Taylor Clifton and Maddie Fringer have both been tumbling since they were 4 years old.

Never had the two competed in anything together – until the national championships in Springfield last month.

And all they did was go out and win a national championship in sub-advanced synchronized trampoline at the June 15-19 competition.

"I don't even know how it happened," said the 14-year-old Clifton, who lives in Rock Falls. "We just got put together right before the routine. Somehow, we just synched up and did really well."

"It was cool to be out there together," added the 12-year-old Fringer, a Prophetstown resident, "then to win like we did, when it was such a last-minute thing, that was amazing."

The two each had success in the past individually. Clifton won a national title in trampoline two years ago, while Fringer was a state champ in the double-mini trampoline in 2007.

But after each earned top-10 honors in individual events last month, coach Beth Lindsay decided to give the duo one last chance to show their stuff.

"They were both at the same level, and we felt it was just another opportunity for them to perform their skills," said Lindsay, co-director of Sterling's Saltos Gymnastics. "Then they went out and performed their routine really well, and it kind of surprised everyone."

The warmup session was more nerve-racking than the competition itself. With the decision to use Clifton's routine, Fringer found herself learning something entirely new on the fly at the biggest competition of the year.

The hardest part, according to Fringer, was reversing her own "three-quarter" skill: a flip done in semi-slow motion that goes either forward or backward and ends up 270 degrees from the start position instead of all the way back around to the initial place.

Clifton's specialty was a three-quarter front flip, where she ends up landing on her back; Fringer used the three-quarter back flip, where she ended up on her stomach.

"I kept falling while I was warming up," Fringer said. "I ended up only finishing the routine twice before we went out on the mat.

"But all the troubles I had during warmups disappeared when we got out there, and somehow we pulled it together. We just tried not to overthink it."

Even during warmups, the girls never did the routine together. It wasn't until they competed that they did the routine at the same time.

"We had each one practice the routine and timed it to make sure the skills were being done at the same time," Lindsay said. "They just went out there and nailed it."

But looking at the girls before they performed, any bystander wouldn't have noticed any tension or nerves. On the spur of the moment, the duo found the perfect way to relax.

"We did the Macarena; no music, just us singing it and dancing," Clifton said with a laugh. "We just get each other, and we got in sync right away.

"I thought we'd do fine, as long as we just went out there and had fun. It was pretty cool to be out there with Maddie, and we definitely had a good time."

It wasn't only a trophy the two girls earned with their first-time performance. In addition, a small wager with their coach – who was just looking to provide some incentive and ease the nerves – served as a motivator.

Surprisingly, the girls cashed in on it.

"When we first decided to do it, we didn't think we were going to do very good," Fringer said. "We made a bet with Beth that if we did somehow get first, she'd buy us new leotards."

"We still haven't gotten them," Clifton said with a sly smile, "so we're going to have to talk to her about it again."

Top 10 at nationals

Trampoline

Taylor Clifton: 1st, synchronized (sub-advanced); 8th, double-mini (sub-advanced)

Maddie Fringer: 1st, synchronized (sub-advanced); 6th, trampoline (sub-advanced)

Sarah Kriz: 3rd, synchronized (advanced); 6th, double-mini (advanced); 6th trampoline (advanced)

Nikki Kriz: 3rd, synchronized (advanced)

Eleanor Lindsay: 5th, double-mini (novice); 6th, trampoline (novice)

Alyssa Weeks: 7th, double-mini (sub-advanced)

Shay Groezinger: 8th, double-mini (intermediate); 8th, trampoline (sub-advanced); 9th, synchronized (sub-advanced)

Shandi Groezinger: 9th, synchronized (sub-advanced)

Tumbling

Brittany Bearman: 5th (intermediate)

Savanna Hoyle: 6th (sub-novice)

Alyssa Weeks: 10th (sub-advanced)

FYI: National championships held June 15-19 in Springfield. ... Tumbling has 9 levels: sub-beginner, beginner, advanced beginner, sub-novice, novice, intermediate, sub-advanced, advanced & elite. ... Trampoline & double-mini have six levels: beginner, novice, intermediate, sub-advanced, advanced & elite.