Gluckstein Brothers Soar to Top Finishes at USA Trampoline Championships

Steven Gluckstein did not have high expectations for the 2015 gymnastics season after he broke his arm in late October.
But the 24-year-old Olympic gymnast overcame four months of rehabilitation to place first overall on the trampoline at the 2015 USA Gymnastics Championships last week in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Atlantic Highlands native snatched the national title with a score of 160.785 in a close battle that left him just 2.29 points ahead of the fourth place finisher, his brother Jeffrey Gluckstein, 22.
“My expectations weren’t as high, so I kind of had a laid back mindset coming into this competition, and I think that also attributed to my victory,” Steven Gluckstein said.
Despite the occasional bickering, training with and competing against his brother is an advantage for Steven.
“As we get older there’s less bickering, there’s less fighting … and we understand that trying to beat the other person is actually bettering them…” Steven said. “I don’t think I could be where I’m at without having trained (with) my brother.”
With only five months to prepare for the national competition, Steven returned to training with his brother and the rest of the Elite Trampoline Academy (ETA) team in February.
Steven’s unlikely victory at nationals stands as a testament to his intense work ethic in the gym and in contrast to Jeffrey’s natural talent.
Russian trampoline star and 1996 individual world champion Tatiana Kovaleva coaches the Glucksteins at her gym Elite Trampoline Academy (ETA) in Middletown, New Jersey. She noted that the brothers are significantly different competitors.
Kovaleva said Steven was “like a sponge,” learning quickly and displaying a good work ethic from a young age.
“Jeffrey’s complete opposite,” she said. “He’s just a pure talent where he gets everything quite easy, but he doesn’t understand the commitment or hard work, discipline and self-coaching.”
Despite their competitive differences, the Gluckstein brothers are both fueled by a mutual love for the unique sport.
Jeffrey said he loves “the gracefulness you need and the patience” that comes with training and jumping. Similarly Steven said he loves “the feeling of being weightless and floating” that only trampoline gives.
On a typical day Steven and Jeffrey wake up at 8 a.m. and eat breakfast before reporting to ETA for training from noon until 2:30 p.m.
After their first training session, the brothers do cross-fit for an hour and eat lunch. Then they coach children’s trampoline classes at ETA for two and a half hours, and return to the trampoline for more training from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
After training Steven and Jeffrey return home, eat dinner, spend a couple hours hanging out before bed, and repeat the next morning.
Steven got a rare day off this past Monday, and Jeffrey got an even rarer week off. The two took the time to reset after the weeklong championship.
Even on his day off, Steven took a Pilates class and a bike ride to keep conditioned for the upcoming Pan American Games in Toronto on July 10.
“I am and I am not soaking (my national title) in,” Steven said. “… But I don’t want to distract myself too much and let my guard down because there’s still a lot of work to be done in the next two weeks.”