Utah teen will represent Team USA in trampoline and tumbling in China

OREM — When Kaysen Maag heads to China in November, he'll be one of about a dozen Utah athletes representing Team USA on the international tumbling and trampoline stage. It's an opportunity he's worked toward for years, and one that seemed uncertain just a few months ago after a broken wrist sidelined him from competition.

Inside Utah Valley Trampoline and Tumbling in Orem, Maag's preparation is already underway. Every movement has a purpose — from the stretching and handstands that begin practice to the high-flying routines that follow.

"When you're about to run full speed at a target, the preparation is key," Maag said as he trained.

The national team member is entering his sixth year in the sport, but his love of trampolines began long before he ever walked into a gym.

"I was jumping on the trampoline ever since I was a little kid," Maag said.

Home videos show a young Maag bouncing in his backyard, unaware that those early jumps would eventually lead him to international gymnastics competition.

Six years ago, Maag first visited Utah Valley Trampoline and Tumbling with friends. Coach Andy Bryner immediately noticed something special.

"I had kind of noticed his talent," Bryner recalled.

Making the transition from backyard fun to elite-level training wasn't easy. Maag said learning structured routines and precise techniques tested his patience.

"I would say frustrating a little bit. I'm going from free to whatever I want, to tight skills that I've never done," he said.

Still, he continued to improve, mastering increasingly difficult skills and earning opportunities to compete at higher levels.

Then came a setback.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Maag suffered a broken wrist — an injury that forced him to miss an international invitation he had worked years to earn.

"It was the day I got that invitation that I got that injury, so it was pretty rough on me," Maag said.

The injury temporarily put years of progress on hold as he focused on recovery. But coaches say his determination never wavered.

Now fully healed and back in the gym, Maag is once again preparing to compete against some of the best athletes in the world.

Bryner believes his athlete is ready.

"Very hard worker, loyal and motivated to his craft, which is why he does so well at it," Bryner said. "He comes to the gym and works really, really hard every day."

For Maag, success comes down to mindset as much as talent.

"You've got to be aggressive with everything or you're not going to be where you want to be," he said.

That focus is evident throughout every training session. Yet despite the pressure of elite competition, Maag still enjoys the excitement that first drew him to the sport.

"Oh, it's thrilling," he said with a smile.

As practice winds down, he returns to some of the basics that sparked his passion years ago, finding joy in the feeling of flight while sharpening the skills he'll need on the world stage.

This will be Maag's second time competing outside the United States, and with Team USA waiting for him in China, coaches believe his name won't be the last to appear on an international roster.

For now, the Orem athlete's attention is fixed on November and the opportunity ahead — an opportunity that looked uncertain just months ago, but one he's now ready to seize.

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