Dance, Climb, Bounce

You’ve watched Michael Phelps swim countless laps, Simon Biles twist and fly through the air and Usain Bolt, well, bolt down the track. But this July and August, as you tune in to the 2024 Summer Olympics, we encourage you to also pay attention to a few sports you might not even realize are Olympic sports. We’re talking about breaking (breakdancing), sport climbing (rock climbing) and trampolining.

We reached out to local experts to learn about each sport and what we should watch for this summer. First, here’s a quick overview.

Breaking 

Breakdancing began right nearby in the Bronx during the 1970s. According to the Olympic Games’ website, it’s believed to have originated at “lively block parties” and is known for its acrobatic movements, stylized footwork and its DJs, who serve as the master of ceremonies (MCs) during battles.

Debuting at this summer’s Olympics, there will be two events: B-Boys and B-Girls, which are terms used to describe male and female breakdancers. Each event will have 16 competitors. Athletes perform solo, improvising to the DJ’s beat while hoping to impress the judges with their skill and style. 

Sport climbing

Climbing made its debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and it’s presented in three forms: bouldering, speed and lead. In bouldering, climbers face a series of problems (each set is unique) on a 4.5-meter wall; their goal is to complete the climb (called a boulder) in as few attempts as possible and without a rope. Speed climbers are in a race to the top of an identical 15-meter wall. Finally, lead climbing is a combination of the two. Competitors have six minutes to climb as high as they can up a 15-meter wall; they must use a rope, and they’re required to clip into carabiners along the way. 

Trampolining

Trampolining first appeared at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The Olympics feature two individual trampoline events (men’s and women’s). The athletes bounce over eight meters high as they perform a series of 10 consecutive moves. These moves are a combination of twists, bounces and somersaults, and each is scored according to their difficulty, execution and time spent in the air.

Getting to know the newest Olympic sport: Breaking

For B-Boys and B-Girls to perform their complicated movements, they need to be in top shape. Their training generally consists of dancing, conditioning and aerobic exercise, along with a healthy diet.

Andrew Carter, a B-Boy and hip-hop instructor at The Pulse in Bedford Hills who is known as “Dr. Ew,” says breaking is a lifestyle. 

“It’s an element of hip-hop; you have to be embraced with hip-hop culture,” he says. “When I wake up, I wake up a B-Boy,I have to be fresh. I have to get ready, no matter what. If music is playing and there’s space, I’ll try something in front of anybody.”

Dr. Ew says you can start breaking at any age, “as long as you have a fire and desire towards dance.”

“People are often drawn to it because it’s a sport that involves music,” he says. “It is an actual battle, and you’re seeing people go against each other skill set to skill set. I’ve been versatile in a variety of dance styles, and for me personally, I can say that breaking is probably the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. There’s just another level that you need; you need a mentality.”

“It’s really incredible to see what the human body is capable of,” he continues.” And I feel like, out of all the sports, this is the sport that’s really going to showcase that.”

What you should look for at the Olympics

“You’re probably going to see some spinning world records,” says Dr. Ew. “And not just on the  head or just one movement. You might see someone spinning on their head, transferring to spin on their elbow, pushing up to spin on their hands, falling back down to spin on their back and then jumping to thread through their leg. And what makes it even more magical is that they’ll be on the beat.”

“I think people are gonna go on a trip,” he continues, “Once you realize that the human body is capable of moving that way and at that speed, you’re going to see a lot of fast movements, and you’re going to see a lot of things that you didn’t even think were humanly possible.”

Dr. Ew even gave us someone to root for: his friend and Queens resident, Sunny Choi. 

“What I hope is that the youth, and also parents, take this a little more seriously and notice that kids could have a future with this dance.”

Flips and twists several stories high

Here’s one you can relate to—trampolining. But unlike the one in your or your friend’s backyard, an Olympic trampoline has a few specific regulations. It must be 16 feet, 6 inches long and 9 feet, 5 inches wide, with 26–33 feet between the bounce mat and the ceiling. Why such a high height clearance?

“Because at some of the highest levels, they’ll jump 25, 26, 27 feet high,” says Don Dinh, a coach and co-owner of USA Trampoline & Tumbling Academy in Mystic, CT. “So basically, they’re jumping almost three stories high.”

To jump this high and flip, twist and turn in the air, trampolinists must train and prepare both in and out of the gym with conditioning, weight training, diet and exercise. 

“Olympians are usually in their 20s to 30s because it takes about 10 to 15 years to become an elite gymnast,” explains Penelope Knowles, also a coach and co-owner of USA Trampoline & Tumbling Academy.

Dinh and Knowles say that many begin the sport to learn more about their bodies, and athletes in sports like cheerleading, snowboarding and martial arts cross-train, learning how to flip on the trampoline before they take it to the floor.

What you should look for at the Olympics 

Since its debut in Sydney, trampolining has become more popular. During competition, the trampolinist must perform 10 unique moves without any pauses in between.

“Each move must be distinct,” Dinh explains. “You have to lay down 10 different moves, and each move is scored out of one. So you would score a 10.0 for a perfect routine, but that’s rare; that almost never happens. People can get high nines. And if you mess up and only do eight moves, then the highest you could get would be an 8.0, assuming you have no more deductions.”

“The execution judges watch how pretty your routine is,” he continues. “If your feet are flexed and not pointed, if your feet are apart, if your knees are bent when they’re not supposed to be, they deduct points. It is slightly subjective because every judge has their own idea of what’s pretty.”

If you can’t keep all those details straight, then just pay attention to each country’s style.

“We can learn a lot from other countries,” says Knowles. “Specifically, China, Russia, Belarus and Canada are amazing; France, Japan and Brazil are rising stars in this sport.” 

So when you tune in to the Olympics this July, keep your eyes peeled for breaking, sport climbing and trampolining. Now that you understand the basics, they’ll be much more fun to watch. And maybe they’ll even lead to a new hobby.

Climbing the walls

Athletes competing at sport climbing’s highest level often begin climbing around age five. They train, follow a healthy diet and work to be ready for anything. Since climbing is so physically demanding, they also do weight training and conditioning. 

“Most athletes practice climbing three to five days a week, and they’ll probably cross-train two to four days out of the week,” says Tyler Gadigian, head of competitive programming at Movement Valhalla. “And almost everybody has a dedicated rest day. But it really depends on the person—what the individual can tolerate and what their ambitions are.”

Aside from having to train their bodies and technical ability, Gadigan says these climbers are in “total problem-solving mode” while they’re up on that wall. Competitive climbers aren’t given the route ahead of time, so they are required to figure out how to climb the wall in a way that is best suited for their climbing style and musculature while they are on the course. They must be quick, smart and calm in their decisions.  

“Climbing is great for any person at any age,” says Gadigan. “You get to work on problem-solving skills while getting into better physical shape. You can engage with it how you’d like; it has everything from what feels like going up a staircase or climbing a ladder to Olympic-level difficulty. And it’s a very social sport because you are problem-solving with the people next to you. It’s a great community of very friendly people who are always open to taking in new climbers.”

What you should look for at the Olympics

Gadigian wants you to try to understand what the athletes are doing and thinking on the wall. Putting yourself in their shoes (or, in this case, their carabiners) will give you a good perspective on how difficult this sport truly is. 

“In addition to just the physical side of climbing, which is extremely difficult, think about the mental side of it,” he says. “Climbing requires constant problem solving. With lead climbing, or bouldering, every time they compete on a climb, it’s brand new; they’ve never seen it before. So within their allotted time frame, they need to try to understand what the person who set that climb is getting them to do, if that version is possible for them, or if there is a way they can make it work for their specific climbing style or their anatomy. And trying to keep all that in mind while keeping a cool head and being able to execute within a timeframe is massive.”

“Usually, the difference maker at that highest level is the mental side of the sport,” Gadigan continues. “Because everybody is so physically excellent, the person who has the biggest toolkit and the most control over their mental and emotional state tends to come out on top.”

This article was published in the July/August 2024 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.