how many people at the village come together to run this event,” Estrada said. “It has been great to meet tons of new people and I was involved in a group with a lot of support. The best part of our event was the crowd support.”

“This was a huge honor, not only for me to be able to compete at the Pan American Games, but for the sport of trampoline finally to be here,” Weston said of trampoline’s inclusion in the Pan Am Games. “It’s been awesome hanging out with the whole U.S. Team and to see them compete, and for them to support us and for us to support them in their competitions. Anytime you can go out and compete at a competition this big, and do well, is a huge psychological boost.”

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, and acrobatic gymnastics. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.

2007 Pan American Games
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
July 28, 2007
Final round

Men’s results
1. Chris Estrada, USA, 38.80
2. Jason Burnett, Canada, 38.60
3. Ryan Weston, USA, 37.30
4. Bryan Milonja, Canada, 36.50
5. Carlos Pala, Brazil, 35.20
6. Dario Arias, Argentina, 27.40
7. Ramses Zavala, Mexico, 24.60
8. Rafael Andrade, Brazil, 7.80

Women’s results
1. Karen Cockburn, Canada, 37.50
2. Rosannagh MacLennan, Canada, 36.50
3. Giovanna Matheus, Brazil, 34.30
4. Alaina Williams, USA, 33.70
5. Nadia Solis, Mexico, 32.40
6. Veronica Lorenzo, Argentina, 30.70
7. Brittany Dircks, USA, 21.70
8. Bruna Garambone, Brazil, 4.40