Chris Estrada and Erin Blanchard

BEIJING, Aug. 15, 2008 – Erin Blanchard of Lafayette, La./U.S. Olympic Training Center, and Chris Estrada of Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Olympic Training Center, will compete tomorrow in the trampoline qualification round at the 2008 Olympic Games, held at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Competition begins at 11 a.m. for the women and 12:15 p.m. for the men.

The USA is heading to the Olympic Games in women’s trampoline for the third straight Olympiad and, for the first time, earned a berth in men’s trampoline. The USA qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games based on performances at the 2007 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships in Quebec City, Que. Trampoline made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympic Games, and the U.S. women have not missed an Olympic Games yet.

Estrada has been a member of three World Championships Teams, and Blanchard gained valuable experience at World Cup competitions. The two replacement athletes are Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center, and Alaina Hebert of Broussard, La./U.S. Olympic Training Center.

The top eight men and the top eight women from the qualification round advance to the finals on Aug. 18 for the women and Aug. 19 for the men.