Armed with adrenalin, tumbler heads for AAU

ORLANDO -- Derrick Aldrich is an adrenalin junky.

"A lot of times I have to slow him down," says Aldrich's coach, Guy Adsit.

But that hyper-energy will come in handy later this month at the Amateur Athletic Union's Junior Olympic Games in Orlando, where Aldrich's high-flying aerial acrobatics on the trampoline are expected to sweep the competition.

Aldrich is one of 12,000 athletes making their way to Orlando for the two-week event, hailed as the largest amateur event in the country. That's despite the fact that some sports, such as Derrick's -- tumbling -- don't have widespread appeal. Even so, the Central Florida Sports Commission believes the area could get a $31 million boost for the $1.8 million it will cost to host the games.

The payoff for the athletes and their families -- a chance to participate in a national-level competition -- is pricier. Money for coaches, training and travel typically comes from parents or local fund-raising efforts. Derrick's mother, for instance, has taken a part-time job to help support her son's coaching bill and frequent trips to competitions across the nation. And, in addition to the 20 hours spent weekly in the gym, Derrick also maintains a part-time job at Starbuck's to foot part of his bill.

The college-bound athlete -- he graduated from West Orange High School with a 4.08 grade point average -- has had offers of other jobs. He was invited to apply for the Cirque de Soleil, an international circus showcasing acrobatics. But Derrick has declined all offers. Not because he doesn't want it. "I'd love to be a stunt man or get involved with some sort of acrobatic show like at Disney or Cirque de Soleil," he says, "But there is too much liability and risk."

It could jeopardize Derrick's bigger goals: earning a college degree in television production, gaining a spot on the national team and, hopefully, making it to the 2004 Summer Olympics.

By then, the relatively new sport of tumbling may have gained a broader national following: It will be featured in Sydney during the closing gala of the Summer Olympics.

Tumbling and trampoline is likened to an extreme-sport version of gymnastics, with moves such as Derek's signature triple back flip some 40 feet in the air. "He is aggressive enough to try anything," concedes Derrick's mother, Brenda Aldrich. "Sometimes I hold my breath, but when he's done I just say, `Wow.' "