Rosie MacLennan, seen competing in the 2015 Pan American Games.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Before she steps on the trampoline, Rosie MacLennan will imagine the routine in her head.
She'll use deep breathing to stay calm and focused. She'll rub her hands together like she always does.
"I guess it's a calming thing in my mind," she said. "But definitely everything gearing towards getting myself in the right physical state and mental state."
MacLennan's strategy at the 2012 Olympics was to go in with the most difficult routine possible. She nailed it and was rewarded with Canada's lone gold medal in London.
On Friday, the 27-year-old from King City, Ont., will carry Canada's flag into the opening ceremony at the Rio Olympics. After the celebration is over, her focus will shift to defending her title on Aug. 12.
It's obviously harder to hit those more challenging routines perfectly. Other athletes may go with easier routines but higher flight times. It's a tough balance, trying to push as hard as you can in both areas.
Trampoline is a sport that rewards athletes who push limits and MacLennan is one of them.
"You kind of have to lay it on the line and then hope the judges like you," she said.
MacLennan's training plans had to be adjusted after she suffered a concussion more than a year ago and then had another head injury last August.
"It took a long time to come back from it, just because it affected my spatial awareness and it made me dizzy," she said in a recent interview. "Which, when you're doing a sport that you twist and flip in the air, isn't ideal.
"So I wanted to make sure that I was coming back safely, following all the protocols and ensuring that it would return me to tip-top shape."
MacLennan has felt like her usual self for the past few months, but the time off forced her to adjust her Olympic preparation. She also battled headaches, dizziness and light sensitivity and was mixing up words during conversations.
She was able to overcome the issues with the help of doctors, specialists and a vestibular ocular therapist. Her balance, timing and focus all eventually improved.
When she was ready, MacLennan used a bungee support system to ease her way back onto the trampoline. She was limited to light bouncing last October and started doing flips the next month as she settled into working on her routine.
MacLennan finished fourth at the world championship last fall to book Canada's Rio spot.
However, she felt the real turning point came for her in March with a victory at the Canada Cup. MacLennan followed that with a national title in June.
She'll return to the Games as the lone Canadian entry in women's trampoline. Jason Burnett will represent Canada in the men's competition.
With just one women's spot, Karen Cockburn's streak of four straight Olympic appearances will come to an end. She is confident her long-time teammate will deliver another solid performance.
"In the finals, it'll be just go for the gold," Cockburn said. "Because she has that attitude and she's always pushing the sport, it gives her an edge. I feel like that's going to help her. She knows she's a gold medalist; she knows no one can take that away from her."
Cockburn won Olympic silver twice and also won a bronze over her career. MacLennan made her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008 with a seventh-place finish before stealing the show in London.
"She'll always be an Olympic champion," Cockburn said. "I think it's just remembering that and just being like, 'I've done this before.' She pushed the limits last time and it worked. She's going in with the same strategy. Hopefully it's going to work again, but with trampoline it comes down to the day.
"Our sport is completely unpredictable and everyone is training hard all around the world and they're all trying to just go for broke on that day. You just have to hope that everything is on your side."