By Daniel Gibson
Action photo by Ron Wyatt
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Logan Dooley is one of those special individuals who seems to know their talent and calling from birth.

"As my parents tell it, from the minute I was born, I was in 'perpetual motion,'" said Dooley, one of the country's leading trampoline gymnasts. "Jumping on beds was my favorite activity and jumping from high places was a natural instinct for me."

It didn't take Dooley much time to realize how much he enjoyed tumbling and jumping from high elevations. While he was having fun, his parents were more concerned about finding a place for him to channel his energy and possibly build on his natural talents.

"My parents finally decided that my jumping impulses needed to be channeled, so they gave me a backyard trampoline for my seventh birthday and I loved it," said Dooley.

Dooley would spend hours jumping and flipping on the trampoline and before long he was attempting double flips. Looking back on that time, Dooley uses the term "natural high" to explain the state of euphoria he was in while doing what he loved for hours. Once again his parents stepped in and decided to get him something else that would assist his development, a coach.

"My parents figured they'd better find someone who could teach me the correct way to do it," said Dooley. "That's when I met Coach Robert Null, who has patiently coached and encouraged me all these years."

Dooley had the raw talent and energy and was matched up with a coach who was able to teach him the fundamentals and techniques necessary to compete at a high level, but his inexperience showed.

"In my very first trampoline competition, I'd had no experience with regard to 'the salute' so when the superior judge raised her hand to give me the signal to begin, I raised my hand and waved back at her," said Dooley. "I had no idea why everyone was laughing."

Dooley continued to practice and learn from coach Null while progressing physically and mentally. The degrees of difficulty in Dooley's routines continued to increase and so did his training program.

"My current training regimen is on the trampoline at World Elite Gymnastics for four hours a day, five days a week," said Dooley. "In addition to the official training, I also have a conditioning regimen three times a week at Sports Performance Academy in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. As members of the U.S. Trampoline National Team, we also participate in rigorous training camps at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at the Karoyli Ranch, a new U.S. Olympic Training site located outside of Houston, Texas."

Dooley's dedication and hard work in gymnastics has caused him to put other goals on hold. After two years in college, he decided to take time off to fully prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games by living at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was selected as an alternate for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. While Dooley does intend to go back to school and earn his degree one day, his decision to pursue his trampoline dreams full time has paid off.

"Becoming the first American to win a World Cup in trampoline was one of the most exciting accomplishments thus far in my career and going to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as the alternate athlete is definitely among my best memories," said Dooley. The next big event on Dooley's radar is the 2012 Olympic Games.

Dooley also enjoys eating Mexican food and listening to Blink 182, among other recording artists. His iPod is filled with music ranging from "country to rock and everything in between." During his down time Dooley enjoys hanging out and the Southern California scenery.

"When I'm not in the gym, the beach is my favorite place to spend time depending on my mood," said Dooley. The fresh sea breeze, warm sunshine, and soft sandy beaches along the steep cliff coastlines of Southern California can be either therapeutically relaxing or physically exhilarating."

Dooley also spends time helping out any way he can with different charities and organizations. He has a special interest in The Prentice School, which is an independent, non-profit school that Dooley describes as "dedicated to empowering students with dyslexia to build their foundation for success." Dyslexia is a disorder that makes learning to read, interpreting words, and speaking difficult. Dooley has dyslexia but he has worked hard to overcome it and has not let it slow him down. He takes special interest in supporting the Prentice School and helping others deal with dyslexia as well.

"I have participated as a guest speaker in the classroom, at their leadership conferences, and at fundraising events," said Dooley, "to 'give back' to the Prentice School and to try to inspire their students and teachers to be vigilant in their quest to cope with the challenges of dyslexia."